July 31, 2004
igrek (French)
Bellport Ashiya, Minami Ashiyahama / 0797-25-1909 / Lunch 11:30〜2:30 LO / Dinner 17:30〜21:30 LO / Closed on Tuesday / Yen 7000 / 7 pickels / ¥¥
Promising new French restaurant at stylish Bellport Ashiya
Even if you have no plans of renting a berth for your yacht or building a residence with your private landing stage, Bellport Ashiya is still worth a visit, as it hosts a new branch of Kobe's 'igrek'. The restaurant has opened just recently, like the entire complex. Therefore reservations are still quite easy to get, though we are afraid it won't stay that way for long.
The ambience is modern and clean, and all tables offer a view of the yacht harbor, which certainly will be more impressive once it fills up. igrek serves modern French cuisine. Their menu comprises of 4 cold and 4 hot starters and 10 main courses. For Yen 3.200 inclusive of service charge and tax, you may select a starter and a main course, Yen 4.200 2 starters and a main, and Yen 5.200 2 starters and 2 main courses. Very reasonable as we found, especially considering the quality of the food.
We started with a gazpacho with raw sea bass and smoked eel, continued with foie gras with raspberries on green fettuccine, and had duck breast with walnut parfait and balsamic vinaigrette as main course. Everything was flawlessly prepared. But for my taste the sweet raspberries were a bit too dominant, and I didn't expect the balsamic vinaigrette to be that sweet. Other diners may call this 'overly critical', and they may be right, as all in all the cuisine is right there in the upper echelon of Ashiya's fine dining spots.
The service was professional and attentive. The wine list offers an adequate selection, though maybe a bit on the pricey side.
Food: 7 Service: 7.5 Ambience: 7 Total: 7 pickles
Japanese/French menu, some English spoken.
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