Coronavirus - A Pooh Story

* Borrowed and enhanced from a Facebook post ...

"Where are we going Piglet?" asked Pooh.

"We need to get supplies," said Piglet. "For the Coronavirus".

"Ahh," said Pooh, nodding in understanding. "Things like gloves, water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and medicated shampoos even though we don't have hair?"

Piglet did a little grunty sort of laugh, and a happy leap and bit of a cough. 

"No," said Piglet. "No, those aren't the supplies we need at all!"

"What we need are huge bags of pretzels, cashews, jellies, and chocolates; a freezer full of fry-ables and microwave pizzas, and all the Champagne that we can possibly carry".

"We need lightly salted crackers and cheeses like Brie and Comte as well as something smelly. Salami, Parma Ham, Spanish Jamon, and fresh olives."

"You of course, Pooh, will be in charge of baguette, honey, Trappist butter ... slightly salted of course ... and kilos of corned beef. Sparkling mineral water, and some limes please".

"We shall have them deliver gallons of white wine, magnums of Burgundy, vodka in 5 liter plastic bottles for sterilization, and those salty rice crackers things in the very largest containers."
"Then, when we get quarantined we won't mind it even one bit. THOSE are supplies."

All of a sudden, Pooh thought that the idea of coronavirus didn't seem quite so bad, and actually, getting quarantined with Piglet and their supplies really didn't sound such a terrible thing after all. 

"Oh Piglet," said Pooh. "I really do think you are a very wise animal."

Table Motoh - Post-modern!

There are those who accuse me, Gentle Reader, of being a food snob. God forfend! Your Humble Correspondent is particular, certainly, and demands quality over quantity. Beets are out, as are anchovies and coriander. But snobby? Never!

Which is surely a virtue at Table Motoh. Chef Motoh Kikuchi (a great loss to Tableau) aims to create an "at-home" environment, a place where guests can relax and enjoy his extraordinary cooking. The venue only seats 12, which would make it perfect for a gathering of Your Humble Correspondent's friends ... with 7 seats to spare. 

Decorated in Spartan Modern, and highly functional. Chef aims to create an "ordinary" environment where foodie guests can relax - entirely suitable for YHC! It first feels a little cramped, but discomfort vanishes as it fills with customers and cheerful banter ensues. They will try hard to speak English for you, which makes everything a little more "at-home". "At-home" enough to reach for the pajamas.

At the recommendation of Eatpia, we recently gathered as a foursome for dinner to test out just how ordinary it might be. Table Motoh has been operating for six months by two lovely men who work together seamlessly. The menu features traditional French favorites as well as mouth-some seasonal produce exquisitely crafted to showcase both the ingredients as well as the skill of Chef. One notices the flair first, the quality second, and lastly a firm sense of balance. Do try the pate en croute, as well as the carpaccio.

There is clearly some special sort of prestidigitation at work in the wine selection. It boasts more than 50 different labels, which feels impossible in such narrow quarters. We enjoyed Alsace Rieslings, a Crozes-Hermitage white, a beautiful near-desiccated Gruner Veltliner, and a pretty little Provence rose. Pours are generous and pricing fearless, with many fine wines affordable even to Your Impoverished Correspondent.

The thing that stands out here is "care". Care in the ingredients, in the magical light touch on the food, and the handsome plating. Care in selecting the right glassware for the right wine. And care in the interaction with guests that never borders on the "hello-my-name-is-Jordan" type of transactional service becoming uncomfortably common.

Go to Table Motoh with friends. Good friends. Don't go for a romantic dinner. It is not ordinary, but close to special. A friendly sort of special...

And if you see a goblin peering eerily out from behind a curtain, ignore me...

Pip Pip!

Table Motoh: 7-3-15 Roppongi, Minato Ward  t: 03-6384-5885

Pera: »Y8,000 (with wine)

Rating: Food: 7/10; At Home-ness: 8/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10

Total: 37/50 (3 Forks)

Reglisse - Around the back

Apparently, Gentle Reader, Reglisse means licorice. Your Humble Correspondent is equally as confused as you. The thought is that just like licorice is enjoyed by both children and adults (in France), everyone will be delighted by the range of tastes presented. How fitting! This is a beautiful petite 24 seat French restaurant which describes itself as a Premium Bistro. While these seems somewhat overwrought, it works.

