Every September, I go back to my late parents' hometown in Shizuoka City, and I always stop off for a night on the way. Last year, I stayed at the six-room resort hotel Mayufita on Izu Dogashima Island. This year, I decided to stay in Yokohama.

I go to Yokohama with my high school classmates for day trips several times a year, and I always make a point of stopping by the first floor lounge at the Hyatt Regency Yokohama near Chinatown, which I like. I went there on the recommendation of a professor who lives in Minato Mirai, and not only was it a luxurious space with high ceilings, but the young service staff were refreshing and pleasant to deal with. I thought I'd like to stay there once, and that's how I made it happen.

At that time, there was only one thing that bothered me. It was about breakfast. In Paris, the continental style of fresh juice, bread, and cafe au lait is the norm. The important thing is that room service is the norm. Every morning, when you wake up, you answer the phone and choose your drink, such as juice or cafe au lait. After a while, a basket with various kinds of bread is delivered to your room for breakfast. You give a tip, receive it, and eat it leisurely in your room. It doesn't have to be continental, but I think room service is the only option for breakfast.

However, the Hyatt Regency Yokohama does not offer room service for breakfast. They do offer room service, but only at night. There is only one breakfast option, a buffet at Harbor Kitchen on the second floor. This is the style of breakfast I dislike the most. Well, it is a first-class hotel, and on their website they claim that their breakfast buffet is "one of the best in the Yokohama area." Looking at the menu, it is a mix of Japanese and Western cuisine, with a few Chinese elements added due to the location, and they are particularly proud of the wide variety of breads they offer. They are probably confident since they have a pastry shop attached to the hotel.

I always have breakfast every morning. However, I don't eat a lot, so the buffet style allows me to eat a little at a time, so although I can still adjust the amount I eat, it's still not cost-effective. The breakfast at Harbor Kitchen is 3,800 yen including tax, so I can't possibly eat 3,800 yen worth of food in the morning. In that case, it would be better to have the room service set meal for the same price, so I can just eat as much as I want and leave the rest.

Also, the food served on the buffet is dry and unappetizing. I've also encountered some rude and arrogant customers, so I want to avoid buffets as much as possible.

So I was wondering what to have for breakfast until the very last moment, but then I got some good news.

As someone who goes to bed at 6 or 7 in the morning, I find myself watching a show called "Bananaman's Early Bird Sakeka Gourmet !! " ( TBS ), which airs from 6am on Sundays. I wish I could go to bed earlier. The show is meant to whet your appetite so you can have a delicious breakfast, and introduces a variety of gourmet foods. One dish that was featured was the "Monte Cristo Sandwich." This was the first time I'd heard of this food, which was highly praised by both MCs .

It looks like a bread dish that combines "croque monsieur" and "French toast". "Croque monsieur" is a bread sandwich with ham and cheese, which is officially baked with a béchamel sauce, but it is also delicious if you omit the sauce and make it in a hot sandwich maker. By the way, if you put a fried egg on top, it becomes "croque madame".

In this way, the "Monte Cristo sandwich," which is made by placing ham and cheese in the middle of "French toast," which is toast soaked in egg batter, can be considered a variation of "Croque Madame."

The "Monte Cristo Sandwich" that the Bananaman duo tried and praised was from the long-established Yokohama hotel "New Grand." The New Grand is famous for its "Napolitan" and "Doria" dishes created by Sally Weil, the famous chef who influenced postwar Japanese French cuisine, for the soldiers stationed there. In the old building, the room that MacArthur used is now available for lodging as the "MacArthur Suite."

About 20 years ago, I stayed in a suite in the new wing next door. The "Monte Cristo Sandwich" was served at the French restaurant "Le Normandie" on the fifth floor of the new wing.

So, for breakfast, I decided to take a walk to the New Grand and have a "Monte Cristo Sandwich". It was only about ten minutes away from the Hyatt Regency, and I was reminded of how great the location is. It's also just a few minutes away from my favorite restaurant, "Scandia," where I had dinner the day before, and the fact that it's a little unassuming is another great thing about the Hyatt Regency.

