tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5781944053620665152024-03-06T16:27:21.668+09:00Eating Out in TokyoA whimsical look at fine dining in the world's gastronomic capital, by Your Humble Correspondent.Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-44288138048119242552021-08-13T10:25:00.001+09:002021-08-13T10:25:27.482+09:00Le Chatain - "A warm hideaway"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgd-yIFN11aBGSRdEN18JUH6e4vc5-fyjCWA1ke_XmI7swEqnjeABTC37iu0ZA-MnYLXuZ6TLF7HN1SMjivbgBoqDpWpbvSB3iTOSsF6VWKhBEDkYAHSbnO_WEH13bm6KVoc0d8rfefSY/s170/3+forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="152" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgd-yIFN11aBGSRdEN18JUH6e4vc5-fyjCWA1ke_XmI7swEqnjeABTC37iu0ZA-MnYLXuZ6TLF7HN1SMjivbgBoqDpWpbvSB3iTOSsF6VWKhBEDkYAHSbnO_WEH13bm6KVoc0d8rfefSY/s0/3+forks.png" width="152" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hidden away in Takanawa near <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6409682,139.7374145,18.56z"><span style="color: red;">Isarago</span></a>, Gentle Reader, is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takanawa_Residence"><span style="color: red;">Sento Karigosho</span></a>, or the Temporary Emeritus Imperial Palace. This is where the Emeritus Emperor Akihito and his wife Empress Emerita Michiko are living while their digs in Akasaka are being renovated to meet the needs of the elderly couple. It also features beautiful rose gardens immediately outside on the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Nihonenoki-dori</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> street that runs from Isarago to Shinagawa. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even more notably, it is close to Your Humble Correspondent's hovel in Mita 4-Chome. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And opposite the Gosho is a pretty little French restaurant called </span><a href="https://lechatain.jp/" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Le Chatain</b></span></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. Which means auburn blonde or chestnut</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, for reasons that are utterly opaque except that it is the most common hair color in France.</span></div><div><a href="https://lechatain.jp/" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Le Chatain</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: verdana;">is one of literally hundreds of suburban French restaurants scattered around Tokyo, but stands out in that category. This brasserie is not pretentious or self-opinionated like many of its peers, and offers a <i>bistrot local</i> in the otherwise entirely boring Isarago area. Which in turn means that Your Humble Correspondent has come to frequent it on a reasonably regular but arrhythmic fashion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Opened in December 2019, it is located in the rather twee Takanawa residential area. Despite that, Gentle Reader, one can enjoy well prepared and reasonably priced</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> French cuisine in a very relaxed setting. Which might just be the very definition of comfort food. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It even boasts single counter seats for the relationship-challenged, as well as two private rooms for those not so afflicted.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The point here is the produce, carefully selected with an emphasis on quality and sustainable producers. That makes for endless variety in the daily menu, as well as a playful sense of adventure and exploration.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your Humble Correspondent most often opts for the <i>Steak Frites</i> on the lunch menu. Well-priced, well prepared, and sufficient volume for even this little fat boy. For dinner, you can expect only one "Course" but it is in the standard 5-dish (Amuse, Potage, Fish, Meat, Dessert) format offering even the most demanding customer a range of flavors. <i>A la carte</i> is also available.</span></div><div><a href="https://lechatain.jp/" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Le Chatain</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: verdana;">has a prodigious wine list - in fact, selection is often a fraught process where one is often caught in the this-or-that conundrum. Your Humble Correspondent has found the most pleasant option from a self-care perspective is to have both.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Visit </span><a href="https://lechatain.jp/" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Le Chatain</b></span></a> <span style="font-family: verdana;">with friends and lovers. Alternatively, a sympathetic colleague.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And should you see the Emeritus Emperor at the counter seats, remember your manners!<br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">Pip Pip!</div></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></i><span face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div style="line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://lechatain.jp/" style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Le Chatain</b></span></a><b>: </b></span></span><span face="Verdana, Roboto, "Droid Sans", 游ゴシック, YuGothic, "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", メイリオ, Meiryo, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">2-2-25 Takanawa, Minato-ku</span><span style="color: #221815; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;">t: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">03-6450-3448</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: verdana;"><b>Le portefeuille</b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">: </span><span style="color: #595959;">»</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">Y8,500 (with wine)<br /></span><b style="color: #333333;">Rating</b></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Food: 7/10; Gosho-ness: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10<br /></span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Total</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">: 35/50 (3 Forks)</span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p></div></div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-80426699311861379532021-08-11T09:48:00.003+09:002021-08-11T09:50:51.339+09:00Mari e Monti - Bright as ever!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k-tAkGQZD2pLA5Nys4MlMyWOT7RtMZV0Zw664y1M0f47KOisFvWv1wpWMqWg1OKzqwKj2QqqYpdEJCwKEgAoLs4gCrmscpb6BNwW4DiOR_LoOBbSWa1jW0hv4Ann1OqHVhJ8dJiUo5VR/s302/3+forks.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="271" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k-tAkGQZD2pLA5Nys4MlMyWOT7RtMZV0Zw664y1M0f47KOisFvWv1wpWMqWg1OKzqwKj2QqqYpdEJCwKEgAoLs4gCrmscpb6BNwW4DiOR_LoOBbSWa1jW0hv4Ann1OqHVhJ8dJiUo5VR/s0/3+forks.png" width="271" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />There was a time, Gentle Reader, when Your Humble Correspondent would have never darkened these doors. Then Cosimo and Luca left La Bisboccia and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">made their proprietorial debut here, and things changed forever. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is an effervescent joy about this place, both contagious and encouraging. Even in these dark days of a global pandemic, Cosimo and Luca are truly focused on the warmest possible entertaining experience for their guests. It is, if you like, a philtre for troubled times and a profitable investment in well-being.</span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The food is good, of course. Puglia features strongly in a regional sense, which is a relief now that </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Antichi Sapori seems to have closed. Obviously, your favorite Italian dishes are on the menu as well. There are daily offerings depending on what the providors have been able to source. In fact, Gentle Reader, the problem is more the temptation to order too much - </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">which foible Your Humble Correspondent admits to being a frequent occurrence - </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">rather </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">than scouring a bland page of the "standard" dishes one finds too often in Italian restaurants in Tokyo.</span></p></span><span style="background-color: white;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">There is plenty of very good wine available as well, although sometimes in smaller quantities. The most exciting part of the beverage service at Mari e Monti is the generous - possibly copious - <i>limoncello</i> service at the end of your repast. The team whip this up in the kitchen, very likely in 20 liter containers.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">The point about </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/"><span style="color: red;">Mari e Monti</span></a></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;"> is the sheer brightness and warmth of the people that run it. Visiting this establishment is honestly the high point of any day. During these dour times, try to get a prescription from your physician for the benefits that Cosimo and Luca provide for your mental health.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">Visit Mari e Monti with friends rather than colleagues. The energy is probably not suited to detailed business discussions. Neither is the <i>limoncello</i>.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana;">And please be forgiving if a little fat boy joins you for the <i>limoncello</i>. Frankly, I'm addicted.</span></p><div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Pip Pip!</div></span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></i><span face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/"><span style="color: red;">Mari e Monti</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">Comforia Nishi-Azabu 2F<b>, </b></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); color: #221815;">1</span><span style="text-align: center;">4-1-10 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku</span></span><span face="Verdana, Roboto, "Droid Sans", 游ゴシック, YuGothic, "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", メイリオ, Meiryo, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); color: #221815; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">t: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">03-6418-7072</span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #202124;"><b>Portafoglio</b></span></span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt;">»</span><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">Y9,000 (with wine)<br /></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Rating</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Food: 8/10; Puglia-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10<br /></span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Total</b><span face="verdana, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">: 38/50 (3 Forks)</span></div></span></div>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-72239127621883951902021-08-10T14:33:00.000+09:002021-08-10T14:33:03.086+09:00Chez Soma - Nostalgia in Nakane<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a certain style of restaurant in Japan, Gentle Reader, that delights the heart - and often the wallet. Where a chef focuses on technique and deep culinary knowledge, with the result often being better than most establishments in the "home" country of a particular cuisine. Where repetition is a virtue, and where the flavors are delicate and long. <a href="http://chezsoma.com/"><b><span style="color: red;">Chez Soma</span></b></a> in Nakane in Meguro Ward is one of those places.