Chef Takeshi Hatano describes his food as traditional french ennobled by his particular flair - the cuisine is unique, stunningly creative, and a boon to endacious sojourners like Your Humble Correspondent. He presents you with menus that resonate and gently echo in the contemporary space, where guests wait for the poetic and tantalizing descriptions provided by the floor team led by Kentaro Toda and Sommelier Kaori Hatano.

Yet this is not a foppishly formal or stiff restaurant. It is a place where you want to spend time with someone important to you. A destination for deliberate dining. A haven in which to be pampered. It just seems to flow, with quiet bonhomie and sleek professionalism. One imagines it might be perfect for a Spring or Autumn assignation, or a stylish and romantic dinner for two.

Happily, the course menus seem to focus on five dishes at both luncheon and dinner. These show both imagination and genius, with exquisite harmony. Even the most ardent trencherman (like, say, Your Humble Correspondent) is asked questions without answers. There are pique moments and comfort moments.

As a bit of an imbiber, YHC was flabbergasted by the wine list. Discombobulated. Confounded. Undone. One rarely finds a list so well balanced in terms of both wallet and weight. Not neon-fancy-festooned with grand labels, but carefully considered and curated. New, Old, rare, and fascinating all combine somehow into a singular whole.

A word about the service - impeccable. One imagines things are made smoother by being able to speak and read Japanese, but faint heart ne'er won fair lady. Sally forth!

Located on the Keyakizaka side of Roppongi Hills on the 3rd floor, it can be difficult to find. Toddle onto the elevator next to the Mini showroom and go to the 3rd Floor. Still lost? Find La Brianza and look for the terrace at the back to your right, past Saryo Miyazaka and just before Sushi Sukibayashi Jiro. You deserve a medal ...

Reglisse is a place to visit with close friends and lovers, in small numbers. And that wisp in the wine cellar? Pass by quickly without comment - I'm working.

Pip Pip!

Reglisse: 3F, 6-12-2 Roppongi, Minato Ward  t: 03-6804-3306

Pera: Y5,000 ~ (your call on the wine)

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

Total: 39/50 (3 Forks)

Rinkaso - A haven amid the havoc

If, like Your Humble Correspondent, you wake on Saturday mornings paralyzed with indecision about where you should go for lunch, be anxious no more. Nothing else is as soul-destroying and cause for consternation as to be void of a sensible choice of restaurant. One fears that the question at the Pearly Gates will be about restaurant recommendations.

The Once and Future Blonde and YHC often hanker for a Chinese lunch on weekends. So we were delighted to learn contemporary Shanghai has come to Tokyo (via Yokohama Chinatown) with drums beating and banners flying in the shape of Rinkaso courtesy of the Jogen Group.

Jogenro is one of the oldest Shanghai restaurants in Japan. It has been managed by three generations of Fong and Jin women from the day it opened in 1955 and embodies the spirit of the 1920's 'Old Shanghai' reflecting the French Concession aesthetic - extravagant, flamboyant, exciting. It is also, more importantly, frightfully delicious. So who, Gentle Reader, would be better to take a dull and tired Chinese restaurant (New Hokkai-En) halfway between Roppongi and the Tokyo American Club and turn it into a venue worthy of your attention?

The dilemma with most outlets in the Roppongi - TAC axis is that they mostly produce pap. Pale imitations of good ideas. Wouldn't know a flavor beyond "stale oil" even if it charged across the pavement and bit them on the bum. Exceptions exist, for sure. But these are rare or gut-grippingly expensive. Unfortunately, many customers loitering in Roppongi look for price-performance (i.e. cheap) or stomach fillers (i.e. soaking up the drinks).

Not so Rinkaso. This is a castle built on flavor. An edifice to spices. One that very likely bows to Japanese tastes but seems to host many ethnic Chinese as well. They use the whimsical title "Urban Chinese", as if this helped differentiate from other Chinese cuisines. But it feels authentic, original, and creative ... at least to this gweilo (鬼佬).

