Le Dessin (03) 3353-2223

Designs for both palate and palette

The Japan Times, Friday, March 19, 2010

It was one of those hot tips that come our way from time to time. This one, though, was delivered with a caveat: "A fantastic little French place, as good as any in town for the price; but the location's so obscure no one knows about it. It's called Le Dessin."

We certainly hadn't heard of it — nor even of Ushigome-Yanagicho, the nearest subway station. But our interest was piqued. Within days we had a table booked and were scanning our maps of the Oedo Line and nether Shinjuku Ward. We were also keeping our fingers crossed that the journey would be worth it.

The recommendation was right on the button. Even if you lived nearby, you'd probably call the neighborhood obscure. And you'd need to have a keen eye to guess that anything of great interest lay behind Le Dessin's unassuming frontage, with its anonymous door opening onto an unlovely stretch of Okubo-dori.

There's no denying it's small, either. The cozy dining room has just space enough for seven petite tables. But this is intentional. It's not just a matter of comfort; this is the maximum number of people that the kitchen can cater to.

That's because Le Dessin's chef, Toshiaki Masuda, works entirely solo. Everything in the kitchen, as compact as a ship's galley, he does himself — from prep work and bread baking to cleaning up the spotless space. And taking care of everything in the front of house is his wife.

Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a typical pop-and-mom diner. It may seem modest in scale, but this is not just another basic bistro. Le Dessin is a full-fledged restaurant, with no corners cut but also a total lack of pretension. And Masuda is a true chef, one who cooks for the love of it.

You can tell by the amount of attention and creativity he lavishes on every dish. One of his signature starters is his vegetable terrine, a densely packed tranche of seasonal vegetables set in aspic, cut in cross-section and wrapped in a thin layer of pink ham. It's arranged exquisitely on the plate, with extra veggies on the side and swooshes of sauce in vivid greens, oranges and earth browns, with flavors as intense as the colors.

This was one of the opening courses we were served at a leisurely lunch a couple of Saturdays ago. Masuda doesn't bother to open for lunch on weekdays, partly because there are so few people around in this area, but mainly he doesn't want to be rushed and have to cut corners. On weekends, though, he has time to pull out the stops. Whether you order the three-course menu (¥1,950) or four (¥2,800), you can expect to spend a couple of hours at the table.

Dinner at Le Dessin is equally impressive and even better value...

read more here... 

map here...

Le Dessin

2-6-7 Haramachi, Shinjuku-ku

(03) 3353-2223; www.eatpia.com/ledessin/index.html

Open: 6-9 p.m. (last order); also open for lunch Saturday & Sunday 12-1:30 p.m. (last order)

Nearest station: Ushigome-Yanagicho (Oedo Line)

How to get there: Leave Ushigome-Yanagicho Station by the West Exit and walk straight ahead to the main street. Turn left and you will see Le Dessin on your left straight away.

What works: Brilliant flavors and artistry; superb cost performance

What doesn't: Be prepared for long waits between courses

Number of seats: 14

Smoking: Not permitted

Price per head: Set lunch menus ¥1,950 & ¥2,800; set dinner menus ¥4,300 & ¥5,500

Drinks: Beer ¥650; sherry ¥650; wine from ¥700/glass, ¥4,000/bottle; digestifs from ¥1,200

Cards: Not accepted (cash only)

Language: Japanese/English menu; English not spoken

Reservations: Essential

A16 (03) 3212-5215

Pizza and pasta in peace and quiet

The Japan Times, Friday, March 5, 2010

Spring may not be here for real just yet, but it's never too early to celebrate the first al fresco lunch of the year. So when last week's unseasonably warm spell arrived we knew exactly where to go — into the heart of the city, to grab an outside table at A16.

We had two compelling reasons for this choice. The casual Californian-Italian cooking at this San Francisco transplant hits exactly the right note for a light, leisurely meal at any time of day. And the location is about as good as it gets in central Tokyo.

