Sea Delicacies WATANABE

When we visited last February, during a truly cold season, we stayed with the steak-centered course.Of course the Izu beef steak was delicious, but the shrimp main dish other guests were having looked unbelievably good—so this time we chose the standard course, a full seafood course.I uploaded some photos here, and in any case, every single dish is genuinely delicious.The mehikari fritto that I thought was the standout last time was on the menu again and was wonderful once more—but everything else was also outstanding. My family member, who nods along while eating and blurts out “So good” whenever something is delicious, seemed very busy throughout the meal (laugh).This time’s main dish—pan-seared Suruga Bay langoustine—came with a shrimp-based sauce that concentrated all of its flavor. The sautéed grouper (kue), rich with fat, had thick flesh cooked fluffy and tender, and it paired beautifully with a clam sauce.It was my first time trying an squid called Jindo-ika, and its deep flavor and tenderness were truly exceptional.We were also amazed by French white asparagus like we’d never had before; served with rapeseed blossoms as well, it felt like enjoying spring in both Europe and Japan at once.And what surprised us most was the new-onion bavarois topped with Ossetra caviar consommé jelly. Until now I’d thought this kind of dish peaked at carrot mousse topped with sea urchin jelly—but this surpassed that by far, in the best possible way.Dinner dessert was crème brûlée. I usually don’t care for it because it tends to be sweet and heavy, but paired with strawberry sorbet—and served alongside strawberry soup generously filled with strawberries—it felt light even though we were already full, and it was absolutely delicious.Breakfast was excellent across the board as well. The heaping basket of bread tasted so good it might even beat specialty bakeries—and being able to take some home as a souvenir made us very happy.Last time we learned there is only one Onsen bath shared among guests. This time we brought bath bombs planning to enjoy bathing in our Room’s unit bath too—and since we managed three baths (before dinner, after dinner, and before breakfast), we were completely satisfied.I’ve heard that an auberge originally began as a restaurant offering an Accommodation so guests could enjoy great food and wine without having to drive home. With that in mind, having an Onsen at all is wonderful—but above all else, this feels like a place made for savoring treasures from the sea.

Dinner was delicious across the board, but the homemade bottarga, the crispy-scale grilled red tilefish with new-onion jelly, and the pan-seared langoustine were especially outstanding. Breakfast was exceptional as well—the nine different kinds of bread baked by the chef were superb. They even provided a bag and kindly told us to take any leftovers home. We also enjoyed a carefully selected assortment of different fruits, served one piece at a time. From sourcing ingredients to prep and cooking, everything is done by one person, and you can truly feel the care that goes into each dish. Thank you for the wonderful meal. We would love to visit again.