Iwade City, Wakayama Prefecture, is an hour away from Osaka by highway. In this idyllic countryside dotted with farms that grow rice and vegetables, there is Villa Aida, a restaurant that debuted on the ``Top 1 Best Vegetables Restaurants 100'' and ranked 2019th, the highest in Asia.
Chef Kanji Kobayashi's passion for the vegetables that is served on each plate is what makes us want to come to the table at Villa Aida, even if we have to travel a long way. There are a total of four fields that are too large to be called potagers. The couple grows about 130 types of vegetables and also handles rice farming at their parents' home.
Nowadays, restaurants that serve seasonal vegetables or claim to be organic are not uncommon, but Chef Kobayashi's approach is completely different. Every step of the way, from sowing seeds to growing them, reaching their peak season, and returning the vegetables to the soil after their season is over, is sublimated into a single dish. The restaurant's original dishes, which are designed to bring out the best in the vegetables, and go beyond the modern phrases of "local production for local consumption" and "sustainability," have gained acclaim and attracted many guests and fans from Japan and abroad. Currently, we are only serving one group of guests per day for lunch or dinner. If you can get a reservation for Villa Aida, you can say it's a blessing and you'll be envied.
The chef who creates the accompaniments for the sake experience held at Hasegawa Eiga Roppongi changes once every three months under the curation of Takanori Nakamura. This time, the 3th time, chef Kobayashi will be serving sake for a limited period of 6 months from October 2020, which is attracting attention. You can experience Chef Kobayashi's flavors at Hasegawa Eiga Roppongi in Tokyo.
Sake experience at Hasegawa Eiga Roppongi. Five types of Japanese sake from ``Hasegawa Eiga'' are served on a table with legs, along with a side dish created by Chef Kobayashi.
Experience sake in a space reminiscent of a tea room at the back of the modern store. It also serves as a lecture on sake from Hasegawa Eiga, allowing you to fully enjoy the charm of sake.
“Dried Tomato Plum Salt” goes well with “Eiga Special Junmai”. When you taste the plum salt on the rim of the glass and take a sip of sake, the aroma of plums spreads through your mouth. The pickled cucumbers are flavored with pepper and cardamom, and the sweetness and sourness of the sun-dried tomatoes make for a surprising accompaniment.
Enjoy five types of sake from Hasegawa Eiga.
From left: "Eiga Junmai Daiginjo", "Eiga Special Junmai", "Hasegawa Junmai Daiginjo 30%", "Hasegawa Junmai Daiginjo 50%", "Hasegawa Special Junmai"
During this special three-month period, vegetables carefully grown in the fields of Villa Aida will be served as accompaniments to five types of Japanese sake from Hasegawa Eiga. We hope you will witness this rare encounter where you can experience the taste of Wakayama's Villa Aida at Hasegawa Eiga Roppongi.
In the morning and afternoon, they take care of the fields and prepare the store. After entertaining guests, they cook the harvested vegetables for preservation, and then go out to the fields again. “I usually cherish my life in Wakayama, but I decided to accept this offer right away,” said Chef Kobayashi.
While drinking the sake that was sent to him, he created an image of the five types of ate. Enjoy with sake from left to right.
From the top left: "Eiga Junmai Daiginjo x Black Bean Honey Boiled", "Eiga Special Junmai x Dried Tomato Plum Salt", from the bottom left: "Hasegawa Junmai Daiginjo 30% x Yuzu Mochi Cream", "Hasegawa Junmai" Daiginjo 50% × pumpkin mirin shichimi” and “Hasegawa special pure rice × brown rice sake lees ginger”.
◆Eiga Hasegawa Roppongi “Sake Experience” (reservation required)
7F, 6-20-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Price: 5,500 yen (tax included) (XNUMX person) *Up to XNUMX people per group. Reservations can be made from the official website.
◆Villa AiDA
71-5 Kawajiri, Iwade City, Wakayama Prefecture
Only one group of guests per day, reservations accepted from the 1st two months in advance. For more information, please visit the official website.
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