#1: Re: Iidabashi & Ichigaya - European food Author: fvz
Le Loisir - French *****
Address - Shinjuku-ku, Kagurazaka 3-2 Yamanouchi Bldg 1F
Opening hours - Open every day lunch (12:00 to 16:00) and dinner (18:00 to 24:00)
Telephone - 03-3266-0633
Menu - In Japanese and French
Credit Cards - OK
One of the many sins I must confess to is a marked preference for reasonably priced restaurants. Call me cheap, but I hate to spend more than 5000 yen (including drinks) for a meal. I can already hear the howls of those who think 5000 yen is a fortune (and it is) ...
Please compare the ephemerality of labial pleasures with the permanence of so many other ways of investing. That much money spent in food goes literally down the tubes with no lasting pleasure and on average 24 hours later it ends in the toilet, whereas if you use the same amount for a book, a video or another such vehicle of learning, the acquired wisdom will accompany you until the day you die.
Given the situation, me and budget-French restaurants are a natural pair, and in fact we get along fine.
Of the restaurant chains I know in my beloved Tokyo, none offers more for less than that including Pas-a-Pas, La Dinette, Metro De Paris, Le Mouton Blanc, and Le Loisir.
Le Loisir is a restaurant that offers a little more elegance and decor, but practically the same food of cheaper choices like La Dinette. I chose a 3500 yen set and found it OK. The real diffence, apart from the neckties on the waiters, is the wine and liquor list.
I had for example a splendid glass of old Port that cost me half as much as the meal.
In the end, I prefer La Dinette or L'Amitie. Their very simplicity make them dear to me: no neckties required.
November 2003
Rubaiyat - French ***
Address - Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Wakamiyacho 10-7
Opening hours - 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 22:00. On Fridays, open until 23:00. Closed on Sundays and holidays
Telephone - 03-5228-3903
Menu - In Japanese
Credit Cards - No
Rubaiyat is not an easy restaurant to find. Hidden in a side street next to Iidabashi station, it's hardly the sort of place you bump into, but a friend of mine did. He suggested we go there, so one Tuesday we all went.
I was attracted by its beautiful name, taken from a famous book of Arab poetry written by a certain Omar Khayyam and which promised a certain sophistication. If you don't know it, click here. Along the wall near the entrance there were many copies of the book in several languages. The guys there obviously like it. When I asked why they chose the name, they said that the restaurant is new, but the family owns a winery also called Rubaiyat (check their site), whose wine is on sale here, and that somebody there liked the book.
It was immediately obvious that foreign customers are the exception rather than the rule: we were warmly welcomed by the owner, who seemed nonetheless surprised to see us. No English or French anywhere.
The interior was elegantly nondescript, just like the menu: the few item in it, not particularly well chosen, seemed almost an afterthought of the wine list, which I am told is very good but has some obvious holes. I ended up ordering a 3500 yen set including appetizer, main dish and dessert to get at least the benefit of a price reduction.
I must point out right away a couple of Rubaiyat's cardinal sins. First of all, here if you want bread you have to order it and, when you do, you get just two lonely slices reheated in an oven. Now, this is unforgivable in any French restaurant, let alone a not-particularly-cheap one like Rubaiyat. Second, the duck in the appetizer didn't even try to hide its provenience (a plastic vacuum pack).
As for the venial sins, we had ordered a salad as a side dish, and both the dressing and the presentation were unconvincing. I ended the meal with a beef stew that was at least OK, if not delicious. The dessert was just a slice of fruit cake that looked like it had just been bought at Little Mermaid. Such a meal and a beer for 5000 yen ... I am afraid it's not enough, and this, as far as I am concerned, settles it.
Wine might be another story, however. The owner is clearly very serious about enology, and as I said I have the impression that Rubaiyat is mostly about drinking, and not eating. My friend Claus, who is a wine lover and connoisseur, soon started talking to the sommelier and in no time had him eating out of his hand. He says their collection is quite comprehensive, especially for such a small place. It includes several famous bottles, some of which were however sold out. As is often the case in Tokyo French restaurants, prices are 15, 20% too high.
Conclusion: Rubaiyat is a place where an Iidabashi resident who doesn't mind spending 2000 yen more than he should might want to go to drink on a full stomach.
How to get there: From Iidabashi station, walk towards Kagurazaka, turn left at the temple and walk straight for about 300 meters until you see Rubaiyat's sign.
Tokyo Paris Shokudo - French ****
Address - Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Iidabashi 3-7-3 Okada Bldg 1F
Opening hours - Open from 11:30 to 22:30. Closes half an hour earlier on holidays. Closed on Mondays.
Telephone - 03-3222-5400
Menu - In Japanese and French
Credit Cards - OK
The two words "humble bistrot" describe very well this cute restaurant, which therefore earns itself four stars in spite of the fact that the food, although good, lacks a certain elegance. It more than makes up for it in terms of atmosphere, friendliness and price. A set costs 2800 yen, and it certainly is worth more than that. Very pleasant, and the very first French restaurant I found that served fresh baguettes.
Get out of the Iidabashi Station on the Tozai Line, exit A-1. You will see a MOS BURGER in front of you. Turn left and you will find Tokyo Paris Shokudo after less than a minute walk. They have a lunch set for 1200 yen. The dinner set, including a first, a second dish, dessert, coffee and bread, is 2800 yen.
The other branches, which I presume is just as enjoyable, is in Suidobashi (Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Mitsuzakicho 2-1-8 Sanko Bdg 2F, Tel. 3265-1006. One minute from the JR Suidobashi Station)
Pauke - German
Address - Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Yonban-cho 4-8, Nomura Bldg.
Opening hours - From Monday to Saturday from 5:00 pm to 2:00 am
Telephone - 03-3264-7890
Menu - In Japanese and German
Credit Cards - OK
Reader Werner Ebenauer sends the following message:
"I think you do not know the best German Restaurant, at least in terms of food. 'Pauke', near Ichigaya Station, next to Nippon TV.
Best regards, Werner"
First of all, my thanks to Werner. Well, I do know Pauke, but I usually avoid going there because of the band. Food is very good, however, although fish is strangely missing from the menu. Anyway, I will review the place one of these days but, for the time being, here are its data. By the way, there's a site with the addresses of practically all German restaurants in Tokyo.
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