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your Humble Correspondent, as ever in your service, recently ventured into the wilds of Nakane, near Toritsu Daigaku subway station, to visit Chez Soma. While the area has a quaint suburban feel, diners are magically transported to Parisian bistro once they enter. In these COVIDesque days, things are perhaps a little diminished by the Perspex screens and masked floor staff but despite the difficulties the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the food, Gentle Reader, the food is delightful. It is wonderfully wrought, superbly balanced, and exquisitely presented. The menu is simple - 3 options including an <i>o-makase</i> - and includes an a la Carte section which is so sadly vanishing from so many other establishments. There are daily variations in the ingredients, and Chef shows enviable creativity for a venue (previously in Jiyugaoka) that has been open for some twenty years. Each of these "courses" includes a dessert sampler which is, similarly, excellent.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a certain nostalgia, Gentle Reader, in the dishes on offer. This is <i>Cuisine Cla</i></span><i style="font-family: verdana;">ssique</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> but without heavy saucing or contemporary flashiness. It is almost as if, God forfend, that the restaurant focuses on the guest experience rather than the Chef experience. No pretense, no foamy-foamies, no trace of ego.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your Humble Correspondent is frantically looking forward to being able to graze the Wine List once these wretched lockdowns become a thing of the past. It promises a well-crafted and diverse selection, with the typical Parisian <i>aperitifs </i>available to the discerning drinker.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://chezsoma.com/"><span style="color: red;"><b>Chez Soma</b></span></a> is best enjoyed with friends rather than colleagues, and a reservation is strongly recommended. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pip Pip!</b></i><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="http://chezsoma.com/"><span style="color: red;">Chez Soma</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></b></span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); color: #221815; font-family: Verdana, Roboto, "Droid Sans", 游ゴシック, YuGothic, "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", メイリオ, Meiryo, sans-serif;">1-7-20 Nakane, Meguro Ward </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">t: </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); color: #221815; font-family: Verdana, Roboto, "Droid Sans", 游ゴシック, YuGothic, "ヒラギノ角ゴ ProN W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic ProN", メイリオ, Meiryo, sans-serif;">03-6421-3034</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div style="line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><span style="color: #202124;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Bowgett</span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt;">»</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Y8,000 (with wine) *</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">a 'bowgett' (or budget) is a leathern pouch or wallet to carry one's cash</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Rating</b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Food: 8/10; Nostalgia: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10</span></span></div><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Total</b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: 39/50 (3 Forks)</span></div></div></div><br /><p></p>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-29554701472704617792020-03-06T11:36:00.000+09:002020-03-06T14:21:56.829+09:00Coronavirus - A Pooh Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQSrnhjBjpyPEDKeJ76jD6_3fPaxvG3by-dEuD3K1IK6AlSFrTy" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for image coronavirus" border="0" height="111" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQSrnhjBjpyPEDKeJ76jD6_3fPaxvG3by-dEuD3K1IK6AlSFrTy" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">* Borrowed and enhanced from a Facebook post ...</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">"Where are we going Piglet?" asked Pooh.</span></div>
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"We need to get supplies," said Piglet. "For the Coronavirus".</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">"Ahh," said Pooh, nodding in understanding. "Things like gloves, water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and medicated shampoos even though we don't have hair?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Piglet did a little grunty sort of laugh, and a happy leap and bit of a cough. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">"No," said Piglet. "No, those aren't the supplies we need at all!"</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">"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".</span></div>
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"We need lightly salted crackers and cheeses like Brie and Comte as well as something smelly. Salami, Parma Ham, Spanish Jamon, and fresh olives."</div>
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"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".<br />
<br />"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."<br />"Then, when we get quarantined we won't mind it even <b><i>one bit</i></b>. <b>THOSE </b>are supplies."</div>
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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. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">"Oh Piglet," said Pooh. "I really do think you are a very wise animal."</span></div>
Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-79556716809293488712020-03-05T16:41:00.000+09:002020-03-05T16:41:44.872+09:00Table Motoh - Post-modern!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikxOyigQaxWp7Q9UAemVf8sG73fRe_UErZNltvD3ySgfje9Fn7ECIufH2hyrh7AYoie7nGFrVfX2PakwW0oIhlYhhcbSMpJRImvzPqA3lehi8ZbrH-lT6LxkE0GAoiVEe_D9AhoPAyZ0l/s1600/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="224" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikxOyigQaxWp7Q9UAemVf8sG73fRe_UErZNltvD3ySgfje9Fn7ECIufH2hyrh7AYoie7nGFrVfX2PakwW0oIhlYhhcbSMpJRImvzPqA3lehi8ZbrH-lT6LxkE0GAoiVEe_D9AhoPAyZ0l/s200/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" width="122" /></a></div>
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!<br />
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Which is surely a virtue at <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.eatpia.com/restaurant/Table-Motoh-Roppongi-French" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Table Motoh</a>. Chef Motoh Kikuchi (a great loss to <a href="https://tableaux.jp/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Tableau</b></span></a>) 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. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">At the recommendation of <a href="https://www.eatpia.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Eatpia</b></span></a>, we recently gathered as a foursome for dinner to test out just how ordinary it might be. </span><a href="https://www.eatpia.com/restaurant/Table-Motoh-Roppongi-French" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Table Motoh</span></b></a> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Go to <a href="https://www.eatpia.com/restaurant/Table-Motoh-Roppongi-French" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Table Motoh</span></b></a> with friends. Good friends. Don't go for a romantic dinner. It is not ordinary, but close to special. A friendly sort of special...<br />
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And if you see a goblin peering eerily out from behind a curtain, ignore me...<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.eatpia.com/restaurant/Table-Motoh-Roppongi-French" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Table Motoh</span></b></a><b>: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">7-3-15 Roppongi, Minato</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> Ward</span></span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> t: </span><a href="tel:0368043306" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: "open sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">03-6384-5885</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pera</b>: </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt;">»</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Y8,000 (with wine)</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Rating</b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">F</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ood: 7/10; At Home-ness: 8/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Total</b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: 37/50 (3 Forks)</span></div>
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Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-26888462243653346082020-02-27T14:26:00.001+09:002020-03-05T15:10:18.163+09:00Reglisse - Around the back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD4m6oib8CKVywn47JW_XIFr8437QDnjUaC32LWeQU5Oxf8ryGpP4kDmN9BRDn07SE9phDcmwzkuAv668Kw4OD3OhyphenhyphenVRuliUkQOlkoUhJjXqNGPwhsYt_dJf-dy4yoA_LEpDs4GU-blJg/s1600/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="224" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD4m6oib8CKVywn47JW_XIFr8437QDnjUaC32LWeQU5Oxf8ryGpP4kDmN9BRDn07SE9phDcmwzkuAv668Kw4OD3OhyphenhyphenVRuliUkQOlkoUhJjXqNGPwhsYt_dJf-dy4yoA_LEpDs4GU-blJg/s200/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" width="122" /></a></div>
Apparently, Gentle Reader, <a href="https://reglisse.jp/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Reglisse</span></b></a> 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.la-brianza.com/la_brianza/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">La Brianza</span></b></a> and look for the terrace at the back to your right, past <a href="https://www.roppongihills.com/en/shops_restaurants/restaurants/00277.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Saryo Miyazaka</b></span></a> and just before <a href="https://www.roppongihills.com/en/shops_restaurants/restaurants/00138.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Sushi Sukibayashi Jiro</b></span></a>. You deserve a medal ...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://reglisse.jp/" style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Reglisse</a> 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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://reglisse.jp/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Reglisse</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>: </b>3F,<b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6-12-2 Roppongi, Minato Ward</span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> t: </span><a href="tel:0368043306" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">03-6804-3306</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Pera</b>: Y5,000 ~ (your call on the wine)</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">: </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">F</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">ood: 8/10; Terrace-ness: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: 39/50 (3 Forks)</span></div>
