The warm sunshine feels so good these days.

This Wednesday, the "France Exhibition," showcasing delicious food from France, the land of gourmet cuisine, kicked off at the Shinjuku Isetan event hall, so I headed over.

That's right, I'm a foodie, or should I say, I have a weakness for delicious food...

This France exhibition focuses on the Alsace region in northeastern France, so I headed to the venue with my thoughts wandering to the Alsace I'd never seen before. With its traditional costumes with large ribbons and red skirts and picture-book-like townscapes, Alsace is the perfect place for a fantasy trip.

My main attraction was the ice cream parfait made daily at the venue by Yoshinori Asami, a long-time pastry chef at a long-established shop in Strasbourg, the heart of Alsace! Asami's parfaits were served in the eat-in corner. Asami literally made them right before my eyes! Personally, I think people who make delicious food exude a happy aura, and I sensed that same aura from Asami-san.

It was spring, so I decided to order a strawberry parfait, something I didn't normally do. After a short wait, the parfait arrived, piled high with fluffy fresh cream! It was topped with a rich sorbet, packed with the sweet and sour flavor of strawberries, and refreshingly sweet vanilla ice cream. It was topped with fresh strawberries and a small cookie as a palate cleanser. It was well worth waiting in line. The satisfaction you get from eating something of such high quality! I decided to try the mango and chocolate parfait next time, and wandered around the venue in search of my next meal.

The next thing that drew me in was the smell of baking butter... And then there was quiche! At Le Petit Tonneau, palm-sized round quiches were baked right in the venue, and the delicious aroma was captivating. I was also drawn to try some freshly baked quiche, and ended up buying one filled with salmon and spinach. Apparently, quiche is a traditional dish from the Alsace region. I learned this for the first time.

This quiche was filled with spinach and salmon. It was the kind of dish that made me want to reach for a glass of wine. I honestly thought it would be perfect with a glass of white wine, but I gave up because I was at work. Personally, I loved the crispy texture of the dough, like a firm cookie.

The France exhibition runs until the 22nd. There's still plenty of food to tempt me: pistachio and raspberry mousse, steamed mussels in white wine, herb salt, yuzu mustard, and a galette topped with foie gras...