*Fujifilm X100VI 23mm f/2: 1/125s, f/4, ISO800*

In my family, we each get to choose a restaurant for our birthdays. I like to choose a restaurant that none of us has previously been to so we all get a new fancy restaurant to add to our collective experiences. One morning when I was getting ready for work I saw a little feature on the news about Margotto restaurant. I was instantly intrigued because I LOVE truffle oil and such, and this place had real, fresh truffles which would become a new experience for me.

We did a circle around the block because we weren’t certain we were in the right place. The outside is relatively non-descript and the entrance seemed hidden away. We knocked on the door to get in.

*Fujifilm X100VI 23mm f/2: 1/125s, f/11, ISO3200*

Our family was seated right away. The restaurant was relatively empty at the time, but that’s because my mom likes to make reservations REALLY early when we go out to eat as a family. Other parties started coming in later.

*Fujifilm X100VI 23mm f/2: 1/125s, f/11, ISO800*

Our wait staff kindly let us know that the dishes with the lips next to them on the menu are the ones that the truffles could be grated onto. When the appetizers started arriving I eagerly started setting up my camera and turned on my handheld LED light and started the balancing act of holding the light in one hand and the camera in the other.

The server got excited and brought a ring light and held it for me! I think it’s a brilliant idea for restaurants to have these on-hand to make their food look as good as possible for customers looking to share their dining experiences on social media and food review sites. I used their light for a few photos, but ultimately I liked the color from mine more.

*Fujifilm X100VI 23mm f/2: 1/250s, f/11, ISO800*

Soon the main courses started rolling in. We opted to eat “family style” where we pluck portions from the entrees onto our waiting empty plates. I think this is the best way to experience a restaurant because we all get to pick something we think we’ll like, and we get to try many things from the menu in one seating.

Having recently experienced A5 Wagyu beef in Japan, I was eager to experience the magic again. This was my clear favorite dish of the night which admittedly is saying a ton, because everything was very delicious. I do recommend anyone to look past the sticker-shock at least once to experience the pinnacle of beef.

I’m running out of things to say, but I wanted to post the food art individually as opposed to in a click-through gallery so that they could be appreciated independently 😂

Something I under-appreciated until my recent visits to Japan is rice. In Hawaii, rice is just a standard staple carbohydrate that absorbs sauce. In Japan, it’s treated like the most important food the country produces (in my opinion), so it seems that every level of restaurant takes great pride in their rice. It’s always shiny, not dull, and the right amount of sticky, not dry. Not sweet, but not unsweet and the perfect amount of moist. Coming back home, I truly miss rice in Japan. This rice at Margotto really brought me back for a minute.

Tiramisu

A truly delightful ice cream with truffle honey that my sister had ordered. And that’s all, folks!

01.07.2025