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Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-73471958141509900772020-02-27T10:53:00.000+09:002020-02-27T10:53:25.637+09:00Rinkaso - A haven amid the havoc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlzeNSHnXF3u5wJwj5bOKbcRQH7iQWyO3oB2YFMxu6MFax7wGlSnRC6mWjHTVkGgNF4umVEQVgG0R5EIXSl4DC0187yu4_6l_tjGVZbBVlmioeb0R6nj6ryBfOmrn39XdvF6y8gzJFwJl/s1600/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="224" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlzeNSHnXF3u5wJwj5bOKbcRQH7iQWyO3oB2YFMxu6MFax7wGlSnRC6mWjHTVkGgNF4umVEQVgG0R5EIXSl4DC0187yu4_6l_tjGVZbBVlmioeb0R6nj6ryBfOmrn39XdvF6y8gzJFwJl/s200/3+forks.gif+%25282%2529.png" width="122" /></a></div>
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.<br />
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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 <b><a href="http://jogen.co.jp/rinkaso/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Rinkaso</span></a><span style="color: red;"> </span></b>courtesy of the Jogen Group.<br />
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<a href="http://www.jogen.co.jp/jgr_yokohama/en/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Jogenro</span></b></a> 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?<br />
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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).<br />
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Not so <a href="http://jogen.co.jp/rinkaso/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rinkaso</a>. 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 <i>gweilo (</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">鬼佬)</span>.<br />
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Dancing solo one warm Saturday morning, <a href="http://jogen.co.jp/rinkaso/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rinkaso</a> 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.<br />
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The food was sharp, clean, focused ... a counterpoint and pleasure compared to most neighborhood <i>chuka</i>s. 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 <i>en famille</i>, or solo.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Pip Pip!</b></i></span></span><br /><div style="line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;">
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<a href="http://jogen.co.jp/rinkaso/" style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rinkaso</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>: </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">5-18-2 Roppongi, Minato Ward</span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> t: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">03-6277-8353</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Food: 8/10; Urbanity: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 7/10</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: 37/50 (3 Forks)</span></div>
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Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-6632262922792858872020-02-26T13:18:00.000+09:002020-02-26T13:18:16.105+09:00Epic Epi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How is it, Gentle Reader, that a classic little cozy French bistro - self-described as <i>petit restaurant</i> - can hide its pretty face in Ebisu for more than ten years without Your Humble Correspondent darkening its doors? Is this some form of <i>évitement</i>? Has one's reputation sunk so far as to be excluded from culinary exploration with other <i>kuishimbo</i>? Oh, the shame! </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">While YHC's emotional recovery may take some time, a recent visit with Dear James was both enjoyable and instructive. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <i>petit</i> 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. </span></span><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Epi</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> is therefore somewhat challenging to those of us with figures that resemble more an orange than a carrot.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Epi</span></a><span style="color: black;"><b style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">f</span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">eatures 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 </span><i style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">moules</i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">Japonaise</i><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif;">. with seven different variations on the menu. What-ho! Cracking stuff with </span>sufficient baguette to mop and sop that brings warmth to both the heart and the belly.</span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Think <i style="color: black;">bouillabaisse</i>, <i style="color: black;">ratatouille</i>, <i style="color: black;">escargot</i>, <i style="color: black;">pate de campagne</i>, <i style="color: black;">confit </i>... redolent more of a <i style="color: black;">tabac</i> 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 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traiteur_(culinary_profession)" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">traiteur</span></a> than an atelier in the finish and presentation. The Family and YHC enjoyed a very similar meal many years ago in Saumur, before grandchildren. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The wine list at </span></span></span><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Epi</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">One feels a certain sense of detachment, though, in the service at </span><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Epi</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">. There is a fawning weight of expectancy of detailed knowledge focused toward the clientele - which may be appropriate towards regular <i>joren</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Do toddle along and try </span><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Epi</a> 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.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Pip Pip!</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="http://www.0124epi.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Epi</span></a><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></b><span style="color: #333333;">2-10-6 Nishi-Ebisu, Shibuya Ward t: 03-3780-8687</span></span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: <span style="font-size: x-small;">Food: 7/10; Epi-cness: 7/10; Service: 6/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 7/10</span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: 35/50 (3 Forks)</span></div>
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Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-85027063886560285972020-01-23T11:51:00.003+09:002020-01-23T11:51:55.454+09:00Alternative - The Real Deal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHKsEp68fiN2TBia-EZ7Ju0AD019CyoVscgLryEg5EJeB6WaYaKuY3BQcps06qyGoydeHM39RsOxF8fCjOINKd_9glIePGHNysGBLDtjDcu8Dzi_xN-1yrxOKyCfqX-Qw-g7oTXF2pDtn/s1600/4forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHKsEp68fiN2TBia-EZ7Ju0AD019CyoVscgLryEg5EJeB6WaYaKuY3BQcps06qyGoydeHM39RsOxF8fCjOINKd_9glIePGHNysGBLDtjDcu8Dzi_xN-1yrxOKyCfqX-Qw-g7oTXF2pDtn/s1600/4forks.png" /></a></div>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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No doubt you're thinking of <b><a href="http://alternative-tokyo.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Alternative</span></a></b>.<br />
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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?<br />
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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 ...<br />
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<a href="http://alternative-tokyo.com/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Alternative</span></a><b style="color: red;"> </b>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.<br />
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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 ...<br />
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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).<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://alternative-tokyo.com/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Alternative</a> </span>is a place to enjoy with people one truly cares about. Think of it as a right more than a reward. You deserve <a href="http://alternative-tokyo.com/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Alternative</a>, Gentle Reader, and it deserves you.<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: large;"><b>Pip Pip!</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Food: 9/10; Alternative-ness: 9/10; Service: 9/10; Ambiance: 9/10; Price-Performance: 9/10 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: 45/50 (4 Forks)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span><a href="http://alternative-tokyo.com/" style="color: red; font-family: Meiryo; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Alternative</span></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US">: 2</span></span><span style="color: #5f6263; font-family: Raleway, "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">F 3-1-19 Nishiazabu, Minato-ku</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">t: </span></span></span><span style="color: #5f6263; font-family: Raleway, "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">03-5772-7272</span></span></div>
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Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-52987082043081779682020-01-23T10:26:00.001+09:002020-01-23T10:29:33.368+09:00Ata - don't mind the audience<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMtOU3d1rSm7dfKO6ej_-QbTvf5d38e6CigpsOJOcCMbKrrVQ3faehnSpRe4euYFDT_yrxwmxoJDCeQzhB3RMCmOwh-h-Y5MRPzoXqKMqiRUB2WXYc9BlzT0CElVi-jh0we4GhfI1Ny3P/s1600/3+forks.gif.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMtOU3d1rSm7dfKO6ej_-QbTvf5d38e6CigpsOJOcCMbKrrVQ3faehnSpRe4euYFDT_yrxwmxoJDCeQzhB3RMCmOwh-h-Y5MRPzoXqKMqiRUB2WXYc9BlzT0CElVi-jh0we4GhfI1Ny3P/s320/3+forks.gif.png" width="259" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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 <b><a href="http://ata1789.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Ata</span></a></b> in Sarugakucho
demonstrates neither of these characteristics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">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 </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Kanryu
</i><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">currents and needed only a touch of lemon juice and fresh pepper to be nearly
transcendent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ata1789.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Ata</span></b></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> 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..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">And ignore the gnome in the corner burbling
into his Bouillabaisse: I shan’t take long and will be on my way soon enough!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: large;"><b>Pip pip!</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Food: 8/10; At-Homeness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: 39/50 (3 Forks)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="http://ata1789.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Ata</span></a></b><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">t: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">03-6809-0965</span></span></div>
