Balthazar (03) 3331-0522

Natural nourishment for body 

and spirit in Nishi-Ogikubo

The Japan Times: Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Nishi-Ogikubo — or Nishiogi as the locals like to call it — is a quiet, low-rise neighborhood, a backwater that most people overlook in their hurry to get to bustling Kichijoji. Therein lies its primary appeal.

Its main claim to fame these days is its high concentration of antique shops (63 listed on the free tourist handout map), kimono dealers, bric-a-brac merchants, recycling outlets and secondhand bookstores. Back in the day, though, the area was perfumed with a heady whiff of counterculture.

One pocket of that righteous hippie ethos still lives on at Hobitto-mura ("Hobbit Village"). It's not hard to find: Just south of the tracks, it's the tatty building with star-shaped windows up the stairwell and foliage covering its facade.

The produce store at street level stocks a motley selection of natural foods, homemade cookies and farmhouse miso. Two floors up, the tiny Nawa Prasad bookshop crams in a remarkable range of alternative books (some in English) and new-agey CDs; while the tatami space of the Hobbit-mura Free School offers yoga workshops and butoh dance performances.

And, providing sustenance for the physical body, the second-floor cafe-bar-restaurant Balthazar serves worthy, non-additive meals blending Japanese and Western ingredients and influences. Whether you prefer grilled fish and sake, spaghetti and organic wine, or the classic genmai pizza — a patty of brown rice topped with either salad or spicy ground beef — the cooking is capable, if hardly stellar.

But it's a friendly, casual space where you can settle in and take as long as you like to chat, read or just gaze at the annotated Allen Ginsberg photos on the wall and slip back into the time warp.

Balthazar Hobitto-mura 2F, 3-15-3 Nishiogi-Minami, Nerima-ku; (03) 3331-0522; nearest station: Nishi-Ogikubo (JR Chuo line); open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 6-11 p.m. (Sun. 6-10:30 p.m.); closed Tue. and 4th Mon.

map here...

Restaurant J (03) 5798-9070

A favorite chef's overdue return

The Japan Times: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Masahito Ueki relaunches Restaurant J in the heart of Hiroo

Fantastic news: Restaurant J has returned. After a gap of over four years, one of our most talented chefs, Masahito Ueki, is back in action in Tokyo.

For longtime readers of this column, Ueki will need little introduction. Over the last 11 years, we have followed his progress from Tableaux to Stellato (from its very opening) and thence to the original Restaurant J, a superb little contemporary bistro that many (the Food File included) still rate among their all-time favorites.

Now, after an unforgivably long absence in self-imposed exile up in Nagano Prefecture, as executive chef of Masaa's in Karuizawa, here he is again. And he's raised the ante one more time. Those hoping for a reprise of the old J — chic but slightly scuffed around the edges; superb value for special occasions — will need to adjust their expectations several notches upmarket.

No obscure off-off-Omotesando location for him this time: The new J is firmly in the heart of the mainstream. He has taken over the restaurant above (and formerly operated by) Enoteca wine store in Hiroo, just steps away from Arisugawa Park and the National-Azabu store. It's early days yet — J only opened for business in the first week of October — but this venue could be a perfect match.

The main dining room is formal and crisp, filled with sunlight at lunchtime, more subtly lit in the evening. There are also a couple of small side rooms for more private occasions, and a handful of outside tables on a sunny, secluded veranda. Wherever, this is a place to get dressed up for. The food is definitely worth it.

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Restaurant J
Arisugawa West 2F, 5-14-15 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku; (03) 5798-9070

Open: lunch 11:30 am-2:30 pm

          café 11:30 am-5 pm

          dinner 6-10:30 pm (last order)

          bar 6 pm-4 am (6-midnight. Sun. and holidays)

How to get there: From the Hiroo Crossing, take the side street by the Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank (in the direction of the National Azabu store). Turn left at the first side street. After about 50 meters you will see the giant bottle marking the entrance to the Enoteca wine store, and behind it the stairs up to Restaurant J.

What works: Masahito Ueki's inventive cuisine is better than ever.

What doesn't: Some may find the atmosphere a bit too formal.

Number of seats: 50 in dining room; private rooms for 14; outside tables for 11

BGM: Classical to jazz, mostly unobtrusive

Smoking: Only allowed on the veranda

Price per head: Lunch plate ¥1,500, set meals from ¥2,800; dinner menu from ¥4,800, also a la carte; 10 percent service charge.

Drinks: Apertifs from ¥1,000; beer from ¥650; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,000/bottle; digestifs from ¥1,000

Credit cards: Major cards accepted

Language: Japanese/English menu; English spoken

Reservations: Highly recommended
map here...