"French cuisine is always accompanied by wine," and at the traditional French restaurant [Bistro n/n], "Assemblage Club Taro" is on the list among a wide range of French wines. We spoke to owner-chef Nozaki Naoki about why he decided to pair French cuisine with sake, and about customer feedback.

Authentic French cuisine by a talented chef

Located about a six-minute walk south from Shijo Yanagi-no-Baba Street, this bistro restaurant is housed in a renovated Kyoto townhouse that is about 100 years old. Upon opening the door, you'll find counter seats with a warm wooden feel and table seats with garden views, and the interior, with its striking turquoise blue walls, allows time to pass leisurely. Chef Nozaki, who has been dedicated to French cuisine since the 1980s, welcomes you. He opened his own restaurant in the Kitaoji area, and later launched a pioneering restaurant in casual French cuisine in Kyoto, before opening this restaurant in 2022.

Although the restaurant's name is Bistro, it serves authentic French courses (reservations required). One of the attractions is being able to watch the chefs' lively movements over the counter. Along with your meal, you can enjoy natural wines from France and Assemblage Club Taro.

Beautiful French cuisine with a Japanese flair

This course is an eclectic style that skillfully combines Japanese and French ingredients. Using seasonal ingredients, including Kyoto vegetables, the dishes are presented with a Kyoto-style atmosphere in mind. This is fully demonstrated in the hors d'oeuvres that appear at the beginning of the course. While the appearance is Japanese, the food is carefully prepared in the traditional French style. Petit courses start from 6,600 yen.

As there are many female customers, the course is designed in the style of a French tasting course called "Menu degustation," where customers can sample a little bit of everything. When customers see the various dishes tastefully arranged on the plates, they exclaim, "Wow!" The chef's love is evident in the fact that he wants customers to enjoy the beautiful appearance, aroma, and natural flavors of the ingredients with both their tongues and eyes.

・Assorted hors d'oeuvres
On the right is a cauliflower mousse with consommé jelly. In the back is a homemade ham salad made with natural salt using seawater from Yuhigaura in Kyotango City and a flat-pan method. On the left is a luxurious dish of foie gras and truffle creme brûlée.

・Assorted hors d'oeuvres
On the right is a seasonal carpaccio, which on this day was scallops and whole grain mustard. In the back is a Burgundy-style dish of escargot and mushrooms with butter, chopped garlic, and parsley. On the left is olive-grilled bigfin reef squid and matsutake mushrooms served on a red-stained leaf.
The full course (9,900 yen) and premium course (13,200 yen) come with two hors d'oeuvre platters.

A sake that can be enjoyed with the same feeling as white wine

① Assemblage Club 01 CODENAME: Taro Glass 1,100 yen
Kitagawa Honke Co., Ltd. Kitagawa Honke (Kyoto) Sold by Leaf Publications Co., Ltd. Alcohol content 15%, rice polishing ratio not disclosed

This innovative drink was jointly developed by three Kyoto sake breweries (Masuda Tokubei Shoten, Kitagawa Honke, and Matsui Sake Brewery) and applies the traditional wine technique of assemblage to Japanese sake.

"Foreign customers often tell me that since they've come all the way to Japan, they want to drink sake instead of wine. So I tried Taro and had an intuition that this would be good. Because it has a light taste, I was convinced that it could be enjoyed in the same way as white wine. I think it goes particularly well with oudre, which uses plenty of seasonal ingredients. Our customers seem to enjoy drinking it," says Chef Nozaki.

The core is unwavering, but the ideas are also flexible and outside the box

Chef Nozaki has worked hard to make French cuisine familiar and accessible to everyone, making it casual and enjoyable. At the base of this is classic French cuisine made with reliable techniques. In recent years, he says, the traditional rules of French cuisine have been gradually fading away. While adapting to modern needs, he has not wavered from his core principles and has also incorporated flexible, unconventional ideas. Chef Nozaki hopes to incorporate bright colors reminiscent of European cityscapes and a touch of Japanese essence. He will continue to take French cuisine seriously, satisfying the appetites of not only Japanese guests but also foreign guests, and bringing smiles to everyone's faces.