<br />Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-55340649147034797512019-11-30T12:23:00.000+09:002019-11-30T12:24:03.575+09:00L'inedit - Thank heavens for Patissiers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm6NlWJUMujNyK5I9MfUXgKDilsXSGTVnLtCbi2pOP0C5m6yySFRkFm-OZ8nKA3SDWbfmB-qXvyWRDjd-OOT42rSFlumTd-0OpiieRPxqeFLqjzR0ec3By9UoNX-kAnSNTczj5g8xY-8R/s1600/4forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm6NlWJUMujNyK5I9MfUXgKDilsXSGTVnLtCbi2pOP0C5m6yySFRkFm-OZ8nKA3SDWbfmB-qXvyWRDjd-OOT42rSFlumTd-0OpiieRPxqeFLqjzR0ec3By9UoNX-kAnSNTczj5g8xY-8R/s1600/4forks.png" /></a></div>
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Drop everything you're doing, Gentle Reader, and pick up your telephone. Right now. Or have the help do it. Call <span style="color: red; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.l-inedit.com/" style="font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">L'inedit</a> </b></span>in Higashi-Azabu and make a reservation. You're welcome...</div>
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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!".<br />
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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...<br />
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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.<br />
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On our visit, the meal consisted of:<br />
<ul>
<li>an amuse with pate de campagne wrapped in a thrilling piece of pastry (be still my beating heart!), </li>
<li>a white bean soup that seemed to float from bowl to mouth, </li>
<li>a Hachis Parmentier (a rich man's version of Shepherds Pie),</li>
<li>Long-tailed Red snapper with a carrot coulis (sigh),</li>
<li>Soshuko chicken from the Chiba/Saitama border, and</li>
<li>three desserts as befits a patissier couple. Including a callison from Provence.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The Professor is an ardent trencherman, but <span style="font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.l-inedit.com/" style="color: red; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">L'inedit</a><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </span>stopped him in his tracks. </span>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 ...<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Try too, Gentle Reader, the Sunday brunch. Pastries, breads, eggs done your way, and copious quantities of bubbles.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.l-inedit.com/" style="font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">L'inedit</a> </b></span>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!<br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pip pip!</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Food: 8/10; Foodie-Friendliness: 8/10; Service: 9/10; Ambiance:9/10; Price-Performance: 8/10 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: 42/50 (4 Forks)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.l-inedit.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>L'inedit</b></span></a><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2-10-7 HigashiAzabu, Minato-ku </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , , "meiryo" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">03-6426-5589</span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-12602290733179519672019-11-12T12:41:00.001+09:002019-11-12T12:41:20.028+09:00Quotidien - Experience Shun<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmMlFaDihNXJFbaZ56IELEryZB06PlVcK30Rpn4cWPSxO2dHd97ihj2IT2yFn1wS8QET5GR9ZPPQRjehghbFLU1JTU0NIUtqw5z2h5BfOTg67B5MKPWEdbaM6EZiCoJEQ0Th1uchQikQr/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmMlFaDihNXJFbaZ56IELEryZB06PlVcK30Rpn4cWPSxO2dHd97ihj2IT2yFn1wS8QET5GR9ZPPQRjehghbFLU1JTU0NIUtqw5z2h5BfOTg67B5MKPWEdbaM6EZiCoJEQ0Th1uchQikQr/s1600/4.png" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been some time, Gentle Reader, since
your Humble Correspondent had darkened the doors of <a href="https://bistrot-quotidien.business.site/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Quotidien</b></span></a> in Azabu-Juban.
Likely much to the delight of the Proprietors. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 ...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's a sense of ceremony riding the <i>piccolo</i> elevator to the 2nd floor and making a suitably flamboyant entrance.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Likewise the menu, recently featured on
Eatpia <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.eatpia.com&d=DwMGaQ&c=XA4tVaYRy-RCEVXuRfB2OJ8V2l8u310HqNz42Nl-qrI&r=KecwWzT2FodHCi9qm3JXIjFNCj1mkbNiOHcSUpYUxAE&m=ESzTrevKY4LqQBEV1VSsEUCHyuOehFahoGvfp5dmewQ&s=gql9jmoSrZ1rw9rtpKSzNO4iEb8jaQRD6jlr-Fs_fBQ&e=">https://www.eatpia.com</a>.
There is a certain <i>chasseur</i>-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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A slight detour, Gentle Reader to explain the Japanese concept of seasonality - there are of course the boring four observed elsewhere, 24 <b><span style="color: red;"><i><a href="http://kic-update.com/en/text-en/4311/" target="_blank">sekki</a></i> </span></b>of about 2 weeks each that originated in China, and the far more romantic <a href="https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00124/japan%E2%80%99s-72-microseasons.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">72 micro-seasons</span></b></a> or <i>Ko. </i>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 <i>shun</i>. Sadly, this sense of the exquisite is beginning to diminish among younger Japanese for whom refrigeration and slow ripening have become <i>de rigueur</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://bistrot-quotidien.business.site/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Quotidien</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 <i>en Le japonais </i>"jouren". And yet the l’addition never shocks,
and the service never fades.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sally forth Gentle Reader! One would fain
beg you not to invite the <i>hoi polloi</i>. Enjoy </span><a href="https://bistrot-quotidien.business.site/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Quotidien</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with your closest friends
and lovers. Leave out the noshers and the would-be’s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And should you hear a faint but persistent
scratching at the door, toss a crumb or well-chewed bone my way...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Pip pip!</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: Food:
8/10; Daily-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Total</span></b><span lang="EN-US">: 40/50
(4 Forks)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://bistrot-quotidien.business.site/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Quotidien</b></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 2F Tamon Azabu, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3-9-2 Azabu Juban, Minato. t: </span><span style="color: #202124; font-family: Karla, sans-serif;">03-6435-3241</span></div>
Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-75255944522649178642019-08-01T11:52:00.002+09:002019-08-01T11:52:48.657+09:00Milieu - A Greek Drama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNodrkXY-gEftqvsvVZt0eoFrfkqmDPKQUEsYhOFIL6XmH4nm7rlDG4vPJHO29FpthZdajXZ1PsM68rvwUZv6qlwnCUDIhoxNI9Cm0gKUuwT8Ul-7nmpAv6vAmmZ28XzYY7wVjwv-nBzr7/s1600/3+forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="95" data-original-width="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNodrkXY-gEftqvsvVZt0eoFrfkqmDPKQUEsYhOFIL6XmH4nm7rlDG4vPJHO29FpthZdajXZ1PsM68rvwUZv6qlwnCUDIhoxNI9Cm0gKUuwT8Ul-7nmpAv6vAmmZ28XzYY7wVjwv-nBzr7/s1600/3+forks.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 <a href="https://www.milieu.mu/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Milieu</span></b></a>, 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 </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">Zeno</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 ...).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which is apropos of nothing really except that Your Humble Correspondent has a very occasional hankering for a Greek meal, and decided to visit <a href="https://www.milieu.mu/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Milieu</b></span></a> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 ... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.milieu.mu/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Milieu</span></b></a>: 2-23-12 Higashiazabu, Minato-ku, t: 03-3568-7850</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rating: Food: 7/10; Anetos-ness: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance:6/10; Price-Performance: 8/10</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Total: 35/50 (3 Forks)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reservations: On the <a href="https://www.milieu.mu/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>website</b></span></a></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-53796440282792676362019-07-20T14:04:00.000+09:002019-07-20T14:06:23.176+09:00Mari e Monte - Now we're talking!<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9qq7sMzH8pwVWTEl_mVXQxAJrrEFtvOnZwtz3ARLpKO2gXVdlg8fwd6K8o5Uq9PvFS7FvM-d0owGvOQcqlJ1TgrpSGzFPAUnH3SeQ9CAMVv6Ke9V5ixDc423yNKXDyaxiJG82qL49MH_/s1600/3_forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9qq7sMzH8pwVWTEl_mVXQxAJrrEFtvOnZwtz3ARLpKO2gXVdlg8fwd6K8o5Uq9PvFS7FvM-d0owGvOQcqlJ1TgrpSGzFPAUnH3SeQ9CAMVv6Ke9V5ixDc423yNKXDyaxiJG82qL49MH_/s200/3_forks.png" style="background-color: transparent;" title="" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These sort of abominations are what caused the downfall of the Roman Empire, as they couldn't hear the footfall of the </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">approaching</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> barbarians over the screams and howls of disgruntled plebeians. A knock at the door, opened to a slothering Hun, and then rapacious slaughter.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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 </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>bevitrice</i>)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/home-en" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Mari e Monti</a> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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 </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>bevande</i>. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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 ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Limoncello</i> 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.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/home-en" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Mari e Monti</a> 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 ...<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/home-en" style="color: red; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Mari e Monti</a></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">: </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Nishi-Azabu 4-1-10, Conforia Bldg Nishi-Azabu, 2F t: 03-6418-707 [Closed Sundays]</span><br />
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Rating</b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Food: 8/10; Mario-less-ness: 8/10; Service: 8</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Total</span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">: 39/50 (3 Forks)</span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reservations</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span></span><a href="https://www.mariemonti.jp/reservation">https://www.mariemonti.jp/reservation</a></div>
Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-80339384651021025252019-07-19T11:07:00.001+09:002019-07-19T11:07:18.303+09:00Aile Blanche - Oow La la!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So it was that Your Humble Correspondent headed to <a href="http://aileblanche.info/en/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Aile Blanche</span></b></a> 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 <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Arrondissement with a view to the Eiffel Tower, it feels more like a passe gentile <i>fin de siecle </i>apartment where the disgraced Tante Eloise made her abode.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The food, on the other hand, is spectacular.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">The specialty is <i>foie gras</i>, straight from the farm of </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr. Jean Daniel Castaing in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 <i>foie gras</i> is something very special indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One chooses, Gentle Reader, from one of four set "courses" ranging from Y8,000 to Y20,000. Each of course includes the <i>foie Gras</i>. 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?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <i>entree</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chef Ogawa brings his </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">pernickety</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Service at </span></span><a href="http://aileblanche.info/en/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Aile Blanche</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And don't mind the odd-looking garcon flittering about ... I actually bring most dishes to the table.</span><br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Pip Pip!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://aileblanche.info/en/" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Aile Blanche</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Patio Azabu Juban, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2-8-10 </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Azabu Juban, Minato; </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">t</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: 03-5439-4338</span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Food: 8/10; 16th-ness: 7/10; Service: 8</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Total</span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">: 37/50 (3 Forks)</span></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reservations</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.tablecheck.com/ja/shops/aileblanche/reserve</span></span></div>
Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-13377722986042891882019-07-18T17:11:00.000+09:002019-07-18T17:11:13.309+09:00Effe - Terratoria!<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">I<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">t 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.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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).</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Such is the case at <a href="http://terrattoria-effe.com/en" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Effe</span></b></a>, snuggled close by
Keio in Mita. In terms of cuisine, it aspires to and achieves the rank of
‘trattoria’ [interestingly, from <i>trattore</i> "host, keeper of an
eating house]: trattorias are traditionally family owned, casual, neighbourhood
restaurants that serve fresh, unassuming, and reasonably conventional food.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Put “terra” and “trattoria” together and
you get “terratorria”. Apparently. At least your Humble Correspondent is
convinced...</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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).</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://terrattoria-effe.com/en" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Effe</span></b></a> is
a place to be enjoyed with friends and fellow conspirators. Tables are a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">little</i> 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.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the <i>grassone </i>in the corner?
Don’t mind me, I’m trying to blend in.</span></span></div>
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pip Pip!</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></em></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Effe</b></span>: <span style="font-size: x-small;">3 Chome-3-3-5 Mita, Minato, 03-6809-6103<br /></span></span></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Rating</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Food: 8/10; Terra-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:7/10;
Price-Performance: 7/10<br /></span><strong style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333;">Total</span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">: 38/50 (3 Forks)</span><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reservations</span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: ikyu.com, gnavi.co.jp,
resebook.jp</span></span></div>
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<br />Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-29577759681281474252019-01-29T15:14:00.001+09:002019-01-29T15:14:28.653+09:00Why Jay Rayner wrote that review of Le CinqJay: You're a star! And I from one agree.<br />
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See his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/sep/22/jay-rayner-bad-restaurant-reviews-some-just-deserve-it" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>explanation</b></span></a>, which also doubles as an excellent manifesto.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Pip Pip!</i></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-44012485820932857892017-06-29T15:47:00.002+09:002017-06-29T15:47:39.558+09:00Si - An Organic Way to say "Yes!" in Sekijuji-Dori<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWWxnvx8RVy4fhEHV-00J6B-r1TnGKF5Ykks7rY8rDegL2U_URswpd_qU1nDbKb688LspERQCd4Ibg2_nstDwfQZgTrb51XEj3gMLLyJBjIta0H7VdfbNNyxq6VtYjVb-w0aarII5FKqf/s1600/3_forks.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="127" data-original-width="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWWxnvx8RVy4fhEHV-00J6B-r1TnGKF5Ykks7rY8rDegL2U_URswpd_qU1nDbKb688LspERQCd4Ibg2_nstDwfQZgTrb51XEj3gMLLyJBjIta0H7VdfbNNyxq6VtYjVb-w0aarII5FKqf/s1600/3_forks.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There comes a time in the course of dining events, Gentle Reader, when one has to suspend judgement about concept restaurants and just toddle along for a "try". Normally, it's an under-qualified and ill-experienced <i>wunderkind</i> chef who is trying to make a name for him/herself by doing things like putting unsuspecting <a href="http://www.theweek.co.uk/62308/noma-chef-serves-live-shrimp-and-ants-on-440-tokyo-menu" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>ants from Nagano Prefecture</b></span></a> on live shrimps. Or similar ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How menacingly vain, and totally vainglorious. One needn't worry about such nonsense at <a href="http://www.si-4.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Si</b></span></a>, which </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Japanese-only) </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">website demonstrates considerable aesthetic prowess but delivers a quite minimalist level of information. Almost coy and subdued, in fact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your Humble Correspondent recently visited </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.si-4.com/" style="color: red; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Si</span></a><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"> </span>in the company of a former colleague who has a very pleasant habit of finding interesting restaurants. One wonders whether in fact she could do it for a living. Do please ignore Google Maps: it <b>is </b>on the main street in the Honda Building above the apothecary Chuo Yakkyoku. It is <b>not </b>in the back street in the parking lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mine Host Watanabe-san takes <b><i>purity </i></b>and <b><i>harmony </i></b>very seriously. For Heaven's sake, one is asked whether the accompanying water should be served at room temperature, slighted chilled, or quite cold. The room is decorated in the aesthetic of <i>wabi/sabi</i>, which can often seem quite pinchpenny but in this case seems both comfortable and comforting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Purity in this sense means organic, it means unprocessed, and it means so incredibly flavor-packed that his second guiding principle of harmony must surely be at some level of risk. Except it's not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That's where Harmony comes in. Each flavor is weighed against the other and textures married together to produce remarkable visual and taste pictures. At the same time, it is not molecular in any way - meaning there are ample portions that invite rather than invade, and there is substance to each course. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Correspondent loves nothing more than a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and "unpacking" flavors is a party game often enjoyed by himself and his sainted bride. </span><a href="http://www.si-4.com/" style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Si</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> is a perfect place to play this little <i>jeu</i>, and enjoyment is magnified by the sheer incongruity of the matched ingredients. Your meal will be nearly French, but a French localized by Japanese sensitivity and attention to detail. Except for the dishes that are Japanese. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a place where YHC shall take extraordinary pleasure in confusing his snobbiest and irritatingly pretentious wine chums - there is not a single bottle they will guess yet all delight and inform even the most jaded palate. There are also many options aside from alcohol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like M. Watanabe himself, the restaurant's operating model is a little eccentric, as eccentric in fact as the orbit of the I-still-call-it-a-planet Pluto. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are a set menu paired with even more beautifully eccentric beverages that include <i>sake</i>, cider, wine and bubbles. Thursday and Saturday are a la carte.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please get along to </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.si-4.com/" style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Si</a> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">with small crowds of foodies rather than tiresome colleagues. Honestly, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.si-4.com/" style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Si</a> is not going to appeal to everyone. Accept that, and invite only those people who agree with you, Gentle Reader. Tomahawk aficionados should look for higher ground.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And if you should want for such a companion, do drop me a line. It will be your pleasure, I'm sure...