Two Rooms, Aoyama

There are some restaurants, Gentle Reader, that one wants to like as soon as one walks in. Your Humble Correspondent really wants to like Two Rooms ... I really do. Opening in the froth and bubble of Spring 2009 in trendy Aoyama (one might better say Nishi Omotesando), Two Rooms is an eloquent idea that is most of the way towards realization. "Two Rooms" refers to the separate restaurant and bar areas, nicely separated by a stylish glass walkway.

Another reason I wanted to like it was that it was introduced to me by the Child Bride, who accompanied me on this visit with The Don and The Duchess. The ladies of Chicken & Chablis had terrorized Two Rooms just a week before, and they had come away announcing the dawn of a new star on the Tokyo dining scene. The Child Bride believes I have a set against any restaurant she likes - a shameful accusation with little substance but the cause of some friction.

And like it I did! Your Humble correspondent was deeply impressed with both the service and the decor - we visited only some three weeks after opening, and the ex-Hyatt team that own Two Rooms showed a wonderful sense of both presence and place, while running a pleasantly tight ship on the floor and in the kitchen.

One might churlishly wonder if a little can be done with fabric or plants to soften the angles and reduce the echo. The booth seats along the floor-to-ceiling windows might be a little too warm or cool depending on the season, and the balcony area cries out for a little greenery or a curiosity of some nature to match the design sense of the infinity pool and the wonderful views. One might also suggest there is a need to lower the noise level in the Bar with some soft furnishings or fabric room dressings if the proprietors intend to have some punters dine out there. But these are personal preferences, and perhaps your Humble Correspondent is a little old-fashioned when it comes to preferring to hear a dinner conversation.

The menu promises excellent seasonality, and I for one admire the tight concentration on regional produce. Somehow food tastes better if one can place it in a certain geographical framework, and Two Rooms excels at balancing local sourcing with imported ingredients. A little work needs to be done on the wine beef to bring it up to the standard of the other dishes - this might comfortably be achieved by perhaps slicing it a little thicker and letting the delicate grape seed flavors resonate through the cut.

Two Rooms has a serviceable and affordable wine list, although they failed us on the Stellenbosch - either another look needs to be had at cellar quantities, or this wine has proved so remarkably popular as to sell out in three weeks. Again, service is discreet and informed - a welcome relief to the worrying trend towards star sommeliers at some other venues.

We happened to bump into The Canuck during our visit - not so hard to achieve, as he was sitting at the next table. Allow me to leave the last word to him: Two Rooms gives all the impressions of a rising star. The fear is that in the turmoil of fine dining in Tokyo and the flaccid economic environment, it might become a shooting star. Here's hoping he's just a pessimist.

Visit Two Rooms (make sure you do!) with both colleagues and friends. And if you see a strange little boy holding forth on the delights of Meredith Goats Cheese, do send over a bottle of some bubbles like a good chap!

Two Rooms [Map on the website]: 5F AO Building, 3-11-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku. t: (03) 3498-0002; e: contact@tworooms.jp
Rating: Food: 7/10; Wine: 7/10; Service: 8/10; Ambiance: 7/10; Price: 7/10. Total: 36/50

It's still Bon, Monsieur.

The trouble with restaurants, Gentle Reader, is that one gets to - well - "like" certain establishments and to visit them on a reasonably frequent basis. This is your Humble Correspondent's preference. The trouble with blogs, on the other hand, is that one should endeavour to visit as many restaurants as possible in order to please the madding crowd. That would appear to be Jon's preference.

With one's reputation on the line escorting a VIB (very important Boss) around Our Fair City, your Humble Correspondent decided to fall back on Osteria Nakamura now removed to the back streets of Roppongi. This is in my view among the best Italian restaurants in the world, without the frills and frippery of the starry crowd, yet honest and earthy with a touch of brilliance that comes from Chef's overwhelming passion for good food. Oh the shame ... it was full, without even bench space for your portly correspondent and the VIB. Turned away, red-faced!

Nothing for it, then, but to repair to Bon Monsieur. It was (thankfully) vacant of all but a few counter patrons, and Chef Konno had that little glint in his eye that meant we were in for a treat. With the Tokyo Marathon on the agenda (Oh shame on you, Gentle Reader. Not I, for heaven's sake! The VIB...), we opted for fish over red meat and the Y6,000 o-makase to get the appropriate number of calories.

Oh brave Konno-san! Oh noble Konno-san! Your Humble Correspondent's tattered reputation was restored, mouthful by mouthful, much like Eliza Doolittle's was by the erudite Henry Higgins in Shaw's Pygmalion. Just how he manages it, with no staff and a steady stream of customers, is beyond my comprehension. But manage it he does, and I for one am gushingly grateful.

Note to the papparazzi: One notices an increasing cast of thespians gracing Bon Monsieur, including that chap with the glittering attire who grunts and grimaces in all those infomercials for cameras and car navigation systems on cable television. I assure you he is no different in the flesh.

