L'inedit - Thank heavens for Patissiers

Drop everything you're doing, Gentle Reader, and pick up your telephone. Right now. Or have the help do it. Call L'inedit in Higashi-Azabu and make a reservation. You're welcome...

Your Humble Correspondent recently stumbled his way down Mamiana-zaka from the Tokyo American Club to this venue. Quite a challenge after 2 martinis really, and a tiring journey of some 81.7 meters.This herculean effort seemed to somewhat annoy the Apple Watch, which then proceeded to pepper the evening with diabolical commands like "Stand Up", "Breathe" and  - rather more ominously - "Close your rings!".

The occasion was a meal with The Once and Future Blonde and The Professor. The restaurant choice had fallen to Your Humble Correspondent (as it should), and after a gentle nudge from www.eatpia.com we had our Girl Friday duly make the reservations. Thank Heavens for Girls and Boys Friday...

The proprietors seem to have done away with such antediluvian notions as a menu, and instead present a meal in eight acts. You will be asked if you wish to indulge in the wine pairings - pray do this, for they know more than you do, padawan.

On our visit, the meal consisted of:

• an amuse with pate de campagne wrapped in a thrilling piece of pastry (be still my beating heart!), 
• a white bean soup that seemed to float from bowl to mouth, 
• a Hachis Parmentier (a rich man's version of Shepherds Pie),
• Long-tailed Red snapper with a carrot coulis (sigh),
• Soshuko chicken from the Chiba/Saitama border, and
• three desserts as befits a patissier couple. Including a callison from Provence.

The Professor is an ardent trencherman, but L'inedit stopped him in his tracks. The wines were each interesting and delicious, from smaller producers. The pairings were perfect. Your Humble Correspondent was at this point slightly tipsy and neglected to jot these down. Oh the shame ...

This is a restaurant you simply must try, only open for dinner because of the detailed prep that goes into each meal. No stars, no fuss, just passion.

Born of two patissiers with deep French experience who have also pleasured the sweet teeth of G20 diplomats at Lake Toya, it is small enough to be intimate and tastefully decorated enough to be almost immediately familiar. Service is warm and attentive.

Try too, Gentle Reader, the Sunday brunch. Pastries, breads, eggs done your way, and copious quantities of bubbles.

L'inedit is a restaurant to fall back on again and again. Invite only those close to your heart for fear of it becoming too popular. And that strange cooing you hear? Pray a benison for a fat fool!

Pip pip!

Rating: Food: 8/10; Foodie-Friendliness: 8/10; Service: 9/10; Ambiance:9/10; Price-Performance: 8/10 

Total: 42/50 (4 Forks)

L'inedit: 2-10-7 HigashiAzabu, Minato-ku t: 03-6426-5589

Quotidien - Experience Shun

It has been some time, Gentle Reader, since your Humble Correspondent had darkened the doors of Quotidien in Azabu-Juban. Likely much to the delight of the Proprietors. 

But subjected to the entreaties of The Tall Poppy, we succumbed and journeyed forth in high anticipation. As it turned out, he was late. Sigh ...

This is the sort of restaurant that has much in its favor. Small, quiet, attentive staff, and a sort of “familiar” sense of ease and comfort. A special little wine list, with most options within reach of a fiscally challenged rapscallion such as your Humble Correspondent. There's a sense of ceremony riding the piccolo elevator to the 2nd floor and making a suitably flamboyant entrance.

Likewise the menu, recently featured on Eatpia https://www.eatpia.com. There is a certain chasseur-ine appeal to wild boar sourced from (of all places) Wakayama. Carefully sourced vegetables, precarious but precious quantities of the bounty of the sea, exquisite desserts, and possibly the best bread in Tokyo. Changes are frequent, reflecting seasonality and availability.

A slight detour, Gentle Reader to explain the Japanese concept of seasonality - there are of course the boring four observed elsewhere, 24 sekki of about 2 weeks each that originated in China, and the far more romantic 72 micro-seasons or Ko. It is these 72 that interest both Chef and us as foodies, for each has its own fish, vegetable, fruit etc. that is at its peak in these five or so days. The word for this highly limited "peak" season is shun. Sadly, this sense of the exquisite is beginning to diminish among younger Japanese for whom refrigeration and slow ripening have become de rigueur.

Quotidien has featured in Michelin reviews, mostly Bib Gourmand: it deserves a better fate. One suspects a certain disregard from Chef Sudo, born of a passion for ingredients rather than replication. He’s remarkably talented, if perhaps occasionally gruff.

BQ brings sophistication to the notion of a “daily” bistro. It delivers elegance to even the most rustic of diners, and delights first-timers through simplicity. There are plenty of regulars or in en Le japonais "jouren". And yet the l’addition never shocks, and the service never fades.

Sally forth Gentle Reader! One would fain beg you not to invite the hoi polloi. Enjoy Quotidien with your closest friends and lovers. Leave out the noshers and the would-be’s.

And should you hear a faint but persistent scratching at the door, toss a crumb or well-chewed bone my way...