</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;">Pip Pip!</em><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;"><br /></em></span><a href="http://www.si-4.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Si</b></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 16.9px;">: </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">4F </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Honda Bldg, Minami-Aoyama 7-14-6</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">, Minato-Ku, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">03-</span><span class="rstinfo-table__tel-num" style="background: rgb(255 , 255 , 255); border: 0px; color: #595960; font-stretch: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.03em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">6451-1572</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 16.9px;"><strong><u>Rating</u></strong>: Food: 8/10; Organic-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance:8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10.<br /><strong>Total</strong>: 40/50 (3 Forks)</span></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-87964996491874455002017-05-22T09:16:00.000+09:002017-05-22T09:37:36.400+09:00Sublime - In a word...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">For those in the "business", Gentle Reader, there are certain signs at a restaurant which invariably indicate that one should flee immediately. Carpet sufficiently thick to muffle the screams of the diners, mirrors that retchingly reflect back garish pinks and purples, or floor to ceiling windows that signal the patronage is more on display than the food. One should never have to dine </span><i style="color: #212121;">cognito</i><span style="color: #212121;">. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or names: </span><b style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Mama's </i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Italian (because it's not), </span><b style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Fong's </i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sushi, or anything with </span><b style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Kimchi </i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in the title. Or words like </span><i style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bombay</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, </span><i style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Goulash</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, or </span><i style="color: #212121; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">European</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. Clear claxons signaling despair and disappointment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.sublime.tokyo/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Sublime</span></b></a><span style="color: #212121;"> in Shinbashi (soon to be Azabu Juban) is very much an exception. Owner </span></span></span><span style="font-family: , "meiryo" , "ヒラギノ角ゴ pro w3" , "hiragino kaku gothic pro" , sans-serif;">Eiichi Yamada </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">could have just as easily named it "Exquisite", "Spectacular", or "Magnificent", except this particular nomen is exactly descriptive and a promise delivered.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">Glad to follow Jay Rayner's </span><a href="http://www.jayrayner.co.uk/news/announcing-ten-food-commandments/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Ten (food) Commandments</span></b></a><span style="color: #212121;">, Your Humble Correspondent recently visited </span></span></span><a href="http://www.sublime.tokyo/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Sublime</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> with two tall and elegant gentlemen celebrating birthdays and a beautiful lady celebrating the company. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">At every turn, one finds oneself reaching for superlatives to describe the cuisine, the carte de vin, and the service. One knows one's in a foodie temple when all the staff exude sheer joy from just having a part to play, and when the menu is an invitation rather than an examination. There is only a single course offered, although allergies and dislikes are well catered for as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">Chef Junichi Kato is a playful and entirely compleat genius, time shifted from Versailles to Tokyo yet also remarkably skilled at contemporary tastes and techniques that leave his fortunate patrons equally amazed yet anticipating what is coming next. The produce on display is allowed to both surprise and perform, and the plating is worthy of curation. His menu is determined daily, and reflects detailed seasonality (think </span><a href="http://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00124/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">72</span></b></a><span style="color: #212121;"> of them!) as well as exuberant freshness.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;">Your Humble Correspondent is in awe of a wine list that reflects excellence and informed eccentricity yet does not tip over into avarice in pricing. One's current fetish with Jura was adequately satisfied, as was a need for effervescent sustenance with rarer cuvees.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">Service is simultaneously refined and informed, and we were thankfully spared the agony of knowing the servers' names and preferences. Chef himself journeyed several times table-wards, with tantalizing snippets of information that were brief yet sufficient. Every member of the service team was knowledgeable, efficient, and idiosyncratic in the best possible sense of the word.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #212121;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">Our time was far too brief (a mere 2.5 hours!) yet unrushed and remarkably satisfying. Your Humble Correspondent has not dined this well since - well, a few venues but still ... </span></span></span><a href="http://www.sublime.tokyo/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Sublime</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> won its first Michelin star in 2016, but there is no doubt that it will continue to collect accolades in the same way a lissome maiden collects admirers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121;">One should rush to </span></span></span><a href="http://www.sublime.tokyo/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Sublime</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121;"> with close friends or lovers, as this is a consummation designed to delight and engage so there is little time for frivolous dalliance with "business". And should you see a golem gnashing outside, at least share the photographs!</span></span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;">Pip Pip!</em><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;"><br /></em></span><a href="http://www.sublime.tokyo/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Sublime</span></b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 16.9px;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">B1F </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Roigent Bldg, Shimbashi 5-7-7, Minato-Ku, </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">03-3578-8831</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 16.9px;"><strong><u>Rating</u></strong>: Food: 9/10; Sublimity: 9/10; Service: 9/10; Ambiance:8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10.<br /><strong>Total</strong>: 43/50 (4 Forks)</span></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-84168835777486058382017-04-10T13:40:00.005+09:002017-04-10T13:40:48.473+09:00The review you don't want to get ...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many of you know, Gentle Reader, that Your Humble Correspondent refrains from posting negative reviews. Not so Jay Rayner at The Guardian. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/09/le-cinq-paris-restaurant-review-jay-rayner?CMP=share_btn_fb" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">This one</span></b></a> would dent the hardest ego:</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;">Pip Pip!</em>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-87763055945671300392017-02-09T15:27:00.000+09:002017-02-09T15:27:19.780+09:00Gaudichot - Izakaya Vin branches out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9qq7sMzH8pwVWTEl_mVXQxAJrrEFtvOnZwtz3ARLpKO2gXVdlg8fwd6K8o5Uq9PvFS7FvM-d0owGvOQcqlJ1TgrpSGzFPAUnH3SeQ9CAMVv6Ke9V5ixDc423yNKXDyaxiJG82qL49MH_/s1600/3_forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9qq7sMzH8pwVWTEl_mVXQxAJrrEFtvOnZwtz3ARLpKO2gXVdlg8fwd6K8o5Uq9PvFS7FvM-d0owGvOQcqlJ1TgrpSGzFPAUnH3SeQ9CAMVv6Ke9V5ixDc423yNKXDyaxiJG82qL49MH_/s200/3_forks.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may have, Gentle Reader, read a previous post from many, many years ago about the extraordinary <a href="http://gaishoku.blogspot.jp/2007/08/izakaya-vin.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>Izakaya Vin</b></span></a> (IV) near Shibuya Station. Although the master has since passed away, it remains a wonderful and exquisite outpost in <i>sarariman</i> Dogenzaka that deserves your love and patronage. The son and heir is doing a splendid job and Madame still rules the roost with an iron hand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fast forward then to 2017, when on a whim Your Humble Correspondent searched for IV on Tabelog and discovered that said establishment had branched out to Ebisu - much to the relief of many wearied daily travellers no doubt! Egad! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This fact alone was sufficient to have YHC eager to sally forth and try </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13191212/" target="_blank">Gaudichot</a> [<a href="https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13191212/dtlmap/" target="_blank">Map</a>] </span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">together with some feisty food and wine patrons who were not likely to hold back in judgement or appetite. <a href="http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/pater01.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">So he went</span></b></a> ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the location is a little counter-intuitive for the first-time visitor, venture up the stairs to the former Bistro Escalier (so named for obvious reasons) and visit with the ebullient mine-host Ms. Enomoto. She is a well-trained and extremely knowledgeable sommelier - remember though that a somm's job is to sell wine and she's very good at it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The menu regales you with a veritable landscape of French comfort foods from terrines and pates through to salads and lamb. Choosing only one would be a mistake, Gentle Reader, so best to toddle over there with at least one companion in order to stress-test the Chef. Each of these dishes has been well and truly road-tested at IV, and each comes with YHC's recommendation. Trust me, all are delicious and circumference-building.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The wine list is mainly ... French, but with items well within the reach of every purse except that of your impecunious correspondent. At the same time, each bottle or glass comes with a story fit for your ears and Mistress Enomoto is an excellent host with a smile and an eye-twinkle that would gladden even the saddest heart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Visit </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13191212/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Gaudichot</span></a></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> with friends and rowdy characters, and settle in for a clear spell of wine fun. And should you spot a shady character offering to wash glasses, then do spot me a wink and nod, what-ho!