Kitchen Cero: "Beneeixi a les Dones"

If an online translator is to be trusted, Gentle Reader, then the title above means "Bless the Ladies!" in Catalan. Having thrice dined now at Kitchen Cero in Meguro, your Humble Correspondent happily adds his name to the choir roster. This is a rambunctious and pleasantly happy establishment, where staff and patrons mix in happy communion amidst a bouquet of aromas and a symphony of kitchen bustle.

Advice from my betters suggests that there is a strong tradition in Catalonia of eating establishments run and staffed by women, particularly in and around the markets. Said betters advise that this is the essential premise behind Kitchen Cero as well. Well and good, I say, but you mean that there were only women there? My (feigned) failure to notice comes from the extraordinary bonhomie that Kitchen Cero generates, and despite (or in spite of) the counter-style model one finds the venue strangely intimate and perfectly relaxed.

The menu at Kitchen Cero is a sort of tapas-plus affair. Pray do not imagine I mean the normal finger-foodish small portions of indigestibles that many faux-Spanish restaurants offer here in Tokyo. That line of thought pays more attention to the bottom line than the waist line, and bears no resemblance at all to what one might enjoy in Spain itself. The "tapas" reference points more to serving size - at around two thirds of a "standard" Tokyo serve - rather than being used as an excuse for kitchen chicanery.

At Kitchen Cero, there are more than fifty choices along with daily specials, and enough variation to satisfy even the most demanding customer (no sniggering please!). The food comes across as simple and even rustic, but there are subtle flavor nuances that show a very deft hand indeed in the kitchen. The joyous mix of cuisines that typifies Barcelona food is plainly evident, and there is a very satisfying balance of tradition and experimentation.

The wine list changes frequently, and features little known labels from Japan, Spain, Italy and France. Your Humble Correspondent noticed a pleasant little bottle of Chateau Neuf-de-Pape which was served for less than Y6,500 ... although my companions swear that the bottle must have had a hole in it, and no they didn't drink while I was away from the table.

Wander off to Kitchen Cero with friends rather than colleagues, and perch up at the counter rather than choosing one of the two awkwardly situated tables. And do ask the "belles dames" where the noisy fat boy is ... perhaps I'll toddle over and raise a glass with you.

Kitchen Cero: 2-13-44 Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa Ward. t: 03-5791-5715
Rating: Food: 7/10; Wine: 7/10 (even with holey bottles); Service: 8/10; Barcelona-ness: 8/10; Price: 7/10. Total: 37/50

Sabado Sabadete - Dali-esque Dalliance!

Have you ever hankered, Gentle Reader, after a Spanish fling? An Iberian tryst, robust and energetic, yet never crossing over the chasm to romance? The Knights of the Tokyo Darkside group recently sallied forth to Sabado Sabadete in Shirokanedai for just such an opportunity, and came away both satiated and entertained.

Your Humble Correspondent first visited this unassuming establishment for a tasting of some magnificent Spanish Rioja wine with the effervescent Eric from Wine Prosperite. A grand evening it was, with plenty of good campesino food and a splendid performance by the Chef and Master with drinking beer out of a ceremonial decanter. Said chef, Gentle Reader, models himself on Salvadore Dali and has a penchant for those silly little red hats. But he is a jewellery designer by vocation, so perhaps forgiveness is more virtuous than aspersion.

So back we went with the Darkside, and filled this small restaurant. A good selection of Iberico cold meats and filling salads, along with Catalan meatballs (and achingly good quaffables from dear Eric!). Paella is prepared in a massive dish in the center of the small kitchen, and presented to the assembled multitude - at which point the performance begins. I'm told Sabado Sabadete uses beer and soda water instead of the customary red wine out of deference to its guests' attire, but the raucous hand-clapping and rambunctious challenges make this a quaint yet engaging exercise taking this aging rake back to his university drinking game days.

The point of Sabado Sabadete is its atmosphere and energy, and it is a welcome alternative in the fuss and bother that is European dining in Tokyo. This is a venue that excites with its broad smile and deep bosom of friendship, but is never going to get too committed. In short, Gentle Reader, it is a flirtation best visited on occasion and never with serious intentions.

Take your friends in some numbers rather than anyone you're trying to impress, and leave everything up to M. Dali. It will be light on the wallet and on the mind. And if someone steals into your group when the free beer is passing around in the decanter, you should smile knowingly and toast your Humble Correspondent's complete lack of pride.
Sabado Sabadete: 2nd Floor, Genteel Shirokanedai, 5-3-2 Shirokanedai, Minato Ward. t: 03-3445-9353
Rating: Food: 6/10; Wine: 7/10; Service: 6/10; Ambiance: 8/10; Price: 7/10. Total: 34/50