I really love Japan so much, especially the culture, the patient attitude and attention to details among the Japanese, Japanese watches and Japanese cuisine. I go to Japan at least once a year, and my highest record was four times in a year. It may not be a big deal for some of the people, but for me, it is good enough. It would be nicer if I could go there once a month.
I seldom eat sumptuously if on a leisure trip instead of the business one in Japan. It is lucky for me to have a Japanese friend living near Yokohama, taking me to local eateries to have a taste of good ramen, tempura and sushi. I just love this kind of small outlets with no tourists, no Mandarin and no Simplified Chinese.
However, I went to a fine dining restaurant called MOTIF Restaurant & Bar in Japan this time. Established on the 7/F of Four Seasons Tokyo (near Tokyo Central Railway Station in Chiyoda district), the restaurant has operated since mid-April 2015. It was designed by well-famed Hong Kong architect Andre Fu, which offers a stunning 270º view overlooking the core area around the railway station. The restaurant mainly serves French cuisine by sourcing traditional yet premium Japanese ingredients, with the Head Chef Mr. Hiroshi Nakamichi at the helm who comes from Noboribetsu, a prominent hot spring region in Hokkaido.
I have indulged myself into an exquisite French feast with 10 courses in total, starting with the appetizer Crab Tart and Tomato, followed by Breadcrumbed Scallop with Oba and Wasabi, Roasted Lily Root with Seaweed Butter, Seasonal Vegetables with Truffles, Surf Clam with Udo and Rice as well as Broiled Eel with “Taro” Potato and Burdock Sauce. Grilled Wagyu Beef was also served after finishing my sorbet. The desserts were Pear Jelly and Compote, and Kumquat Soufflé with Vanilla Ice Cream respectively. The courses were specially paired with a fine selection of wine, including Muscat Bailey 2011 from Shiojiri in Nagano Prefecture. Besides serving stunning, aromatic and tasty dishes, MOTIF also allows you to enjoy the elegant yet cozy ambience and the excellent service. It is pricey, but worth it! Thanks to the low exchange rate of Japanese Yen, you can now enjoy great food and shopping to the fullest.
很喜歡日本，喜歡日本的文化，喜歡日本人的耐性和一絲不苟，喜歡日本錶，也喜歡日本美食。每年都會最少去一次日本，最高紀錄一年去過四次，對某些人來說可能根本不算什麼，但對我來說已經很不錯，如果每個月都能夠去一次，那就更加好。
每次去日本，如果純粹為放假而不是工作，很少會吃得很豪，我算幸運，有一位日本好友住在橫浜附近，每次都會帶我去地道食店吃好東西，拉麵、天麩羅、壽司等，沒有遊客，聽不到普通話，看不見簡體字，我就是喜歡這種小店。
不過今次到日本，我就試了一間高級餐廳。這間餐廳名叫MOTIF Restaurant & Bar，坐落於東京都千代田區東京車站旁的四季酒店7樓，2015年4月中開業，由香港建築師Andre Fu負責設計，能以270度飽覽東京車站核心地段的景色。餐廳主要以日本傳統高級食材，打造法國菜式，主廚是來自北海道著名溫泉區登別的Hiroshi Nakamichi先生。
當晚我便品嚐了共有10道菜式之多的一頓精緻法國料理，頭盆是蟹肉蕃茄撻，接著有麵包碎炸扇貝、海草牛油烤百合根、季節野菜、焗北寄貝、烤鰻魚，再來一道雪葩之後，便是主菜燒和牛，甜品就分別有洋梨果凍和金柑梳芙厘。他們更特別為我配以幾款不同的葡萄酒，當中包括來自信州塩尻的Muscat Bailey 2011。在MOTIF吃飯，除了食物色香味俱全之外，餐廳環境高雅舒適，服務一流，就算要付較高的價錢，我還是覺得十分值得，更何況現在日元匯率低，吃好東西之餘，也可以去購物。