</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;">Pip Pip!</em><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;"><br /></em><span style="line-height: 16.9px;"><span style="line-height: 16.9px;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 16.9px;"><b><a href="https://tabelog.com/en/tokyo/A1303/A130302/13191212/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Gaudichot</span></a></b><span style="color: #333333;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); color: #333333; line-height: 24px;">1-13-11 Ebisu-Minami</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;">, Minato-ku </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 16.9px;">t:</span><span style="line-height: 16.9px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 16.9px;">03-</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 20px;">6303-3910 </span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;"><strong><u>Rating</u></strong>: Food: 7/10; Commuter-Friendliness: 8/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance:7/10; Price-Performance: 8/10.<br /><strong>Total</strong>: 37/50 (3 Forks)</span></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-60155556913802759742016-07-11T13:52:00.001+09:002016-07-11T13:52:46.041+09:00L'Alchimiste: A Beautiful Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EPyiEN4tHPZQGsGQbRW2osAHm-lRM_nMNTKe76vAMpFNBnApJz14zBUxY84enPh3KsKefAjW0JKIMEyPLnRCQvSMiZNCSmZ2c8fFE0Yg4z1EW0tF45HeMdGiRPisec-StGgqF47b9C5-/s1600/4+forks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EPyiEN4tHPZQGsGQbRW2osAHm-lRM_nMNTKe76vAMpFNBnApJz14zBUxY84enPh3KsKefAjW0JKIMEyPLnRCQvSMiZNCSmZ2c8fFE0Yg4z1EW0tF45HeMdGiRPisec-StGgqF47b9C5-/s1600/4+forks.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The famous gastronome <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Anthelme_Brillat-Savarin" style="background-color: white; color: red; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;" target="_blank">Brillat-Savarin</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;"> apparently once said “A chef must be like an alchemist”. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 20px;">Apparently, he was also clairvoyant as he was obviously thinking of Chef Ken'ichi Yamamoto. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Sometimes, Gentle Reader, it pays to choose what's behind the lavender door. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Your Humble Correspondent (YHC) is an occasional visitor to this wonderful playground of a restaurant, run by a delightful husband and wife (</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">chef</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> and </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">sommelier)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">team together with a </span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">sous</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">. The formula for success is simple - he cooks, she serves and pours, you enjoy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">It has the added appeal of not allowing children under twelve, which seems to my feeble mind to significantly improve the dining environment as well as overall safety. It also does not take <i>kashi-kiri</i> bookings, preferring diversity and energy in its guest list rather than drab infections of bland <i>sarariman</i> and over-ebullient brokers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">L'Alchimiste is focused on quality, quality, and then quality. The food is inspired and playful, Gentle Reader, and a carefully considered and interesting wine flight / degustation turns a meal into a journey. Chef describes his food </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">as "</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.44px;">pop gastronomy" - which seems unfortunate to YHC - but serves to underline both the reflection of food trends (i.e. "pop"-ular) and the taste explosion in a diner's mouth (where a pop is certainly much to be preferred over a bang).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">The illusion is sustained by a menu that only lists the ingredients (or at least did when YHC has dined) from which M. Yamamoto conjures whimsical courses which keep bringing one back to the relationship between the ingredients and the magic. The standard fare is a ten course degustation menu for Y12,000 or Y18,000 with 5 wines (Y20,000 with 7).</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The wine list is broader than it is deep, and suffers slightly from a fashionable bias towards <i>bio </i>and organic wines. At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, this trend is more about marketing than oeneology - the best Old World wines have been <i>bio</i> for centuries, and planting and pruning has long been linked to the lunar cycle.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the risk of not being able to get a table in this 14 seat den of </span></span></span><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">legerdemain</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"> for oneself</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">, Gentle Reader, </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-size: small;">this is foodie heaven and deserves your patronage. It is a place to take fellow gastronomes like Brillat-Savarin or lovers, but never colleagues. Never.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And should you spy YHC in the corner, that means my lavender camouflage has failed and one needs to flee ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><em style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;"><br /></em><span style="line-height: 16.9px;"><span style="line-height: 16.9px;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 16.9px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.alchimiste.jp/eng.html#top" target="_blank"><b>L'Alchimiste</b></a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">: </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); line-height: 24px;">1-25-26 Shirokane</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;">, Minato-ku </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;">t:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16.9px;">03-</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 20px;">5422-7358 </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16.9px;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><u>Rating</u></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">: Food: 9/10; Lavender-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10.</span><br /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Total</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">: 41/50 (4 Forks)</span></span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-85021447920821728392016-07-10T12:45:00.000+09:002016-07-10T12:45:29.970+09:00Keisuke Matsushima - Oh. My. Goodness.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's been some time, Gentle Reader, since Your Humble Correspondent (YHC) bored you with his dribblings and scribblings about food in Tokyo. Been a tad busy really, but what ho! ... Time to get one's nose back to the figurative whetstone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><b><a href="http://keisukematsushima.tokyo/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Keisuke Matsushima</span></a> </b></span>is apparently a bit of an <i>enfant terrible</i> in the world of French Cuisine, and it is entirely possible that he might have to have so many restaurants (six, with two cooking schools) in so many places simply to avoid the long arm of the critics. But having recently visited the Tokyo flagship with Lord Timothy of Spazio while M. Matsushima was briefly in town, YHC even more humbly admits to having become a convert to this particular sort of terribleness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The setting is, of course, magnificent. Not in any sense isolated, but apart. One approaches young Keisuke's temple to the cuisine of southern France along a verdant pathway reminiscent of a medieval alleyway, before entering the hallowed halls from a slightly confusing lateral entrance. Table settings are refreshingly elegant, with almost a <i>belle epoque </i>look and feel along with a grand sense of space and style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Service is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_%C3%A0_la_russe" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><b>a la russe</b></span></a>, as befits the venue and the price point. Should you be concerned about languages, Gentle Reader, rest easy as one may choose between Japanese, English and French at least. People are marvellously attentive, and whims seem to be a speciality of M. Matsushima's particular flavor of epicurean philosophy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a selection of set menus to choose from, refreshingly designed to match the size of one's appetite rather than one's wallet. We enjoyed the <i>Menu degustation "Collection"</i> - not cheap and a little of a stretch for your impecunious correspondent, but exquisite value for money. It would be tedious to go through each course (as well as impossible given the state of YHC's memory), but the word you should remember Gentle Reader is "exquisite". Balanced yet imaginative, original and inquisitive, surprising and still familar. The verbal descriptions which accompany each course are engrossing yet concise, recognizing that - sometimes - diners know almost as much as waiters, and that brevity is the soul of wisdom.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The <i>carte</i> has a modest range of impeccably selected wines, although some are obviously there for light relief at six-figure prices. YHC's bubbles-of-choice Duval Leroy is available by the glass.</span><br />
