[Young Master's Recommendation! ] L'ensoleiller, A Michelin 1-star French Restaurant Nestled Deep in the Mountains

Hello! My name is Satoru Miwa, and I work as a young master at the ryokan (Japanese inn) Shiroyamakan, which was founded in the World Heritage Site Shirakawa-go at the end of the Meiji era.

This time we would like to introduce a French restaurant in the neighboring city of Nanto, a 40-minute drive from Shirakawa-go. If possible, I don't want to tell you about it! It is such a delicious and wonderful restaurant.

My family has a culinary background as a ryokan (Japanese inn), so we all have a discerning palate. They were very impressed with this restaurant! The other day, my wife and I went there for the first time because of their recommendation.

"L'ensoleiller" standing on the bank of Sakuragaike

The name of the shop is "L'ensoleiller".

To celebrate my wife's birthday in August, we made reservations at L'ensoleiller, which we had wanted to visit for a long time. The restaurant also serves lunch, but we made a reservation for dinner because my family was going to take care of our two sons. It had been years since we had dined together as a couple! We waited for this day with excitement and anticipation.

Exit the Fukumitsu Interchange on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway in Nanto City and past rice fields and orchards for about 5 minutes.

Turn left here and go left at the immediate Y-junction.

At this time, it was under construction, so I was confused because it was difficult to find the way, but I proceeded to the left in the photo above.

Then a cute shop stands alone.

From the parking lot, you can also see Sakuragaike beautifully.

Dishes that make use of the abundant local ingredients of Nanto

At the shop front, there was a shield of proof that it won one star in the "Toyama/Ishikawa Michelin Guide 2016".

You can overlook Sakuragaike Pond from the table, and there is also a wood-burning stove with an atmosphere.

First, I toasted with beer and my wife with "Cerisier's Homemade Ginger".
(Cerisier is the name of the side dish shop in L'ensoleiller neighborhood.)

My wife was surprised that this ginger ale was the best ginger ale she had ever tasted! The attention to detail and deliciousness of the drink alone raised expectations, whether deserved or not.

Here, I would like to say an apology or something.

The lighting in the restaurant was a little dark at dusk, which created a nice atmosphere, and my poor photographic sense also had an effect, so the photos of the food are not very beautiful. The real thing is much more beautiful!

Also, since this is my wife's important birthday commemorative dinner, I felt that if I devoted myself to covering the event, I would spoil the dinner, which would not be good for our marriage, so I have not been able to write down the names and details of the dishes. However, please understand that I will try to put my feelings into my writing so that I can convey the impression and deliciousness of the meal as much as possible.

Let's start with the first amuse.

The okra in the bowl is from a farmer with whom they have a partnership. I forgot the name of the farmer, but when the staff explained the dish to us, it made us feel that he values the connection with local farmers.

After this, explanations such as "this is from the field of Mr. △△" were given many times, and the vegetables of Nanto City were used in the French cuisine beautifully. I also learned that Nanto City is so rich in vegetables and that I had never known the charms of Nanto City until I came here.

Dishes using matsutake mushrooms and mackerel, for example, had a taste that anticipated the fall season, and were extremely tasty to the eyes, aroma, and palate.

There is one more dish of soup that looked so good that I forgot to take a picture of it and ate it.

Since we had fish and soup, what will be the main dish? But surprisingly, we were served an appetizer with sword tuna.

We were not familiar with French cuisine, so we said to ourselves, "What? We're having appetizers now? (laugh). We were told that the previous four dishes were all amuses.

I'm sorry to say that, based on my experience so far, I thought that French food wouldn't fill me up, but it seems to be quite filling, and I was very happy with my miscalculation.

By the way, the edible flowers scattered in the photo above are also locally grown. In fact, we have already incorporated it into the cuisine of our ryokan!

No. 1 in fish dishes ever!

Well, next is the fish dish.

This dish is made with sea bream, and even the scales are deep fried. The crispy texture of the scales and the juicy taste of the sea bream made it the most delicious fish dish I have ever had! It was the best fish dish I have ever had! Of course, the accompanying vegetables are locally grown.

And the main dish using Kuroge Wagyu beef from Toyama Prefecture. It was very delicious, including the garnished vegetables.

The last will be dessert.

After eating everything, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction as if I had fully enjoyed the sea and mountain delicacies of Nanto and Toyama. Of course I'm full.

French countryside and Nanto overlapped

This is Mr. and Mrs. Takami who run the shop.

The owner-chef's husband traveled to the French countryside during his training. A restaurant using local ingredients, hidden away in the richness of nature and the bounty of nature there. When he visited Nanto City and saw the location of his current restaurant, it completely overlapped with that French country town.

Neither of them had any particular connection with Nanto, but when we heard the story of their decision to open a restaurant here, the image of the restaurant in the French countryside came vividly to us, and we felt as if we were in France, too.

“Local production for local consumption” means eating locally grown ingredients.

I've heard that word many times before, but for the first time, I realized from the bottom of my heart that the happiness of food brought about by local production for local consumption is so wonderful and rich.

I think this is because of the chef's thoughtfulness conveyed by the delicate dishes and the thoughtfulness of his wife who carefully explains it.

Until now, I didn't know anything about Nanto, even though it's a neighboring city. Anyway, L'ensoleiller'a cooking and concept that makes me think so is amazing! It is a place where you can not only enjoy a delicious meal, but also experience many “stories”.

Stay overnight or have lunch from Nagoya

Even if you want to eat at L'ensoleiller, I think there are many people who find it difficult because it is quite far away, so I will introduce some recommended itineraries.

① Stay at a nearby inn
There is a hotel and spa facility called "Sakuragaike Kurgarden" 10 minutes on foot from Lansoleie, so you can enjoy dinner there without worrying about drunk driving.

Sakuragaike Kurgarden: https://sakuragaike.co.jp/

There are several other inns in the surrounding area.

② Stay at Shiroyamakan
We also recommend staying at our ryokan, Shiroyamakan, and using L'ensoleiller for lunch. Japanese kaiseki dinner at Shiroyamakan, and L'ensoleiller for lunch. This is sure to be a gastronomic journey!

③Day lunch
It's 2 hours and 40 minutes by car from Nagoya, and it's a distance that can be easily reached on a day trip, and Lansoleyer's cuisine is worth it! ! In addition, Gokayama, Shirakawa-go, Himi, and Kanazawa are also nearby, so you can fully enjoy sightseeing.