Ristorante La Primula - I'm shattered!

My faith in my fellow man has been shattered, Gentle Reader. More precisely, my faith in the Michelin Man (Bibendum). We share a certain jollity and silhouette, you see, and your Humble Correspondent felt a deep and abiding belief in his infallibility. The name Bibendum actually comes from the first advertisement which has him offering a toast "Nunc est bibendum" ("It's time to drink" in Latin) to his skinny competitors with a glass full of road trash.

All is now dust, alas. I'm shattered, like Venetian glass crushed underfoot. I had invited a good friend and former colleague to dinner, and having lost the services of the redoubtable Ms Motonaga, flittered unchaperoned through the Michelin Guide and landed on Ristorante La Primula. The Primrose is a pretty enough herb, used for some medicinal purposes, but sadly not native to Japan.

La Primula specializes in the cuisine of north-eastern Italy, principally Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. An admirable ambition, and one with every chance of being successful in Japan. But given the unending excellence one finds in Italian restaurants in Tokyo, it would require effort and dedication. Both of which failed to evidence at Ristorante La Primula. That said, the food was well-prepared and interesting but not outstanding.

The wine list has both the dangerous "E"s - eccentric and expensive. Too much concentration on the north-east, and the wine from other regions seems to be around 300% marked up over wholesale.

You may wonder why I ramble so - unfortunately, there is little else memorable about the restaurant. It is a little like the plant - pretty enough and potentially medicinal, but not at home in the Guide. Call me a peasant or a pissant, but if La Primula is indicative of those regions give me Tuscany or Milan any time.

And take away the star - Andre Michelin would be turning in his grave!

Ristorante La Primula: 2-8-10 Azabu Juban, Minato Ward, tel: (03) 5439-9470
Rating: Food: 6; Wine: 5; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 6 ($$$). Total 31/50

Cogito - I'm Game!

One wonders, Gentle Reader, what happens to Lost Boys when they grow up. Your Humble Correspondent often feels drawn to "Nibs" because he grew up to work in an office, although there are those who would plump for "Slightly".

Chef Jitsuhiro Yamada seems to me to be a Lost Boy, although he quite definitely seems to have all his marbles and so can not be "Tootles". There are times when he seems ever-so-grown-up, and times when one feels slightly being-toyed-with. But make no mistake, Gentle Reader! Cogito is a fine restaurant in a difficult market, and one that deserves its Michelin star if only for its magnificent wine list and common-sense. Game, or gibier, is a speciality ... and a delight!

I journeyed a-pied from The Hermitage to dine with The Ad Guy ... who actually seems to have undergone a transformation himself and grown up into a Tokyo University professor. What-ho! Seems standards are slipping in the towers of academia!

We were impressed with the ambiance of comfort and reassuring elegance, and decided to slip into something a little more comfortable by way of a Sancerre. The obvious choice was the o-makase course. Feeling remarkably intellectual in the presence of The Prof, Your Humble Correspondent was not about to sully that image with a silly and irreverential, if not to say poor form, wander through the menu. What followed was a delightful little journey through high-quality ingredients, including game shot by Chef himself, the highlight of which was the Duck and Foie Gras Pie served as the main course. The meal was marked by both quality and reasonable quantity, although I'd venture this is no place for a flapper or a banker in these troubled times.

Our Morey St Denis rounded out the meal superbly, and the selection of cheeses was ample for both The Prof and I.

Chef has travelled from his Marche aux Vins in Aoyama, via Harmonie in Nishi-Azabu, to this little gem in the shadow of The Grand-ish Hyatt. Cogito is pronounced with a soft "g" as in "codger"... which word describes well the two Lost Boys who dined this evening. Visit Cogito with old friends and ex-bankers, and soak up a pleasant evening's worth of subtle flavours.

Cogito [Map]: 3-2-15 Nishi-Azabu, Minato Ward, tel: (03) 3796-3838 [sorry, no website].
Rating: Food: 8; Wine: 8; Service: 7; Ambiance: 8; Price: 7 ($$$). Total 38/50

Artichaut

You can imagine, Gentle Reader, the breathlessness with which I had anticipated the opportunity to dine with Jon (Eating Out in Tokyo with Jon). Your Humble Correspondent pales into insignificance when compared to this paladin of grace and virtue ... one feels like Edgar Linton to his Heathcliff, or like Boswell to his Dr Johnson. Jon, whose lofty vocation is masterminding strategy for a multinational financial house. [Brief pause for thought] On reflection, perhaps "masterminding" is a stretch given the uproar in that sector!

We settled on Artichaut, a little French venue hidden away in Ebisu. Chef Yamane has overseen this restaurant for some 2 years after 5 years in Paris most notably at the heavenly 3-star Pierre Gagnaire [note to self and Jon: get to the Tokyo edition in Minami-Aoyama asap]. At His Jon-ness's suggestion, we went for the Chef's special o-makase menu but asked for 2 dishes of game rather than game and fish.

In the view of this admittedly jaded interlocutor, Artichaut seemed to progressively lose the plot as the evening ran its course. Our dinner started well with Oyster au Natural, plump and sweet. The Sancerre worked well with this jewel of the sea, although your Humble Correspondent was so a-gush that Jon had finally arrived that I neglected to note which particular example it was.

We moved on to a Presse of Kamkura vegetables, from whence our downward spiral commenced. Perhaps I wasn't ready for the delicate flavors, but it disappointed. This was followed by an Artichoke, Unagi and Fois Gras terrine which was serviceable and workman-like, but which didn't stand for anything we could easily define.