Visit Bon Monsieur with friends, lovers and VIBs. Konno-san needs the business, and I need my savaged reputation restored.

Bon Monsieur: Roppongi 7-12-15, Minato Ward . t: 03-3475-6612

Rating: Food: 8; Wine: 7; Service: 8; Ambiance: 8; Price: 8 ($$). Total 39/50

The Mysterious Affair at Provinage

[With abject apologies, Gentle Reader, to the Estate of the late Agatha Christie... a blatant parody of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles".] Text in italics is virgin Cristie, in blue Your Humble Correspondent.


"The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as "The Provinage Post" has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the world-wide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Jon and the restaurant themselves, to write an account of the whole episode. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumours which still persist.

I will therefore flippantly set down the circumstances which led to my being connected with the affair.

I had been invalided out from my previous company; and, after spending some months in a rather depressing period of rehabilitation, was given a month's dining leave. Having no wealthy relations or friends who might see their way clear to funding a little dinner, I was trying to make up my mind what to do, when I ran across Jon from Eating Out in Tokyo with Jon. I had seen very little of him for some months. Indeed, I had never known him particularly well. He was a good fifteen years my junior, for one thing, though he hardly looked his thirty-five years. As a habit, though, I had often eaten in Roppongi, his former haunt in Tokyo.

We had a good yarn about old times, and it ended in his agreeing to join me down in Roppongi to spend an evening there at Provinage with Dominic.

"Chef will be delighted to see you -- you've never been?" he asked.

"No" was my simple response. "Dominic keeps well?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. I suppose you know that he has posted again?"

I am afraid I showed my surprise rather plainly. Dominic, who had been blogging on Tokyo food before Jon, had been a handsome man of middling weight as I remembered him. He certainly could not be a kilo less than seventy now. I recalled him as an energetic, effervescent personality, somewhat inclined to charitable and social notoriety, with a fondness for fine food and playing the Lord Bountiful. He was a most generous man, and possessed a considerable credit card debt of his own.

The country-place, Roppongi , had been much explored by Jon early in his dining life. We had all been completely under Jon's ascendancy, so much so that, on his leaving for Otemachi, he left further exploration to us for posterity, as well as the larger part of his restaurant index; an arrangement that was distinctly unfair to us - his two lesser imitators. Jon, however, had always been most generous; indeed, we were so inexperienced at the time of Jon's burst onto the blogosphere that we always thought of him as our mentor...
"
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Breaking away from the Christie for a moment, Gentle Reader, Your Humble Correspondent must confess to not having an inkling of why he took this occasion to parody the Grande Dame of Crime. However, my two previous sorties (Artichaut and Le Remois) with Jon had proved somewhat disappointing and I was initially attracted to the idea of Styles and dear Captain Hastings as a metaphor for my "Eating Out in Tokyo" dinners. Like Hastings, I thought I would miss out on the "girl". This time, I managed to get both Jon and Dominic to the table and Provinage was more than equal to the test.

The dinner with those two erstwhile eaters passed uneventfully and Machine Gun (fingers) Jon has already posted with [sigh] photographs. Provinage is a splendid venue, with helpful service and that slight edge of innovation that makes a meal interesting as well as satisfying. Go there with friends rather than clients, but do go. As Jon says, it will be well worth your while.
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"... Dominic at that moment passed the door.

"Eh! Monsieur Dominic," called Jon. "We must congratulate you, is it not so? You are satisified, no?"

Dominc blushed, and then smiled awkwardly. A man sated is a sorry spectacle.

I sighed.

"What is it, mon ami?"

"Nothing," I said sadly. "The others were two delightful restaurants! Thank you for introducing me to them."

"And neither of them is for you?" finished Jon. "Never mind. Console yourself, my friend. Provinage was bon, n'est pas? We may hunt together again, who knows? And then----"

Provinage: Koyama Bldg. 202, 3-1-19 Nishiazabu, Minato Ward . t: 03-5772-7272
Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 8; Service: 8; Ambiance: 8; Price: 7 ($$). Total 38/50

I Sentieri - A Collaboration

Some of you will recall the Tokyo Dining Group I started called "Tokyo Darkside" (post a comment if you'd like an invitation). The goals of the group, Gentle Reader, are to spend time with friends once a month, enjoy some good food and wine, and to do all of this for under Y10,000 each. Froth and bubble, I know, but we all wander around networking and/or high society events and rarely put aside an hour or two for friendship. Which is a sorely needed commodity in these troubled times.

Accompanied by The Child Bride and ten of our brave Darkside companions, we set off in search of the Holy Grail and a shrubbery ... no, in search of amusement and social intercourse ... to i Sentieri [Map] in Nishi Azabu. The map is directionally useless, Gentle Reader, so stroll in a sedate and gentile manner from Hobsons towards Shibuya, turn left at the first street (you're now heading towards Hiroo), walk approximately 50 paces and look for an illegible sign about the size of one of Their Majesty's Royal Mail stamps, and fix upon the concrete left-handed spiral staircase on your left going up to the 2nd floor with some imposing metallic doors. That is i Sentieri.

