Ludovic Ragot at La Promenade in Bourgueil Bourgueil, Loire There are places you're always happy to go back to, and this wine-centered venue in the middle of the Loire valley is certainly one of them. We spent a night in... Bertrand Celce

Marc Ollivier overlooking the plowing Domaine de la Pépière (Muscadet, Loire) Welcome to the western-most region of the Loire, the Muscadet, where the only variety listed in the appellation area is the Melon de Bourgogne, a variety originating from Burgundy... Bertrand Celce

An unexpected delicacy at rest Tout est bon, dans le cochon - or everything is good in the pig, even the unlikeliest part... Here is a dish which I just rediscovered after having bought some during a weekend in the... Bertrand Celce

Les Affranchis - professional tasting event This was one of these well-sized professional tastings that I like : small enough, relaxed and friendly tasting with nonetheless very beautiful wines to sample. I still couldn't attend but for an hour or... Bertrand Celce

Old Yoshida sake shop Yanaka/Ueno, Tokyo... Bertrand Celce

Fucharyori Bon Ryusen, Tokyo This discreet restaurant is a hard find, it sits in the middle of a stretch of shitamachi south of Minowa station and east of Iriya but you'll be rewarded of your efforts to locate the venue... Bertrand Celce

Sayonara ! Once again, I was happy to experience by myself that Japan has a solid drinking culture (so to say), and in a very permissive, socially-admitted way. It doesn't seem to translate into booze-soaked bums screaming in the street.... Bertrand Celce

Pouring sake at Manseibashi Akihabara, Tokyo Another casual tachinomi or sakaba bar. Akihabara was not in my mind the neighborhood of Tokyo that I associated with bars and even less with standing bars (tachinomi); Akihabara is known as the electronics... Bertrand Celce

Waitress at Kaburaya Kita Senju (Tokyo) Going out in Tokyo at dirt-cheap prices Here is an izakaya chain which has only a string of venues in Tokyo. We stumbled upon it in Kita Senju, like usual to get a more... Bertrand Celce

Kita-Senju's neons Kita Senju (Tokyo) Here is an off-centered neighborhood of Tokyo (Kita Senju) which seems to have hidden gems, at least for the unsuspecting foreigner, as the Tokyoite probably knows about the pleasures of this area. For a Parisian... Bertrand Celce

The iconic red-painted wine restaurant Meguro, Tokyo You can sigh in relief, Tokyo has its own Le Verre Volé... The French iconic natural-wine restaurant (and caviste) has now its mirror venue in Meguro, close to Ebisu and Shibuya, not exactly... Bertrand Celce

A small, refined tachinomi Shinjuku, Tokyo I had the preconception that the tachinomi type of bar, the standing bar, was to be found only in the shitamachi part of Tokyo or other towns. In other words, I thought that it... Bertrand Celce

Welcome to Golden Gai Shinjuku, Tokyo Tags : forgotten Tokyo, micro bars, brothels, city of pleasures, time wrap, Flamenco Golden Gai is a surprising anachronism in the heart of one of the most modern and active part of Tokyo :... Bertrand Celce

Yasuo Munakata Iidabashi (Toei line) Tokyo Méli-Mélo is a restaurant focused on French natural wines and French cuisine prepared from carefully-sourced organic products. Again, I heard about this venue through Junko and John. this is not the only restaurant with... Bertrand Celce

Takioka 3 : the outside Ueno/Okachimachi district (Tokyo) Is there a gaijin who doesn't feel the urge to walk inside one of these smoky venues where few foreigners venture ? I love strolling along the narrow streets of shitamachi in... Bertrand Celce

Sake & wine shop in Tokyo Sendagi, Nishi... Bertrand Celce

Japanese fast food Uguisudani, Tokyo This is a very simple and even vulgar yakitori joint named Sasanoya, which sits along the Yamanote line in Tokyo, near the Uguisudani station a few meters from the railroad tracks. But beyond its food-shack... Bertrand Celce

Romain Weinstock & Toyoichiro Shibata Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture (Japan) The Coco Farm Winery has a very unique story that makes it stand out from the other Japanese wineries. In short, we could say that this winery became what it is... Bertrand Celce

Hanami ! Ueno Park, Tokyo Hanami is there ! The traditional, utmost-Japanese tradition of going out in the parks to view and enjoy the full blossoming of cherry trees at this time of the year is back. On this occasion,... Bertrand Celce

A very nice Mourvèdre Kudos to the Domai... Bertrand Celce