Well, when I arrived at the venue, I felt like the breakfast twenty years ago was also at "Le Normandie". At the entrance, I was asked "Do you want a breakfast ticket?" and when I answered "No", I was guided further and further into the large dining room. Meanwhile, there were quite a few people who seemed to be hotel guests having breakfast. The Hyatt Regency was less popular than I expected, and I didn't have anyone with me when I checked out.

In the end, we were shown to a seat at the back, by the window, with a panoramic view of the harbor. It was the best seat in terms of location, and it may have just been available by chance, but if so, we were lucky. The dining room is quite large, so only a limited number of window seats have a view. And even more so, there are only a limited number of seats facing the harbor.

There are three types of menu. Western set menu, Monte Cristo sandwich, and continental. For the Monte Cristo sandwich, you can choose fresh juice and coffee or tea, which is the same as for the continental menu. A vegetable salad is served first, followed by the Monte Cristo sandwich, yogurt in a cocotte mold, and some fruit on a plate. It's a one-plate breakfast. All for 4,200 yen. It's more expensive than the Hyatt Regency buffet. As you'd expect from a long-established restaurant.

The sandwich was smaller than I expected, but it was quite rich and the portion size was just right. Looking around, I noticed that many people chose the Monte Cristo sandwich, probably because it was featured on TV. The French toast was sweet, though not too sweet. Moreover, it was made with crispy bacon instead of ham, so it had a strong salty taste, and the sweet-salty flavor may be familiar to Japanese people. I had high expectations, but I wasn't that impressed. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't say it was delicious.

In conclusion, next time I'm in Yokohama, the buffet at the Hyatt Regency will be sufficient for breakfast.

This month's recommended wine: "The hidden jewel of the Cote de Beaune - Enjoy AC Saint-Aubin's red wine -"

"Saint-Auban Premier Cru 'Pitan Gelee' Rouge 2018 AC Saint-Auban Premier Cru Domaine Au Pied du Montchauve" 10,000 yen (excluding tax)

 

This time, we will be looking at Burgundy. In the previous two posts, we have been focusing on wines from the Cote de Nuits. Finally, I would like to introduce the red wines from the Cote de Beaune, the other major region of the Cote d'Or.

The Côte de Beaune is also famous as a producer of Burgundy's finest white wines, such as Montrachet, Meursault, and Corton-Charlemagne.

However, red wines are also produced in the Grand Cru category of "Corton," and as appellations that produce only red wine, there are also famous wines such as "Volnay" and "Pommard." The author believes that the red wines of "Beaune," where famous négociants gather, are neutral and stable, and should be the first choice along with the three appellations mentioned above.

However, this time I would like to introduce the wines of the Saint-Auban appellation, which Sutcliffe describes as "one of Burgundy's hidden gems" (Burgundy Wines). Sutcliffe writes that all the producers are conscientious and the wines are uniformly of good quality. Although more white wines are produced, excellent red wines are also produced.

The wine we chose this time is made by Domaine Au Pieds du Montchauve. This up-and-coming domaine is based in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet, and 2010 was its first vintage. It was established by Francine Picard, daughter of Michel Picard, the owner of Maison Picard, a major Burgundy négociant located in the same village. Since 2013 , they have been farming entirely biodynamically.

This red wine is from the Premier Cru "Pitangeure" vineyard, located south of the village, adjacent to the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. 100 % destemmed, aged for 15 months in 30 % new oak barrels. After that, it is transferred to stainless steel tanks, left to rest for 2 months, lightly filtered and bottled.

With a maximum of 1,800 bottles of Premier Cru, this is your chance to try this elegant and refined product from the Domaine, which is "single-mindedly pursuing quality."

Biography
Osamu Seki

Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions. Specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory. Director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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