Dancing solo one warm Saturday morning, Rinkaso somehow emerged from the mist while one suffered through a confused mental conversation about TAC, Va Tout, or Hobgoblin. It was, Gentle Reader, an epiphany, a "mission from God", an Avalon moment.

The food was sharp, clean, focused ... a counterpoint and pleasure compared to most neighborhood chukas. The course menu of 6 items was a journey rather than a trek. While it may not reach the level of a Michelin star, the stark contrast to other options in the area is in itself worthy of a visit. Go en famille, or solo.

Pip Pip!

Rinkaso: 5-18-2 Roppongi, Minato Ward  t: 03-6277-8353

Rating: Food: 8/10; Urbanity: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 7/10

Total: 37/50 (3 Forks)

Epic Epi

How is it, Gentle Reader, that a classic little cozy French bistro - self-described as petit restaurant - can hide its pretty face in Ebisu for more than ten years without Your Humble Correspondent darkening its doors? Is this some form of évitement? Has one's reputation sunk so far as to be excluded from culinary exploration with other kuishimbo? Oh, the shame! While YHC's emotional recovery may take some time, a recent visit with  Dear James was both enjoyable and instructive. 

The petit comes from a certain absence of desire for scale - there are only six small tables that seat twenty covers, and one feels somewhat too intimate with other diners. For those of us from larger countries, congeniality is a virtue honored better by respect and a humble wave of the hand rather than physical proximity. Epi is therefore somewhat challenging to those of us with figures that resemble more an orange than a carrot.

Epi features time-honored bistro dishes from different regions of France - can you say "comfort food" Gentle Reader? - with generous servings and classic gusto. Chef seems to have quite a thing for mussels both moules and Japonaise. with seven different variations on the menu. What-ho! Cracking stuff with sufficient baguette to mop and sop that brings warmth to both the heart and the belly.

Think bouillabaisse, ratatouille, escargot, pate de campagne, confit ... redolent more of a tabac than a restaurant but with stick-to-the-ribs charm and poise. The menu is only in French and Japanese. This postage stamp of a restaurant is almost subversively, possibly aggressively, the illustration one sees when you look up "bistro" in any reputable dictionary. The cooking is good to excellent, although there is a feeling more of a traiteur than an atelier in the finish and presentation. The Family and YHC enjoyed a very similar meal many years ago in Saumur, before grandchildren. 

The wine list at Epi is almost exclusively French, organized by appellation and with good breadth of price points. There is certainly value to be had: and there is a sense of adventure and novelty difficult to find more at celebrated destinations. At the same time, the numerous empty bottles of famous labels set a tone and an expectation that cannot be met by Your Humble Correspondent's wizened wallet, although one can always look lovingly in the direction of these formidable soldiers while sipping something less eminent.

One feels a certain sense of detachment, though, in the service at Epi. There is a fawning weight of expectancy of detailed knowledge focused toward the clientele - which may be appropriate towards regular joren but not for newbies like YHC. One prefers to be teased, drawn in, titillated rather than quizzed. Perhaps one of those slightly bombastic, sniffy and mustachioed French types with the black folded-over apron might suit.

Do toddle along and try Epi dear Reader. Look for friends and lovers that might accompany you. Set yourself a mission to become a regular. It's worth it. And if you open an expensive bottle, save a glass for me. I'm disguised as a gargoyle on the outside deck.

Pip Pip!

Epi: 2-10-6 Nishi-Ebisu, Shibuya Ward t: 03-3780-8687

Rating: Food: 7/10; Epi-cness: 7/10; Service: 6/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 7/10

Total: 35/50 (3 Forks)

Alternative - The Real Deal

Imagine, if you will Gentle Reader, a quiet and elegant space in Roppongi. One set above the race and reel of the street. Sweetly far from the madding crowd.

Imagine a sophisticated table, set with beautiful tableware and visually stunning glasses. Add a certain air of playfulness balanced with exquisite technique and wonderfully engaged service.

No doubt you're thinking of Alternative.

