Fleur de Sarrasin

Located just a short walk from Tsukuba Express Asakusa Station, tucked into an alleyway just west of Kokusai-dori Avenue in Nishi-Asakusa 2-chome, Fleur de Sarrasin is a specialty bistro dedicated to domestic buckwheat galettes and Japanese craft ciders. The restaurant's name means "buckwheat flower" in French. The owner-chef brings a distinguished background, having spent five years at the Kagurazaka branch of "Le Bretagne"—the pioneer that first introduced galettes to Japan—followed by another five years as the kitchen manager at its branch in France, before returning to refine his skills for a year at the renowned Japanese soba restaurant "Kanda Nemurian." Seeking to merge French and Japanese buckwheat traditions, he established this venue in April 2019.

The defining characteristic of the restaurant lies in its 100% domestic buckwheat flour, stone-ground in-house every morning, and its unique presentation. The kitchen utilizes coarse-ground flour for the savory "Kuro (Black) Galettes" and refined Sarashina flour for the sweet "Shiro (White) Galettes." Deviating from the conventional square fold, the galettes here are rolled into a cylindrical shape encasing the ingredients—resembling a sushi roll—and are served to be eaten with chopsticks. The menu features a diverse selection, ranging from cross-cultural savory options like the "Chirimen Sansho (dried whitebait and Japanese pepper) Galette" to minimalist versions seasoned simply with olive oil and rock salt.

To pair with the food, the bistro maintains a curated stock of over 30 varieties of domestic craft ciders sourced from apple orchards and sake breweries across Japan, including Aomori and Nagano. Offering flights of daily changing cider selections along with detailed insights into their flavor profiles and production backgrounds, this cozy venue provides an accessible gateway to a reimagined buckwheat dining culture.