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<b style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://keisukematsushima.tokyo/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Keisuke Matsushima</span></a> </b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">is a venue for foodies and lovers, and should not be wasted on tiresome work colleagues. It is one of a very few venues in Tokyo that you should keep as a closely guarded secret. Because, after all, one's own convenience and ease of getting a reservation should be the highest priority for this sort of destination.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And should you get a glimpse of a forlorn figure on the dish-pig stand, you'll know that YHC's tastes exceeded his budget once again.</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 16.9px;">Pip Pip!</em><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.9px;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: red;"><a href="http://keisukematsushima.tokyo/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Keisuke Matsushima</span></a></b>: 1-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku Reservations: 03-5772-2091 t: 03-5772-2151<br /><strong><u>Rating</u></strong>: Food: 9/10; Epoque-ness: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price-Performance: 7/10.<br /><strong>Total</strong>: 40/50 (4 Forks)</span>Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-578194405362066515.post-13095969540110137092015-02-09T11:45:00.000+09:002015-02-09T11:45:40.213+09:00Tokyo Top Restaurants - Your Humble Correspondent's Review of 2014<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m-m0xhcHYLDK-LiVKPkyKFq3Ejc5_ZYfNQjl6tV0DkMWL8sJ-huYkdrgqwHR1AHBS_kvgIBtzdpnb8nUVwG22iFL-p_2Ft-ExJW8TcDIk4X8HoiFmYAkHrXXu5-yi3cIUrvyx1OTKpQA/s1600/Top52014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_m-m0xhcHYLDK-LiVKPkyKFq3Ejc5_ZYfNQjl6tV0DkMWL8sJ-huYkdrgqwHR1AHBS_kvgIBtzdpnb8nUVwG22iFL-p_2Ft-ExJW8TcDIk4X8HoiFmYAkHrXXu5-yi3cIUrvyx1OTKpQA/s1600/Top52014.jpg" height="265" title="EOIT Top 5" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><em><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">"There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune". </span></em></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /><br />William Shakespeare, </span><a href="http://www.enotes.com/jc-text/act-iv-scene-iii#jul-4-3-243"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Julius Caesar Act 4, scene 3, 218–224</span></em></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your Humble Correspondent was recently challenged, Gentle Reader, to list off his favorite (favored?) establishments for 2014. No mean task given the thousands of potential honorees, but made considerably easier by YHC's penury in this year just past. YHC thought it might be rather a hoot to list some places that perhaps many haven't visited (unknown knowns) rather than the old and bolds (known knowns)...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With gratitude to those generous souls who spent time with me in 2014, and most obviously The Once and Future Blonde ... </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.tsushimi.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Tsushimi</span></strong></a>: As mentioned previously, Chef Seiji Tsushimi is a genius. Very definitely a stubborn genius, but a kitchen Turing nevertheless. He focuses on the very original <em>cuisine Terreuse</em> with an absolute insistence on celebrating the very best Japan has to offer in terms of produce, design, and wine. A meal here is a discovery even for the most fastidious foodie - and in terms of crass considerations like value-for-money perhaps the best culinary investment you'll make in a year of fine dining. <br /><strong>1Fl, Katagiri Bldg, 1-16-9 Komoba, Meguro-ku t: 03-6407-8024</strong> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.cork-minamiaoyama.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Cork</span></strong></a>: Your Humble Correspondent is a very enthusiastic fan of the fruit of the vine, Gentle Reader; thus the florid cheeks and honker. <a href="http://www.cork-minamiaoyama.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Cork</span></strong></a> turns the tables on the normal restaurant model by having the guests select the wines and then matches the food to those choices. It helps that it shares a very good sommelier with a skillful chef - and that its sister venue <a href="http://www.las-minamiaoyama.com/en/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">L'As</span></strong></a> (where wines are matched to a single course menu) is co-located on the same premises. The novelty and quality of wines on offer - think a Bavarian Traminer or Portugese Green - is remarkable. And the cooking is heavenly.<br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1Fl, Minami-Aoyama Kotori Bldg, 4-16-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku t: 090-6008-4069</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span id="goog_448234826"></span><a href="http://www.sourire-r.jp/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Sourire<span id="goog_448234827"></span></strong></span></a>: <span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ah, this place is a joy! Seriously, seriously good. Perhaps one of the best ways of thinking about it is as one of Rummy's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;"><em>unknown unknowns</em></span></a>". One leaves the cooking and the portion details to Chef Yuzawa, and concentrates on the company and the conversation. The menu is highly seasonal so it is pointless to make a recommendation, but experiment with full confidence and courage. Be brave. A brilliant wine list (just noticed a Segla 2005 is available!).<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2Fl, AK-3 Bldg, 1-15-2 Aobadai, Meguro-ku t: 03-5784-2036</strong></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://saru-shirogane.root-ltd.jp/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Saru</span></strong></a>: Saru focuses on regional ingredients in an extremely serious way, yet manages to sustain a casual and friendly atmosphere that matches its excellent menu and highly original wine list. Chef Muramatsu seems to be having more fun than legally possible (try the Bagna Cauda or the Ezojika), and the staff are remarkably informative and helpful. There is a <a href="http://seasaru-yoyogi.root-ltd.jp/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">seafood version</span></strong></a> in Yoyogi-Uehara, and rumors of a "mountain" (yama-no-sachi) venue opening soon in the Gakugei-Daigaku area for those with chariots and prepared to venture that far.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><br />3-49-1 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku t:03-6450-4836</strong></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.yamadachikara.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Yamada Chikara</span></strong></a>: Should any of you feel like rewarding Your Humble Correspondent for his unstinting eating on your behalf, this place would be the venue-of-choice. While most Japanese chefs are strong on technique and less perhaps on creativity, Chef Yamada is a super-hero on both. Likely comes from his El Bulli experience. This is <em>washoku</em> stunningly re-imagined and beautifully presented.<br />And the lovely Mrs. Yamada's tea ceremony as a post-prandial experience is seriously first-class. My fellow scribe Dominic has become a fan of Chef Yamada (see <a href="http://tokyoeater.blogspot.jp/2011/07/yamada-chikara-nishi-azabu.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">his post</span></strong></a>).<br /><strong>1Fl, 1-15-2 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku t:03-5942-5817</strong></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE3XOkHeIhu6iSOh4DaCWGoKHUqpPmeMWx4InehKETYwdHaGciYZ5cIEcv09_MARpCk132qX4HJuqkrkAXqJOOgvILdLEBGrfK8bD4dDNIGpIibgJvix2bbx6hGHN84uqeyTh7A2p11sy/s1600/3_forks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQE3XOkHeIhu6iSOh4DaCWGoKHUqpPmeMWx4InehKETYwdHaGciYZ5cIEcv09_MARpCk132qX4HJuqkrkAXqJOOgvILdLEBGrfK8bD4dDNIGpIibgJvix2bbx6hGHN84uqeyTh7A2p11sy/s1600/3_forks.png" /></a></div>
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span></em> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One often finds, Gentle Reader, that shifts in food fashions tend to throw out the <em>enfant</em> with the bath water. Your Humble Correspondent enjoys smoke and mirrors as much as anyone else (perhaps more ...), and innovation and experimentation is entirely admirable. Indeed, much of what we have come to see as <em>de rigeur</em> in French and Italian cuisine has been a result of enigmatic strokes of genius or happenstance. What ho, says YHC, and more power to them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But there is also a place for classic cooking, represented in the French oeuvre as <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_classique" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">Cuisine Classique</span></strong></a></em>. And as practiced with a flourish at <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> in Shirogane a few lithesome steps in from the Shinohashi intersection on Meiji-dori. The Japanese-only website rather phlegmatically calls this "real" (<em>honkaku-teki</em>) French cooking, and it would be churlish to argue the point.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">To the best of YHC's foggy-at-best memory, <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> has been dancing the <em>classique </em>fantastic for more than 15 years and little has (thankfully) changed in terms of approach and attitude over that considerable period. New items do appear on the <a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/alacarte/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">menu</span></strong></a>, which should rather be termed a catalogue given its breadth and complexity. No fewer than 25 entrees ("starters") and 20 main courses ("entrees") covering a veritable menagerie of animals grace the <em>carte</em>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In light of this, and perhaps emphasized by the somewhat eclectic wine list, one recommends establishing a good relationship with the rather dapper <em>maître d'</em>. A nod every now and then when fresh oysters are in hand, or when Chef is struck by a moment of inspiration, makes for a better experience and the culinary foreplay adds to the anticipation.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andouillette"><em><strong><span style="color: red;">Andouillette</span></strong></em></a> here is excellent as an entrée, or should your fancy tend a little more towards seafood try the Crab Flan. Seasonal vegetables are always a good choice. In the main courses, the Duck Confit with Rocket is well executed, and the rabbit or goat will get a conversation going quite apart from being quite delicious.</span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> seems to have a serious candle obsession, with perhaps a manic focus on wax. But the décor is playful and occasionally naughty, while the lighting and the low ambient noise suit Your Humble Correspondent to a "T". The open kitchen must have been revolutionary when <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> opened all those many years ago, but speaks to the sincerity of their desire to celebrate food and fine dining. So do the servings, which are generous to a fault.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Make no mistake, Gentle Reader - the cooking is first class yet humbly true to a tradition not often seen in these Noma-ridden days (honestly, ants on sushi?). Younger Gen-Y punters may find <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> a little faded and predictable, but take them along any way. Count it a duty to show them what byways cooking has followed over the last hundred years, and count it a benison that you get to share in the experience.</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a> is a place for lovers and friends, for people comfortable in each others' skin and who enjoy long conversations and longer digestifs. And that faint scratching at the window? Don't mind me ...</span></span></span></span><br />
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";"></span></em><br />
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Pip Pip!</span></em><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><a href="http://labyrinthe.co.jp/shinohashi/index.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Pゴシック";">Labyrinthe</span></strong></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: メイリオ; mso-fareast-font-family: メイリオ;">: 3-2-7 Shirokane, Minato-ku t: 03-5420-3584<br /><span><strong><u>Rating</u></strong>: Food: 7/10; Classique-ness: 7/10; Service: 7/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price-Performance: 7/10. <br /><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: メイリオ;">Total</span></strong>: 35/50 (3 Forks)</span></span></div>
Terryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605493191285644318noreply@blogger.com0