Cujorl - Hybrid Trattoria

Some say Life is a journey, Gentle Reader. Others point to the notion of destination as the raison d'etre. For your Humble Correspondent, schooled at culinary forepangs in service to an ever-shrinking readership, it seems that Life is a random sequence of too few excellent dining experiences punctuated by an over-abundance of listless and mundane meals that tend not to lend themselves to an interesting tale.

Cujorl seems to neatly combine all three of these concepts - getting there requires a surprisingly challenging journey from Shibuya [Hint: Do not try to take a taxi from the station. The restaurant is tantalizingly close, but presents navigationally challenged draymen with rather a conundrum because of all the one-way streets.]. Arriving at one's destination is a welcome relief. And the dining experience can sometimes be sublime.

Having now dined there five times, almost always with my Stern friend, I can think of no higher accolade than to say the Cujorl is comfortable ... the food always meets the highest expectations, the sommelier dispenses both advice and wine with consumate ease, the environment is condusive to intelligent converation, and the bill is always reasonable. Cujorl is one of those rare establishments where your Humble Correspondent has never had a mediocre meal.

My personal advice is give into temptation and order the daily specials - typically there are two each of antipasti, primo, and secondi which arrangement seems to lend itself neatly to ordering one of each and splitting them with a companion. [Regular readers: Note the careful use of the verb "split" rather than "share". The intention here is to stipulate that the course arrives at the table already presented on two dishes. Your Humble Correspondent is not good at sharing.]

Part of a wider group of restaurants under the To-Vi umbrella (Review of Kitchen Cero coming soon), Cujorl has seen some slight changes in culinary direction since the feverish reviews of early 2009 but remains on your Humble Correspondent's Top Twenty list because of its combination of energy, flair and passion.

Unfortunately, Cujorl has apparently found its way onto something with the screechingly unambiguous title of Hot List Tables 2009 from Conde-Nast. One imagines this publication is American. Sweet Cujorl deserves our deepest commiserations for this feat - I harbor fears that it will be over-run with rampaging hordes of impecunious tourists staying at the nearby Cerulean Hotel.

But do wend your way along the back streets of Sakura-ga-Oka-Cho just past the 24 hour Cleaners to Cujorl. You'll find it entirely worth the journey. And should you spy a rather geographically confused individual wandering in aimless circles, take my elbow and guide me gently forward. There's a good fellow ...

Cujorl: 22-8 Sakura-ga-Oka-Cho, Shibuya Ward. t: 03-5784-5818
Rating: Food: 7/10; Wine: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Back-Streetiness: 8/10. Total: 37/50

Dame Jeanne - A la Campagne!

Sensitive to the criticism, Gentle Reader, of being too much focused on the gaijin ghettos of Tokyo it became obvious that exploration of deepest, darkest Edo might form the basis of some sort of sensible reply. When a group of my Japanese friends and former colleagues suggested a soiree celebrating Year-End, I saw the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Or in this case, one demijohn.

For indeed, demijohn comes from the medieval French "Dame Jeanne". How embarrassing - imagine a lady being remembered for all posterity as "large and squat, usually covered with wicker". A curmudgeonly comment from the gossips of some quaint Burgundy village, and one's cursed for life!

Maruyamacho, I will admit, is not so far from civilization that one needs to mount a full expedition complete with porters, elephants and tentage. But navigating the jungle of love hotels and restaurants that flourish in this lush and steamier side of Tokyo is a task that only an acknowledged jungle killer can accomplish.

Dame Jeanne is very reminiscent of a quaint Burgundian village - indeed, its proprietors had this very much in mind when they decided 6 months ago to open a tabac style restaurant to replicate the feeling of a village gathering place in the French countryside. And they have very much achieved this goal in this delightful addition to the Tokyo eating landscape.

Maruyamacho [actually, the cho piece means village in Japanese. Egads!] is a difficult area to explore, and Dame Jeanne can be hard to find with only a very small sign and a demure entrance. Your Humble Correspondent happened on it only after bringing to bear years of experience as a professional Explorer-Gallant. Others less accomplished might aim for the Lawsons on the western side of Shinsen station on the Inokashira line. Dame Jeanne is one door closer to the station.

We shared Rillette de Lapin (bravo, Chef!), Liver Pate, Potatoes Dauphinoise (magnifique!), Shellfish in White Wine, a wonderful pork offal sausage, roast venison, and a delicious cassoulet that set new standards for expeditionary fare. Praise the Lord and pass the gibier [game] and l'abats [offal]!

The wine list is complete and reasonably priced (Dom 1999 at Y21,000?) and the service superb. One can expect to pay around Y5000 for food - a pleasant relief after the outrageous prices charged closer to the palace.

Dame Jeanne: 23-4 Maruyamacho, Shibuya Ward, tel: (03) 3496-2755

Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 7 ($). Total 35/50