La Terrasse in Nara – Elegant French Fine Dining with a Touch of Japanese Aesthetics

When looking up what to do in Nara, we always see things like Todai-ji and the free-roaming deers come up all the time. Little is talked about the food scene. To our surprise, with a bit more research, we came across a number of sophisticated restaurants in the city of Nara. We decided to choose La Terrasse, a French fine dining restaurant in Nara Park, and the dinner was the highlight of our Japan visit in May this year.

Serene Setting

La Terrasse is under 10 minutes by taxi from our accommodation at the Shisui Hotel Nara. It is also very close to Kasuga Taisha and Mount Wakakusa. Being situated within the picturesque Nara Park gives La Terrasse a lush and serene surrounding. On its outdoor terrace is a 200 year-old mochi tree. During warmer months, guests can choose to dine on the terrace, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, it rained quite heavily when we visited, so we didn’t have much chance to enjoy the views around the restaurant.

Inside La Terrasse, the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. Large windows and glass ceilings provided views of the lush greenery outside, giving us the feeling of dining in the midst of a forest. The tables are well-spaced, ensuring a sense of privacy.

I would say the food wasn’t purely traditional French; instead, it beautifully combined French techniques with Japanese ingredients, emphasizing seasonality and presentation. I will try to elaborate a bit more in the next section. This approach brought together the best of both cuisines. The dishes retained the rich, luscious quality of French cuisine, but without being overly heavy. Each dish was crafted to let the natural flavors and freshness of the main ingredients shine through, highlighting the purity and quality of the ingredients.

Next was the first warm dish and the most French dish of the night in our opinion: foie gras and stuffed morel with minced chicken, served with a yellow wine sauce. The foie gras was seared to perfection, boasting a rich, buttery texture that melted in the mouth. The morel mushroom added a unique, earthy texture, while the minced chicken stuffing provided a satisfying volume to the dish. The luscious yellow wine sauce complemented everything nicely, adding a subtle acidity and depth of flavor that tied all the elements together.

For the next dish, we enjoyed kinmedai with saffron sauce and thyme oil. Kinmedai is a fatty white-fleshed Japanese fish known for its tender and delicate texture. The fish was cooked to perfection with rich and buttery flesh.

The thyme oil was drizzled by the staff at the table, instantly filling the air with its fragrant aroma. The saffron flavor was subtle and not overwhelming, and together with a dollop of some flavorful tomato relish, it perfectly complemented the mild and sweet taste of the kinmedai.

Our last savory dish was Kuroge wagyu beef with onion and mustard. I remember the staff mentioning that it was from the thigh part. The beef looked beautiful, with the fat integrating into the muscle and meat fibers. Everything melted together in each bite. The flavor was incredibly rich, and the texture was perfect, neither too meaty nor too fatty.

This rose dessert course at La Terrasse kinda gave us an Alinea vibe. The fresh rose petals were freeze-dried using (I think) liquid nitrogen by the staff right at our table. They then crushed the petals into small pieces and sprinkled them all over the dessert. Every bite was full of pleasant and sweet rose fragrance. The presentation and preparation added a theatrical element, making it a memorable conclusion to an already wonderful meal.

Doesn’t that look lovely? All those colors look as if they were from a painting.

The tea was brewed at the correct water temperature to preserve all the fragrant notes of the flavors. To complement the tea, we were served canelés and caramels, both of which were delicious. This final touch added a delightful end to our exceptional dining experience.

Our entire meal lasted 3 hours, making it our longest dining experience so far. Initially, I felt the pacing might have been on the slow side, but I later realized it was fine. It gave us enough time to savor each bite, analyze the flavors, appreciate the presentation, and discuss each dish. And I’m a slow eater anyway.

I think service is an important part of fine dining and can leave a lasting impression just as much as the food. Even after six years, we still remember the great service we had at Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas and the awkward service at Alinea. At La Terrasse, we were happy with the service; it was polite, efficient, and friendly. We felt comfortable and relaxed, not uptight at all.

We were the only foreigners in the restaurant. Although the staff’s English wasn’t excellent, they did their best to explain each dish to us. I could speak just a little Japanese and understand some food names. I would say the communication was slightly awkward at the beginning, but as the meal progressed, we adjusted to each other’s languages and I could feel that both sides got along better and better. I really need to work harder on learning Japanese!

Some of the staff seemed to have been with the restaurant for a long time and shared insights about things like the table decor, the wall painting and the ancient mochi tree on the terrace. They also kindly gave us some chocolates before we left for our taxi.

We reserved our dinner through Ikyu about a month before our trip and paid 18,000 yen per person for the dinner course. For the food quality and cooking skills, I think the price was pretty reasonable. They also serve smaller lunch courses.

We often splurge on dining experience when traveling to Japan and last year, we only visited Japanese restaurants (like Hassun in Kyoto). Our experience with the French cuisine served at La Terrasse has made us want to explore more international cuisines in Japan. Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. It is the first restaurant in Japan that makes me feel like visiting again. Looking back at the photos and reminiscing about the food and service brings a smile to my face.

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