Traveling by car amidst the fresh snow, we arrived after 11 minutes from downtown Sapporo near the old Olympic ski jump.

The restaurant is a white building in the shadow of the night with a quaint sign named Le Musee. It is a modern building that looks more like a museum than a restaurant and perhaps that is why it is named Le Musee. You walk in past some wine relics into a nicely lite room and a few tables.

The restaurant is divided into the down stairs and the private room where the chef cooked a gastro-dinner for us 4. Upstairs we viewed a courtyard with snow and a single tree. This area is a VIP room with the chef’s own stove and mini kitchen named “idea”. His idea of food philosophy, he made very little noise and made it all look poetic.

As we sat, we started with a cold Sapporo “nama”, the local draft beer and a few glasses of French bubbles, a simple champagne by Thierry Triolet. This night we enjoyed various wines, starting with a Chablis by J.F. Raveneau, his Butteaux 2009 (92+ Points), which was young, crisp and drinking nicely, followed by the magnificent 2005 Burgundy of Ponsot V.V Clos de la Roche (97+ Points), a rich powerhouse with finesse yet a good muscle and fruit balance, then the Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouge du Dessus by Nicolas Potel 2000 (91+ Points), it was short and I scored it 91+ because it seemed unfair after a 2005, and the last course the Araujo 2006 (93+ Points) (with some cheeses), an American wine is always a crowd favorite for Japanese.

The food was simple and to the point with little fussing. The menu was a few courses of choice ingredients, and it reminded us of a restaurant in Zürich named Sein, a restaurant we all enjoy.

This night we enjoyed a local fish and truffles and a pigeon with truffles and truffles. It was a fabulous evening and we were grateful to our local friends for inviting us. The desert was unusual and considering where we were – it was a Pinacoloda dish with carrot pacojet’d. Quite an interesting combination or cold and warm textures, the ice cream, carrot texture and creamy base.

The meal was a good surprise and Le Musee is worth a visit if you ever get to Sapporo but reserve in advance to be sure to get a place.

http://www.musee-co.com