ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 📍CAFFE BONINI EBISU クロワッサンって美味しい🥐 最近は恵比寿によく行くんだけど 美味しいご飯屋さんありすぎて 肥えてる気しかしません😊 #恵比寿

Condiments From L to R: • Amakusa 100% Limited Edition Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Amakusa Olive Orchard AVILO • 澳 Oki Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil • Bonini Balsamic Vinegar "Riserva Extravecchio" (Aged 40 years) _ @ Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, Ginza, Tokyo (Oct 2018) _ Before the bread I wanted to share about the selection of olive oil. When dining in main dining room, you will be given 8 kinds of EVOO from around the world. In chef’s table you were given local. What does that imply? _ If you think Chef Luca is using local Japanese ingredients like just about all of the italian restaurants in Japan or overseas, then you will be missing of one of the many great things that Chef Luca is doing. _ In fact he told me that he will only use ingredients in Japan of which the ingredients exist in Italy. For instance, they may use local uni or olive oil, or certain fish or shrimps because they indeed have shrimps and olive oil in Italy. But you will never find them using yuzu or matcha etc in their dishes, because they simply don’t exist in Italian cooking. What he wants is to preserve the integrity of Italian flavors, the backbone flavor profile. It is a principle as an Italian chef cooking italian food that he wants to hold tight. You know why so many Italian restaurants or pizzeria in Japan are considered as Japanese-Italian by foreigners? It was because they use so many ingredients unique to Japan and then when all things add up, it no longer resemble something cooked by an Italian. — As for the olive oil and balsamic, the attribute that stood out to be was the texture - the viscosity of the oil has a lot of body, smooth and stays in the mouth (in a long way). The Oki EVOO had a more concentrated flavor, more impact on first bite; the Amakusa EVOO was more gentle and delicate, this duo almost like a him and a her. Such a good pair together. _ The special 40 Year Aged Balsamic too, also had a full body less thick than dolce vita balsamic but more concentrated than usual balsamic. The taste was so pure and natural but came with depth. They even use different salt with each olive oil. This is attention to details plus the standard of using highest quality ingredients

After the aperitivo came the olive oil and bread service. If you have been to the dining room of IL Ristorante Luca Fantin you will remember the glamorous olive oil trolly with 5-6 kinds of olive oil plus another 6 kind of salt to choose from. _ At the chef’s table, it became even more “fine”. They don’t let you choose because they give you only the best they have 🌟🥇 _ Chef Luca came out again and explained each one, first was the Bonini Balsamic Vinegar "Riserva Extravecchio", one with more sweetness and a richer taste. Very limited in production. _ Second, was an extra olive oil called 澳 Oki Olive from Shōdoshima 小豆島, an island in Japan very famous for olive and olive oil production. Chef Luca said they went to the olive oil farm and saw them handpicking each olive by hand. I researched a little more at home and learnt that the carefully selected handpicked green olives were pressed within 4 hours (IOC international standard is 72 hours). _ If you watch the video, you can see the viscosity of the EV olive oil was very high and the hue, oh so lovely. This Oki extra virgin olive oil is sold at 11800 yen per 200ml! That is some precious oil indeed! _ And suddenly, Chef Luca took out a wooden box and opened another one! Amakusa 100% Limited Edition, in a custom-made Takahama-ware bottle, an extra virgin olive oil produced by Amakusa Olive Orchard AVILO which began its farming operations with the planting of 1,300 olive tree saplings in the hills of Amakusa City. How many of us (non Japanese) know Amakusa has olive oil production besides our usual seafood such as Kohada or kuruma ebi? _ According to an online interview, “olive oil made with 100% Amakusa olives, which are still rare, is left to settle in a tank for 2 - 3 months after pressing before being bottled.” For 2017, only 300 bottles of Amakusa 100% Limited Edition were produced and 200 were sold in the first week. 😱 _ But rarity does not necessarily means best quality. I will continue more on the taste note in next post. _ And of course, the bread basket. Please listen to @fabrizio.fiorani on his fabulous creation! And I will explain more in my next post too!