What would a restaurant review be without French food? It's somewhere in Chapter 3 of the Restaurant Reviewer's Manual. I've forgotten the precise page number, as is only proper, having eaten sufficient French food and drunk sufficient French wine.
Restaurant Pâtisserie Bonmarché has been ever-present in Kofu for many years -- I should have asked the owner directly exactly how long. He's an old, Japanese gentleman who wears his bow tie and crisply ironed shirt proudly and smiles whenever he sees someone walk by his shop front. This is probably the most difficult review I've written to-date as it's very challenging to do justice to a restaurant with such a broad selection of both food and drink. Even though its mainstay is “French” or perhaps Japanese fusion, the menu is filled with departures from the quintessential escargots in butter, foie gras and veal dishes you might expect in a typical French restaurant.
The first thing that will strike you upon entering Bonmarché is the décor. The entire place is made to look rather European, with the front section much like a Viennese cafe and the dining room a sort of mix between something Parisian and something Victorian. There is a large credenza alongside one wall, filled with interesting knick-knacks and some photographs of award-winning chefs, presumably somehow affiliated with the restaurant. I couldn't tell and I didn't have a chance to ask. In another corner, a baby grand piano for some of the many live bands that appear from time to time, providing an interesting mix of entertainment. We had no such accompaniment to our meal. We did have a soft, canned violin to keep the room from being unpleasantly silent.
Since the restaurant actually has its own website, I shan't expound on all the various menu selections because a quick jump will reveal most of their current offerings. Mind you, many seasonal items are not completely current, nor do they list the daily or monthly specials to my best recollection. They have some complete “French Course Menus” that will set you back between ￥3,700 and ￥8,500. This however includes everything, and several courses, starting from appetizers and ending with desert and coffee afterwards. Because I was not exactly feeling overwhelmingly rich that night, I opted instead to choose from the regular menu.
In the end, it was very difficult to decide. With various salads, (￥900-￥1000), rice dishes (￥950-￥1200) and “à la carte” items from ￥950-￥3200 (with fillet mignon topping that scale and sirloin steak scoring a close second at ￥2800) we looked more towards the lower end for inspiration. Bonnie requested that I order for the both of us -- I chose the “meat hors d'oeuvre” (￥1200), followed by spaghetti Bolognese (￥1050) and mixed pizza (￥1000). I ordered a glass of house red wine (￥520) and for Bonnie, a non-alcoholic lemon squash, for the same price as my wine.
The wine was a local Yamanashi brand (Delian) red made from Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that boasted having won a gold medal at an international competition. It was very light, dry and subtle – much like everything else about this restaurant.. Everything, I must point out, was designed to be “just so.” This, I suppose would be perfect on a date! Absolutely nothing that would distract, disturb or otherwise overpower any of your five senses. Absolutely nothing that would take you away from gazing deep into your true love's eyes. For the rest of us, however, a little bit more spiciness is nice too. I really can't judge the restaurant too harshly for this because it is what it is – designed with subtlety and Japanese tastes in mind.
From the moment the owner arrived at our table with the wine, the staff all kept the most professional and sophisticated demeanor I've seen in a long time.
When our appetizer arrived with the stunning presentation of a Michelin 3-star restaurant, I stopped feeling bad about the price of the dish... The ambiguously described “meat hors d'oeuvre” was in fact, a selection of three sliced meats served on a bed of assorted vegetables. Specifically, smoked beef tongue, which was amazingly tender and thin, with mustard, served with sliced cherry tomatoes and pea pods; roast beef on cabbage and green beans; finally, roast duck served on charcoal-grilled corn.
The staff, aside from being very helpful and friendly, (and here I was expecting some authentic French snootiness from the waiter – boy was I disappointed) were also very observant. I realize that it's consistent with local custom to share dishes at a restaurant, often being provided with separate plates for that exact purpose. Having observed that I ordered all the dishes at once and on behalf of both of us, they took the liberty of assembling everything into a single meal and course set for us. I was taken aback (but not unpleasantly so) when our Bolognese arrived not on a single plate, but already on two smaller plates, evenly portioned out for each of us to enjoy. The pizza arrived in a similar manner, the presentation equally stunning as the appetizer. The style of the pizza was also a little different to most Japanese-style pizzas I've experienced to date, and it was a nice change. No question about it, everything tasted great! Being a lover of anything spicy, however, I found myself longing for even a dash of pepper, or better yet, a splash of habañero sauce... No matter, for one meal I'm happy to experience the raw, naked flavours in the way the chef meant them to be tasted.
Having come this far to have a full course meal, I started to feel weird about not having ordered desert. I asked what their specials were and they showed me to the “tea room” portion of the restaurant where various cakes lay behind a glass display case, the sort you might find in a bakery. I chose the crème brûlée (￥400) which would have been well enjoyed with one of the many coffees and teas offered on the extensive drink menu. I was already happy with my wine and some water.
In the end, for an appetizer shared by two, wine, drink, two dishes and desert, we paid ￥4,800. This is certainly a bit more than your average eatery, but then again, a restaurant such as this is probably also most appropriate for special occasions and whenever you are in need of a touch of class!
Summary:
The Good: Fantastic food, wonderful, intimate, romantic atmosphere, staff that makes you feel like a million bucks. Fancy set menus, extensive à la carte menu.
The Bad: The food was rather bland for my tastes and although I appreciate that the staff tried to provide top-notch service, they would be best to realize that not everyone would appreciate sharing the dishes they've ordered. Again, I was alright with it (this time) but if, for example, I had been allergic to eggplant, the Bolognese would not have gone over very well with me.
Menu: French, Italian, Japanese Fusion. Huge menu, monthly specials, set menu courses. Regional specialties like wine pork are also available. Full bar, including many European import beers (Czech, German, Belgian, among others), large wine selection, draft beer: (Guinness, Suntory Premium).
Price Range: Average price for a supper entrée is ￥1000 but many items are much more – the sky's the limit, especially when ordering wines or other drinks.
Smoking: Unknown. There were no ashtrays present on any of the tables, and the group sitting nearby weren't smoking.
Recommended?: Absolutely. But remember to bring plenty of money if you want to enjoy this place to the fullest.
Details:
Restaurant Pâtisserie Bonmarché
Tel: 055-233-7877
Address: Kofu City, Chuo 1-5-12
Hours: Couldn't find any hours listed anywhere. Not posted at the restaurant, nor on their literature, nor on the website.
Languages spoken: Japanese only
Parking: No. This restaurant is located in the heart of downtown near Orion Dori. There are nearby pay parking lots available but availability will vary.
Website: http://www.bonmarche.jp/
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