Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture is a city famous for French cuisines and apples. Hirosaki was one of the most advanced cities in the Meiji Period after the opening of the country. The city welcomed lots of foreigners under the slogan of “educational city Hirosaki”, thus, lots of international cuisines developed; French cuisine was one of them. It is said that Hirosaki is no.1 in Japan, regarding the number of French restaurants per population.
Also, Hirosaki is the biggest producer of apples in Aomori and also throughout Japan.
CHEZ-MOI, a small restaurant just eight minutes walk from Hirosaki Station, provides a unique menu: “Apple French course”. All the dishes in the course uses apples somehow, and they were so creative.
I had a chance to try their apple lunch course.
Hirosaki is the city of apples, the post box near the station had an apple on it!
CHEZ-MOI has a cozy looking exterior
CHEZ-MOI is located at about eight minutes walk from Hirosaki Station. The direction was very simple; I only had to take turn one time!
I could find the restaurant easily. CHEZ-MOI’s exterior looked very homey and cozy.
The exterior of CHEZ-MOI
The blackboard with handwriting explaining the day’s recommendations
I went there on a weekday but had made a reservation just in case. I was right. The tables were full!
Cold, creamy apple soup
As I got seated, the waiter asked if he can start the course immediately. I told him “sure, ” and the course started. After a while, the first dish came to my table. It was cold, creamy apple soup.
The first dish from CHEZ-MOI’s apple French course: cold, creamy apple soup
It was a little warm, and I had walked from Hirosaki station to the restaurant and was a little hot. The cold soup felt really nice. The soup was whipped a little bit, and the flavor was amazing, it was like a dessert dish, but not sweet. It had the direct sourness of fresh apples.
Scallop and greenling poiret in cidre creamy sauce
The second dish was a seafood dish. It was scallop and greenling poiret in cidre creamy sauce.
The second dish from CHEZ-MOI’s apple French course: scallop and greenling poiret in cidre creamy sauce.
Aomori is the famous producer of scallops. It was so chewy and sweet. The waiter told me that greenling is from Aomori, too. Cidre is the apple wine also famous in Hirosaki. The dish had thinly sliced apples on the top together with vegetables and also chopped apples in the creamy sauce. The fresh taste of apples felt well-mixed together with the creamy sauce and simply flavored scallop and greenling.
Grilled Aomori beef and apple jam wrapped by pie with red wine sauce
The third dish was beef. It was beef cheek meat and apple jam wrapped by pie.
The third dish from CHEZ-MOI’s apple French course: grilled Aomori beef and apple jam wrapped by pie with red wine sauce
The beef was produced in Aomori, too. It had a pretty strong taste, but apple jam made the taste lighter. It was like a Swedish dish meatball with jam. The grilled vegetables on the side were also very fresh. The pie was crunchy, and the beef was very soft.
Apple pudding
The last dish was dessert: apple pudding.
The last dish from CHEZ-MOI’s apple French course: apple pudding
The apple pudding looks very heavy, but actually, it was very light. The creamy taste washed my mouth. It was not too sweet because of the sourness of apples.
It came with a cup of coffee or English tea.
After eating four dishes, my stomach was more than full. All the dishes were amazingly delicious, creative and beautiful. I had never imagined that apples could transform to such multiple forms. The staffs were welcoming, and the atmosphere was nice, not too classy and not too casual.
This is a must-visit place when you are looking for lunch or dinner in Hirosaki!
Take note that their apple French course is only available from November to May when fresh apples are available (approximately). Ask the restaurant directly if the course is available before you visit to make sure.
Restaurant Information
CHEZ-MOI
Address: 53-2 Daikancho Hirosaki-shi, Aomori Prefecture
Access: 8 minutes walk from Hirosaki Station
Website: http://chezmoihirosaki.com/ (Japanese Only)
Related: 6 Best Things to Do and Attractions of Hirosaki in Aomori
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