Mario Frittoli has enjoyed a frantic and peripatetic career in Japan and is a star of television and print. He is also a cook of some talent, so we were looking forward to great things in his Collaboration with Chef Yasuji Morizumi of Chabu-Ya and Mist. The affable Eric of Wine Prosperite had sent along some excellent wines (at a good price!), and all was in readiness for frivolity.

The menu was well considered: Sea Bream in Fish Broth, Handkerchief Noodles, Roasted Vegetables with Tuscany Oil, Quail Ragout Risotto, Coffee-scented Roast Lamb with Foie Gras, Lamb and Quail Chabuya Ramen, and dessert. Mario certainly shows great promise, and we all know that Morizumi is a ramen genius. The staff are excellent, and the atmosphere warm and welcoming. Layout and design are endowed with Mario's elegant sense of aesthetic. The map is, for those who may have missed Your Humble Correspondent's earlier vitriol, a navigational nightmare.

Unfortunately it didn't all come together exactly right; similar I imagine to Shakespeare's plays before rehearsals came into fashion. Serving that many, with seven courses, from a small kitchen, is no easy task. Perhaps a trial run with helpful friends (pick me, my Captain!) would assist.

That said, I'm actually prepared to recommend i Sentieri as a relaxing yet elegant venue for time with friends and lovers. There are nooks and crannies, as well as well-lit open spaces. Mario has always been an adventurous and skillful chef, and his innate Italian-ness means that you're treated almost as a family friend.

So wander along like a good chap and tell Mario I sent you. That should mean we both benefit. And if you see a tubby chubby sitting at the bar drinking Peroni, offer to pick up the account!

i Sentieri [Map]: Conforia Nishi Azabu 4-1-10 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku t: 03 6418 7072 e: info@mario-frittoli.com
Rating: Food: 6; Wine: 8; Service: 7; Ambiance: 8; Price: 7 ($$). Total 36/50

L'EMBELLIR - Perplexing Pleasure [Updated with Glenn's comment]

Deepest bowing and shrill embarrassment come with this missive, Gentle Reader. I have been engaged 'in trade', forced to cast my lot with those in the unmentionable corners of society as I adjust to "employment" as a fulltime lifestyle option. To be frank, I'm working. Oh, the shame!

However, much like Lord Lucan or Princess Margaret down on their luck, I can sometimes rely on the benevolence of friends to provide the briefest glimpse of what life used to be like before I was cast into penal servitude down in Yokohama. So it was that the Child Bride and I ventured to L'EMBELLIR (why must people shout?) at the kind invitation of the munificent Sir James and Lady Ina for a wine-makers dinner featuring Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges from Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair.

Young Master Liger-Belair is quite the new star of Nuits St-Georges, having burst onto the scene in 2002 and producing some spectacular wines that find their peak in the 2003, although I must admit to agreeing with Sir James that the 2005 is also quite toothsome with an interesting mineralization.

Chef Naoto Kishimoto opened this restaurant (which I believe is in the former Danish Embassy) in 2006, and was rewarded with a Michelin star in 2008 and 2009. There is no doubt he deserves this honour - the food is excellent, the service superb, the wine list thrilling, and the prices reasonable. This particular evening we had Galantine de gibiers Fondante d'Aubergine, Tarte Fine d'Anpo Kaki bien mur etc, Pied de porc farce de homard et Chevreuil saute au champignon, and Fraises et Fromage frais. Excellent, considering this was served a la russe to 40 diners at once.

Yet I retired from the table perplexed. I had dined here earlier with Charles and Nicole from super-trendy FivebyFifty in the week after the first Michelin star but had not posted. Why? Something is missing at L'Embellir, something almost spectral and ectoplasmic. Perhaps the ghosts of previous Danish ambassadors walk the halls, or even perhaps Danish princes.

For the life of me, Gentle Reader, I can not tell you what it is. But this restaurant somehow leaves you expecting more, but failing to deliver. Were this a more crass and tasteless blog, this would be the perfect place for some schoolboy sexual innuendo but your Humble Correspondent shall refrain. UPDATE: Glenn, who was also at the dinner, suggests that the room somehow lacks intimacy [See Comments] . I agree, and that could be it. Cuisine Classique served in a harsh post-modern Scandinavian room is pretty soulless.

I sincerely recommend you go to L'Embellir ... this is fine and elegant dining at its third-best, and I am sure you won't blame me if something is missing. But just in case, make sure you're dining on the company's sovereign and that you venture downstairs with ladies in the group. They'll love it. And maybe you can tell me what I'm missing.

L'EMBELLIR [Map]: 4-17-33 B1F Minami-Aoyama, Minato-Ku. t: 03-3423-0131
Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 7 ($$). Total 35/50