Kikunoi Honten - Kyoto, Japan

Kikunoi Homepage

In December of 2013, I went to Kikunoi-Honten to celebrate my friend's birthday. The restaurant is located in Gion near Maruyama park. I've always wanted to go here and I was excited to see if it would meet my expectations. 

Kikunoi's service was very friendly and I didn't feel like I was at a formal restaurant. They even gave us umbrellas when we left because it was raining. Therefore, I felt much more relaxed at Kikunoi than Chihana, the other Michelin Kaiseki restaurant that I've been to, because the atmosphere wasn't as formal and serious. Compared to Chihana, the food at Kikunoi was also much better. 

I recommend going to Kikunoi if you want to celebrate a special occasion. Also, the lunch course isn't as expensive (8400 yen) as other Michelin 3-star Kaiseki restaurants. Moreover, they also serve a bento lunch for 5.500 yen if you just want to try out their food. 

El Celler de Can Roca - Girona, Spain

El Celler de Can Roca Homepage

I went to this restaurant when I was in Spain during the summer of 2011. At that time, it was rated as the #1 restaurant in the world so I was very excited about visiting the restaurant. 

The inside of the restaurant was very modern but simple. I liked the design but the atmosphere was a little cold. However, the service wasn’t that good. I was a little surprised about that. They were nice but not very professional. They made a few mistakes in service. For example, wine is usually always served before the getting the dishes, but they accidentally brought the dishes first a few times.

I was also a little disappointed about the food. The dishes looked very beautiful and unique, but only a few of them were really delicious. One good thing about this restaurant was the wine. I was able to drink almost 10 different wines at the restaurant! It was really nice!

Per Se - New York City, US

Per Se Homepage

I visited this restaurant in the summer of 2012. It was the third three star Michelin restaurant I’ve been to, but it is still probably the best.

The service of this restaurant was very professional but friendly. Sometimes when I go to expensive restaurants the service is a little cold, but the staff here was very friendly. I asked a lot of questions to my waiter and he let my wife and I have a tour of the kitchen! I was really happy about this. 

The food was also excellent. I liked all the dishes I ate and a few of the dishes were really delicious, especially liked all of the desserts. I got to try 4-5 different sweets. Everything was really luxurious!