The pace of Tokyo can be overwhelming at times, and a brief respite to a quieter place is much needed. Fortunately enough, there are remarkably beautiful places that are within an hour or two from the center of Tokyo. Bordering Tokyo prefecture to the west is Yamanashi prefecture. Surrounded by mountains, the prefecture has scenic valleys and vistas dominated by snow-capped peaks in the winter. More to its scenic value, Yamanashi is known for its produce. Due to its climate with cold and freezing winters and hot summers, Yamanashi vegetables and fruits are of high quality.
One cold winter's weekend, the fennel bulbs decided to go to Kofu, the prefectural capital. The Southern Japanese Alps and Mount Fuji can be seen from various points in the city. The city is also home to the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, which houses an impressive collection of works by French painter Jean Millet, as well as local Yamanashi artists.
The museum has a restaurant which serves casual Japanese and Western food. Any order of an entree allows one to have unlimited servings of fresh salad, which can be assembled by oneself from a salad bar. The quality of the vegetables is also superb - haricot vert, onions, rocket, broccoli, and various breeds of cherry tomatoes. Dressings include the usual Japanese-style Wafu dressing, vinaigrette, and cream-based.
For the entree, burger steak with mushrooms and daikon was ordered (1600Y). Albeit seemingly simple and a typical Japanese take on the burger steak, the decorations indeed reminds one that this is a restaurant in an art museum. The burger is tender and made with choice meat, and the mushroom sauce which is soy-based is delicate to the palate and blends well with the grated daikon topping. The beautiful garnish consists of a scoop of potato salad, a deep-fried slice of lotus, a dried strip of sweet potato, a beautiful flower, herbs, and carrot balls. The burger was served with a cup of rice.
For dinner, there is an interesting restaurant just a block away from Kofu station that serves only organic produce from Yamanashi prefecture. Local Cafe and Bar has cozy, minimalist interiors and is a great place to lounge in after a tiring hike in the mountains nearby.
Yamanashi is known throughout Japan for the quality of its grapes, and for this reason many beverage companies with the likes of Suntory and Kirin have set up vineyards. Some local speciality vineyards still exist, especially in the Katsunuma area, a few stations away from Kofu, and produce red wine that doesn't pale in comparison with wines from countries known for making wine like Spain or Australia. A decanter of local wine made from organic grapes is around 1,500Y.
A light salad of fresh greens with seaweed vinaigrette was ordered (~800Y). The dressing was a tad too light, but otherwise the quality of the vegetables were definitely good.
Definitely more delicious though is the grilled vegetables (Y700). The freshness and the goodness of the vegetables were precisely emphasized by being grilled. A bit of olive oil was used and minimal flavours were added - perhaps with a clove or two of garlic, salt and pepper. The vegetables consisted of cherry tomatoes, courgettes, eggplants, broccoli, carrots, and brussel sprouts.
And for the main course, lasagna (1200Y) was had. This is definitely the chef's own version of a lasagna; in addition to pasta, which was thin and light, dauphinoise potatoes were added. The ground beef is local beef which is excellent and tender, and the cream-based tomato sauce inside had a just-right flavour, not too rich. The topping is the unique point of the dish - and on the outset, the lasagna resembles more of a savoury pie at first.
With some speciality restaurants that are so easily accessible, Kofu is a wonderful place for some sightseeing close to nature and a dining experience that enables one to appreciate the local produce, which is by all means of top quality.
*Kofu can be reached on the main JR Chuo line from Shinjuku or Tokyo station, with a change of trains either at Takao station or Otsuki station (around 2 hours 30 minutes). A faster, more comfortable (with reserved seats) but more expensive option is to take the Azusa Limited Express from Shinjuku (around 1 hour and 30 minutes).
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