Pip pip!

Rating: Food: 8/10; Daily-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10

Total: 40/50 (4 Forks)

Quotidien 2F Tamon Azabu, 3-9-2 Azabu Juban, Minato. t: 03-6435-3241

Milieu - A Greek Drama

A moment's indulgence, if you don't mind Gentle Reader, to ponder why a hitherto forgettable French tabac-style venue might suddenly morph via some strange topological transformation into a Greek Taverna. This is the story of Milieu, where Chef Manaka has returned to his roots by turning his cafe into a taverna in 2018. One wonders if his time as Chef to the Japanese mission in Athens created secret passions and desires in some glorious Elysian way. Or if he felt the pull of the Dionysian mysteries, calling him to Bacchanalia Extremus. The answers to these questions are mostly unfathomable, and worthy of Zeno. 

Greek food was an exotic indulgence for a generation of Australians including Your Humble Correspondent. You see, Australia was home to a swarm of Greek immigrants post-WW II and Melbourne at one time luxuriated in the title of the second-largest Greek city on the planet. A town was not worthy of incorporation if it did not boast a Cafe Parthenon or a fish-and-chip shop run by a Greek family. There were Hellenic soccer clubs when the rest of us played Rugby, and we all reveled in Zorba dancing on warm nights (apparently, this was possibly only Your Humble Servant ...).

Then, sadly, our mothers thought to take on the challenge of replicating Greek food in the home, emboldened no doubt by Margaret Fulton cookbooks and the relative simplicity of it all. Moussaka, Souvlaki, and the very occasional spanikopita. Feta spread its incendiary way in refrigerators all across the country, and "stuffed" olives popped up in salads with alarming frequency. Needless to say, our fathers were none too happy in a meat-and-three-veg huffy way (and most often, hungry).

Which is apropos of nothing really except that Your Humble Correspondent has a very occasional hankering for a Greek meal, and decided to visit Milieu in Higashi-Azabu with The Dandy on a recent warm Saturday evening. They had thoughtfully translated the menu into English for us, so that the Greek Salad had become Greek Salad and Moussaka had been rendered as, well, Moussaka.

The fare is actually very good, and the wine equally so. Greek grape varietals are experiencing somewhat of a boom, and are remarkably affordable. Affordable enough, in fact, to indulge in more than one bottle. Once we had established that we all - surprisingly - spoke Japanese, the service was warm and friendly. The decor is searingly dull, and could benefit from a touch of colour and the occasional plastic flower. Which takes nothing away from the exotic almost frivolous notion of Greek food in Tokyo, and the slight feeling of dalliance one experiences forking into a moist moussaka.

Visit Milieu with interesting and decorous friends, and in these warmer times sit outside on the balcony to sip your ouzo. And if you're up for it, a little Zorba ... 

Milieu: 2-23-12 Higashiazabu, Minato-ku, t: 03-3568-7850
Rating: Food: 7/10; Anetos-ness: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance:6/10; Price-Performance: 8/10
Total: 35/50 (3 Forks)
Reservations: On the website

Mari e Monte - Now we're talking!

There was a time, Gentle Reader, when Your Humble Correspondent would not darken the doors of this establishment. It was during the reign of the previous proprietor, after a ramen and pasta collaboration debacle. These sort of abominations are what caused the downfall of the Roman Empire, as they couldn't hear the footfall of the approaching barbarians over the screams and howls of disgruntled plebeians. A knock at the door, opened to a slothering Hun, and then rapacious slaughter.

Better times now, and a very pleasant trattoria graces inner Tokyo once again. So it was, then, that Your Humble Correspondent ventured there with The Once and Future Blonde (a known bevitrice) and two long-time fellow noshers: the dear gentleman had recently taken a position with an Italian brand and a celebration seemed entirely in order.

Mari e Monti offers dishes from all over Italy, despite its proprietors hailing from Puglia. Many crowd favorites for sure - all well-executed - and they exhibit a pleasant willingness to tweak. It almost feels like an Italian take on (delicious) comfort food. Ego is set aside, and there is a very pleasing focus on technique and presentation.

One hesitates to criticize, but some adventure and innovation - which will surely come - might be welcome. Service is fast and pleasant, and there are satisfyingly pleasant breaks between courses that encourage dialogue and copious consumption of bevande. 

The wine list here is resolutely Italian, with some brave selections and many famous DOC and DOCG represented. There are bottles priced for ostentatious consumption by the lords of the financial universe, and others more suited to the pockets of the impecunious. Such as Your Humble Correspondent ...

Limoncello has become a mandatory end to dinners in Tokyo, and Cossimo makes gallons of it out the back. And then brings it to the front. Over-indulgence, Gentle Reader, is a requirement.

Mari e Monti is a place to enjoy time with friends, and the conviviality of Cossimo and Luca as Mine Hosts. It is unfailingly cheerful and always entertaining. Make it your go-to Italian. And invite me ...

