When the autumn breeze becomes pleasant, my head is filled with plans to eat the best wild game this year. “Gibier” is the French word for the meat of wild birds and animals caught by hunting. In recent years, pre-processing techniques have improved in Japan, and the number of excellent restaurants that serve gibier with no odor and strong flavor has increased.

The other day, as a reward for finishing a work project, I visited L’Automne, a hidden French restaurant nestled in the back alleys of Kagurazaka. This is a well-known restaurant known only to those in the know, serving only wild game that the chef, who has a hunting license, either kills himself or purchases directly from trusted hunters.

Omakase course without menu When you take your seat, there is no menu and you are told verbally the catch of the day.'' Today we have a wonderful loin of sika deer.How about some roasted mallard duck?’’ Just hearing those words makes me want to drink wine.

Sika deer rotiRed wine and berry sauce The main dish, the sika deer roti, was a beautiful ruby color. When you insert a knife into it, it is surprisingly soft and there is no resistance at all. When you put it in your mouth, it has a wild iron aroma that is different from that of cow or pork, as if you have breathed in plenty of forest air. However, there is no unpleasant animal smell at all. The tangy berry sauce perfectly complemented the flavor of the red meat. This was paired with a spicy red wine made mainly from Syrah grapes from southern France. The aroma of black pepper was a perfect marriage with the strong flavor of game meat.

Taking a life After the meal, the chef talked about his philosophy: ``Gibier is the ultimate ecological food that allows you to appreciate the blessings of nature without wasting it.’’ A food experience that not only tastes delicious, but also allows you to feel the weight of life and the cycles of nature.

This fall, why not take a short trip to a gibier restaurant where you can enjoy a different type of wild energy than usual? It’s sure to open the door to new tastes.