At a little of a loss by now, I opted for the 1983 Malescot St Exupery from Margaux - not through any deep knowledge of the Chateau or terrior, but because I was intrigued by the connection to the famous French aviator and author Antoine de Saint Exupéry (The Little Prince and others). His great-grandfather Count Jean Baptiste St-Exupery bought the property in 1827, although his subsequent extravagant lifestyle forced his widow to auction the property in 1853. Tangential perhaps, but the wine was excellent.

The Venison (Ezojika) and Fois Gras Risotto was a much better effort, although my companion The Delphi seemed a little less impressed that I. The rice was "plump and sticky", and done to about one tick less than perfection. My Pigeon was well-prepared, without any of the chopped liver-ness that can afflict this dish. Jon will no doubt report that his Pheasant was better.

At Artichaut, one feels slightly let down by the experience, but it's hard to put one's finger on exactly what's missing. Your Humble Correspondent will be returning in the New Year to see if it was just the brilliance of the company that took the shine off the food. For the meantime, it's a place for friends rather than those you seek to impress.

Artichaut: 2-6-29 Ebisu, Shibuya Ward. t: 03-3446-9747

Rating: Food: 6; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 7 ($$). Total 35/50

A fistful of stars - Joel Robuchon

Gentle Reader, this may sound like heresy but is the Michelin guide a reasonable standard by which to judge chefs?

With the release of the Hong Kong/Macau guide recently, Joel Robuchon has opened up a substantial lead on his erstwhile colleagues - with 24 stars around the world compared to Alain Ducasse on 16, dear old Gordon on 12, and Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per Se etc) on 7.

But if one works some alchemy with the math to derive my proprietary "star index", it very much looks like ubiquity (being everywhere) is not a substitute for quality (concentrating on the food). Keller, with 5 locations and 7 stars , tops the list. Robuchon (16 locations) stays in the black, but Ducasse (19) and Ramsay (21) seem more like businesses than chefs. While Zagat represents brutish democracy and should be shunned, one feels that Michelin needs to somehow get into the global village and provide we humble diners with a more "international" view.

It's a matter of some personal shame that I haven't eaten at one of Chef Keller's establishments, although I threatened to do so last year until - ever your intrepid aviator - I was shot down by the Red (Ink) Baron. We also stood a small chance of having him visit Tokyo last year, but that horse fell at the final jump. Still, I look forward to the day when we can see all of the top 4 chefs battling for wallet share in Japan.

M. Robuchon is an enigmatic character: he learned to love cooking while in boarding school. That strikes me as a rather rum piece of hagiography - when has boarding school food ever been known to excite passion? More than that, Gentle Reader ... having got his 3rd star in Paris he just up and closed his restaurant in 1996. All rather too much, he confessed.

Today, a mere handful of times around the sun later, he's the primus inter pares of the world's chefs with a much simpler approach to elegance and sophistication. His restaurants range from L'Atelier (workshop) to La Table (Table) to La Cuisine (Kitchen). And his empire extends even further than Alexander's or Octavian's - with locations in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, New York, Paris, London and perhaps Tel Aviv, he must have more frequent flyer miles than Condeleeza Rice.

Ramsay, or "Chef", is also busier than a ram on shearing day ... no, wait, I'm confusing work and play. But with the Gordon Ramsay Group extending into pubs and bars and even airline food, you've got to wonder how he fits it all in. Ducasse's dedication I respect, although the Benoit deal here in Tokyo was perhaps a bridge too far.

Note: Twenty One, closed down in unfortunate circumstances, has re-opened at the Shinjuku Hilton as La Pergolese Tokyo. Your Humble Correspondent will toddle along shortly, so stay tuned.

Restaurant List

Cicada (Hmmm) Tags: Fusion, Azabu, 2 forks
Monna Lisa (Ebisu) Tags: French, Ebisu, 4 forks
Argent Tags: French, Meguro, 3 forks
Alladin Tags: French, Hiroo, 4 forks
Bon Monsieur Tags: French, Roppongi, 4 forks
Izakaya Vin Tags: Wine, Shibuya, 3 forks
Sucre Sale Tags: French, Araki-Cho, 3 forks
Esperia Tags: Italian, Azabu, 3 forks
Epice Kaneko Tags: French, Azabu, 3 forks
La pitchoulie de Lou lou Tags: Basque, Hiroo, 3 forks
Cheers Tags: French, Shibuya, 3 forks
L'Amphore Tags: French, Kyobashi, 3 forks
Osteria Nakamura Tags: Italian, Roppongi, 3 forks
Felicita Tags: Italian, Aoyama, 3 forks
Casita Tags: Fusion, Aoyama, 3 forks
Esperia (again) Tags Italian, Azabu, 3 forks
La Bisboccia Tags: Italian, Hiroo, 2 forks
French Kitchen Tags: French, Roppongi, 3 forks
Angolo Tags: Italian, Hiroo, 3 forks
Cicada (again) Tags: Fusion, Hiroo, 2 forks
La Taperia Tags: Spanish, Yotsuya, 3 forks
Hainan Jeefan Shokudo
Hiroo 148
Salt
45
Le Marche aux Puces
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Le Marche aux Puces (again)
Le garcon de la vigne
Benoit
A ta guele
New York Grill
Goutte d'or Achiano
De Longhi
Bistro de La Cite
Chez Matsuo
Incanto
Sin Tong Kee
Gordon Ramsay
A Presto
Delhi
Le Recamier
Chinese Cafe 8
Epanoui
Grape Gumbo
Azabu Haus
Les Vinum
La Chasse
Glass
Bon Pinard
Peter
Bolice
Trattoria Tornavento
Don Ciccio
Burdigala
L'Estasi
Coucagno
Yamada Chikara
Piatto Suzuki
La Lune
Chez Pierre
Le Bourguignon