Le Pont de Ciel (Osaka)

December 2009

6-9 Kitahama-Higashi, Chuo-k, Osaka

Tel: 06-6947-0888

Le Pont de Ciel is a 2-Michelin star french restaurant located on a Spanish-style building (very art deco) along a busy street. Upon entering, it has a cloakroom and a cocktail area, and its dining room is spacious with a row of windows on one side with a river view.

The food at Le Pont is modern french (very recognisable by its emphasis on the sauces) and we had a very enjoyable Christmas eve dinner. For that evening, there was only the prix fixe degustation menu available and so we went for that, together with champagne and wines by the glass.

We had a sausage dish as a starter, followed by pan-seared foie gras and a butter-poached lobster. The main course was a very tender cut of veal. All 4 dishes were memorable for their sauces, and each dish was prepared in a very classic manner and was very good.

They surprised us with the 'cheese-platter' though. This was a wedge of brie (crusted with chives) accompanied by a scoop of truffle ice-cream; an interesting and delicious concoction. Then it was back to the hum-drum chocolate dessert and petit fours.

All-in-all, it was a very good meal, although failing to hit the peaks of excellence which we have come to expect in our dining adventures in Kyoto/Osaka. To make things worse, throughout the meal we were distracted by a young couple dining next to us; it was clear that they were on a date and the guy had brought his gal out to a restaurant way past his budget (she was ordering glass after glass of wine, to his obvious discomfort. He on the other hand was just having water). Towards the end of the dinner, she presented him with his gift: a Bottega wallet, and the look on his face when he received it, knowing that all he had got her in return was a christmas card, was priceless. Poor guy, it took him the best part of an hour to get the courage to take his card out to give her.

We would eat there again, if we were in Osaka and wanted to dine at a classic french restaurant while there.

Food: Technically flawless without being terribly exciting.

Wines: Had a decent wine list but we stuck with our champagne and wines by the glasses

Ambience: Tables were well-spaced, but the restaurant had a slightly stuffy feel and everyone was speaking in hushed tones

Service: Very professional but a tad bit aloof