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