Your Humble Correspondent ventured there recently with The Professor, who was late. Unfashionably late. Temporally-challenged late. A military background coupled with a crippling sense of self-importance makes one rather intolerant of tardiness. Quite right too, don't you think?

Which is apropos of nothing except to say that it provides one with the time to get to know the staff and to chatter unhelpfully about how the venue can sometimes be difficult to find. Perhaps, but we were certainly glad to have done so and were set to test Chef's technique and imagination. Silly, silly boys ...

Alternative is that rare combination of temple and laboratory, a place that revels luxuriously in the concept of seasonality where the seasons are a week long. It strives to offer a certain air of freedom and pivots to originality wherever possible. The goal is to be topical and interesting, while delivering on expectations above and beyond the burger level.

We opted for the Dinner Course (\10,000) and wine pairing (\5,000). In the end, that was remarkably cheap for what we received. It felt almost unfair ...

This is cooking of the highest quality. It is matched with intimate service from floor staff who actually know what they are talking about. The wine selection was possibly the best Your Humble Correspondent has experienced in 30 years of dining out in Tokyo. Each glass paired with its course in a pas-de-deux that twirls and whirls, each time offering a serious challenge to a wine lover (I think got 3 of 6 right).

Chef Saito first came to prominence at Provinage, and he has succeeded to the mantle here in the same location. Small specialist producers send him new ingredients which he turns into triumphs. The plating is high art. We enjoyed dishes arranged like a debutante's fascinator with subtle sauces and intriguing layers of textures. Can you say "rice sauce"? He brings a Kansai passion for real food, real textures, and real experiences.

Alternative is a place to enjoy with people one truly cares about. Think of it as a right more than a reward. You deserve Alternative, Gentle Reader, and it deserves you.

Pip Pip!

Rating: Food: 9/10; Alternative-ness: 9/10; Service: 9/10; Ambiance: 9/10; Price-Performance: 9/10 

Total: 45/50 (4 Forks)

Alternative: 2F 3-1-19 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku t: 03-5772-7272

Ata - don't mind the audience

One feels one’s age, Gentle Reader, when one stumbles into a hostelry full of people in their 30s. It is often loud, bustling, and self-possesed. While such a situation promises a certain economy, it also begs a disquieting sense of clatter and the fear of a tendency to trend rather than excellence. Your Humble Correspondent is therefore pleased to report that Ata in Sarugakucho demonstrates neither of these characteristics.

The restaurant is a touch tight to be sure, but makes up for this with fine service and familiar yet formidable cuisine coupled with a very good wine list. Ask for the secret menu and for “special” wines. YHC was presented with an Israeli Chardonnay which surprised, intrigued, and challenged simultaneously.

The occasion was a quiet dinner between two friends, and Ata provided a warm refuge on a chill winter’s evening. There is a heartfelt attention to detail on provenance although one has to sometimes coax it out of the floor team.

Humor me, and order the mussels in white wine: it comes with pleasantly toasted baguette and you will be encouraged to use the shells as weapons as you fight over any remaining broth. Hokkaido oysters from Akkeshi were plump, highlighting the bounty of the cold Kanryu currents and needed only a touch of lemon juice and fresh pepper to be nearly transcendent.

There is welcome variation on the menu for main courses to prompt indecision and a protean feeling of impending regret. Try the splendid duck or the delectable lamb. Desserts are more workmanlike, but help to round out an evening of casual indulgence.

Fear not, Gentle Reader, and sally forth with pennants flying. Order generously but with an eye to the waistline. Apparently, sharing is tolerated even though YHC allows no such indignity at his table.

Ata is a place to enjoy with friends; a place for genteel carousing and raucous laughter. A destination to revel in, and visit frequently. Give yourself a little longer than usual to linger, and warn the downstairs staff you may be home a little later than normal..

And ignore the gnome in the corner burbling into his Bouillabaisse: I shan’t take long and will be on my way soon enough!

Pip pip!

Rating: Food: 8/10; At-Homeness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10 

Total: 39/50 (3 Forks)

Ata: 2-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya t: 03-6809-0965