It’s a French restaurant but it has an extremely strong Japanese influence, which is why most Japanese will like it (less sure about the French). Product quality is high and I was personally pleasantly surprised by the appetizers.

Very tasty! We have ordered set.

Visited after seeing the ratings on Google Maps. It feels like a basement hideaway. The mushroom potage appetizer and the main dish of pork baked with mozzarella cheese were especially memorable. I debated ordering dessert, but I was too intrigued by the watermelon cake not to order it. To my surprise, there was actual watermelon inside the cake. Paired with rock salt, the sweetness seemed stronger. A sensation you can only experience here.

Lunch in Hanzomon. A casual French restaurant on basement level 1 of an apartment building, a 2-minute walk from Hanzomon station. You can enjoy dishes prepared by the owner-chef, who reportedly worked as a cook at the British Embassy. I visited with a friend when we went to Chidorigafuchi. From the lunch menu, my friend ordered “lasagna,” and I ordered “Yamagata pork and kuri pork baked with mozzarella cheese.” Then we were asked, “What about the watermelon cake?” We were puzzled: “?” On asking, we learned that “watermelon cake” is the restaurant's specialty, and many customers come specifically for it. We couldn't even imagine a watermelon cake in the first place. Since we were there, we decided to try it. The owner-chef is from Obanazawa in Yamagata, and apparently watermelon is a specialty of Obanazawa. He also said he makes dishes using various Yamagata ingredients besides watermelon. Lunch comes with soup, salad, bread, ham paste, and coffee. After the main dishes arrived, the owner-chef appeared! A very approachable chef who loves joking around, he chatted with us about various things and took our photo. The watermelon cake was a refreshing cake with plenty of watermelon in the middle. The accompanying French rock salt was unique, too. The rock salt brings out the watermelon's sweetness.

+3

【A blissful dining experience】The restaurant that left the deepest impression on me this year. I heard that Hanzomon was home to an acclaimed restaurant where Chef Sato, former head chef of the British Embassy, showcases his skills, and my long-held wish to visit finally came true. From the first bite, I was captivated by his exceptional technique and depth of flavor. First came the consommé soup served early in the course. The deep, richly nourishing flavor contained in each crystal-clear golden drop seemed to permeate every corner of my body. This single bowl completely won me over. The main dish, “cheek meat braised in red wine,” was cooked so tenderly that no knife was needed, and the velvet-smooth sauce was the culmination of complex, layered savory flavors. This was truly professional cooking, something one could never achieve at home. With every bite, I marveled at its perfection. The signature “watermelon cake” was a superb dessert combining playfulness with meticulous calculation. To finish, there was soba from Yamagata Prefecture, the chef's hometown. It was so refreshing and light that it was hard to believe we were enjoying it after a French course meal. The excellence of the food goes without saying, but another great appeal of this restaurant is its comfortable space, which reflects Chef Sato's warm and sincere character. I spent a blissful time here that left me fulfilled from the heart. I am deeply grateful to have enjoyed such a high-quality dining experience in Hanzomon. This is an acclaimed restaurant I can confidently recommend for special occasions or to anyone seeking authentic flavor.