Mari e Monti: Nishi-Azabu 4-1-10, Conforia Bldg Nishi-Azabu, 2F t: 03-6418-707 [Closed Sundays]

Rating: Food: 8/10; Mario-less-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10

Total: 39/50 (3 Forks)

Reservations: https://www.mariemonti.jp/reservation

Aile Blanche - Oow La la!

There are times, Gentle Reader, when one wonders whether the life of a roving vagabond is the best option one might adopt. Throwing caution to the winds, looking for serendipity rather than stability, and letting the Universe roll its dice with vibrant abandon. The best nostrum for these epigrammatic moments is a good French meal.

So it was that Your Humble Correspondent headed to Aile Blanche with The Once and Future Blonde and The Professor. The decor is rather stark, as if Mine Host was forcing one to focus only on the food. While the goal is to evoke a quiet room in the 16th Arrondissement with a view to the Eiffel Tower, it feels more like a passe gentile fin de siecle apartment where the disgraced Tante Eloise made her abode.

The food, on the other hand, is spectacular.

The specialty is foie gras, straight from the farm of Mr. Jean Daniel Castaing in Saint-Sever, Nouvelle Acquitaine. The legend of this 90-something year old company is that each duck is fed corn from the hand of the proprietor, one by one. M. Castaing must get very little sleep, and have palms of steel. But the foie gras is something very special indeed.

One chooses, Gentle Reader, from one of four set "courses" ranging from Y8,000 to Y20,000. Each of course includes the foie Gras. Your Humble Correspondent went low in this case, as is his wont. Conspicuous consumption is so tacky, isn't it? Better a light purse than light ambition, don't you think?

The entree of fish was delicately put together, despite the slightly charred skin on the underside, and swam in a fragrant butter sauce that showed mastery. The light chilled soup was magnificent, exhibiting a subtle balance of flavors that didn't suffer from a lower temperature and which exploded in the mouth. The dessert was less memorable, but that was likely an effect of wine rather than whine.

Chef Ogawa brings his pernickety and fastidious approach to the wine selection as well - the wine is kept a constant temperature during transport, and then stored at an agreeable temperature at a constant humidity of 70% scented and deodorized by bamboo charcoal. The selection is elegant and well considered, and a matching flight is available.

Service at Aile Blanche is attentive and cheerful, once they get over their fear of English. This venue is probably best enjoyed with choosier and generous friends, although it would also suit for a celebration of a romantic nature.

And don't mind the odd-looking garcon flittering about ... I actually bring most dishes to the table.

Pip Pip!

Aile Blanche: Patio Azabu Juban, 2-8-10 Azabu Juban, Minato; t: 03-5439-4338

Rating: Food: 8/10; 16th-ness: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10

Total: 37/50 (3 Forks)

Reservations: www.tablecheck.com/ja/shops/aileblanche/reserve

Effe - Terratoria!

It has been some time, Gentle Reader, since your Humble Correspondent had much to say of any value. Not surprising really. But recently, opportunities to visit interesting establishments have arisen with a change in digs and it would be amiss not to share these. It seems the very least one could do. Churlish to do otherwise really.

It is an appealing yet inevitable aspect of life in Japan that our hosts conflate words and meanings from other languages to fit particular purposes. Think barcode-jin (bad combover), doctor-stop (told by your doctor to stop drinking), and back-chan (pretty but only from behind).

Such is the case at Effe, snuggled close by Keio in Mita. In terms of cuisine, it aspires to and achieves the rank of ‘trattoria’ [interestingly, from trattore "host, keeper of an eating house]: trattorias are traditionally family owned, casual, neighbourhood restaurants that serve fresh, unassuming, and reasonably conventional food.

In terms of ingredient sourcing, it strives to be as natural and organic as possible. Worthy, and laudable. It is redolent of and resonant with “la terra”, so to speak.

Put “terra” and “trattoria” together and you get “terratorria”. Apparently. At least your Humble Correspondent is convinced...

The food here is neither rustic nor routine. Each course was carefully thought out, brilliantly prepared, and wonderfully presented. Service in Japanese or English is fast and friendly, and given the “terra” bit provenance is properly explained. The wine list shows the wan contemporary incline to natural wines, but does have some worthy exceptions to the general rule (If a wine needs to be labeled as natural to sell, it won’t).

Effe is a place to be enjoyed with friends and fellow conspirators. Tables are a little close, but tolerable. Be warned, Gentle Reader, that it is unfortunately popular and reservations can be hard to obtain. But faint heart never won fair lady, so do persevere.

And the grassone in the corner? Don’t mind me, I’m trying to blend in.

Pip Pip!

Effe: 3 Chome-3-3-5 Mita, Minato, 03-6809-6103
Rating: Food: 8/10; Terra-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10
Total: 38/50 (3 Forks)
Reservations: ikyu.com, gnavi.co.jp, resebook.jp

Why Jay Rayner wrote that review of Le Cinq

Jay: You're a star! And I from one agree.

See his explanation, which also doubles as an excellent manifesto.

Pip Pip!