A16 takes its name from the autostrada that cuts across southern Italy from Naples to Puglia. Just as at the parent restaurant in San Francisco, the idea is to showcase the hearty, healthy cooking of that region, especially the province of Campania. That means plenty of good antipasti, pasta and wine, all presented in easygoing U.S. West Coast style.

Since the inspiration is Naples, there has to be pizza. And sure enough, dominating the dining room you see the twin pizza ovens with their flickering flames and handsome brickwork chimneys. Although safety regulations here require them to be gas-fired rather than wood-burning, everything else about them is true to the original spirit, channeling those authentic Neapolitan flavors.

But it wasn't just the pizza we were there for; it was the piazza outside. A16 occupies a prime position inside the remarkable Brick Square, a pedestrian -only space almost entirely closed off from the surrounding streets. With the traffic out of sight and virtually out of earshot, it's hard to believe you're in the center of Marunouchi, just a minute's walk from Tokyo Station.

Since it opened last autumn, this little plaza has given the city something it has sorely lacked — a public area that's not a mall or slotted in as an afterthought between skyscrapers. The small garden boasts trees and shrubs (though not yet in leaf), a sward of lawn, benches where you can read or people-watch, and up above, a proper view of the open sky.
read more here...
map here...

A16 Location: Marunouchi Brick Square 1F, 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku (03) 3212-5215; www.giraud.co.jp/a16 Open: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (Sunday & holidays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.) Nearest station: Tokyo (JR & Marunouchi Line) How to get there: From Tokyo JR Station (Marunouchi South Exit), cross to the Marunouchi Building, turn left and walk in the direction of Yurakucho. Just after the next lights, you will see the entrance to Brick Square. The entrance to A16 is on the inside plaza. What works: Outside tables with views of greenery and brickwork — and no traffic What doesn't: There's not a great selection of entrees. Number of seats: 92 plus 30 outside Smoking: No restrictions Price per head: Pizza from ¥1,300; pasta from ¥1,200; main dishes from ¥2,000 Drinks: Beer from ¥630; wine from ¥600/glass, ¥3,300/bottle Cards: Major cards accepted Language: Japanese/English menu; English spoken Reservations: Recommended

Yoshicho (03) 5793-5050; Takahashi (03) 5436-9677

Stellar yakitori down in Gotanda

The Japan Times, February 19, 2010

The idea of gourmet yakitori is nothing new. There are plenty of restaurants around town where the humble art of skewering and grilling chicken has been elevated to a degree of sophistication. But you don't expect to find it in the back streets of Gotanda, just north of Shinagawa.


More seedy than downright sleazy, the block immediately to the east of the Yamanote Line tracks is lined with cheap drinking dens and massage parlors. But there are also clear signs of gentrification — and none more so than the presence of Yoshicho.

You'd never stumble on it by chance. Hidden from view on the second floor of a newish building just off Sakurada-Dori, there is little inside or out to suggest that this unpretentious restaurant, with its open kitchen, glass-enclosed grill, counter seats and three small tables, is anything out of the ordinary. It's the food and not the setting that makes it worth searching out.


Unlike many yakitori chefs whose skills are solely limited to grilling, owner-chef Kenji Yoshimoto is trained in the spectrum of traditional Japanese cuisine. He has a deftness of touch that is obvious from the outset, even in the otoshi(starter) that arrives with your first drink — perhaps a small serving of nanonhana greens with an aemonodressing lightly spiced with mustard.


Subtlety and finesse are not words usually used in describing yakitori, but this chicken is prepared and presented with the kind of artisan care it deserves. At the same time, Yoshicho has a warm, friendly feel. No doubt this is due to the fact that the young assistant is Yoshimoto's brother and the waitress serving your sake is likely to be his mother.


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Is Yoshicho the finest yakitori joint in the neighborhood? That's a very hard call, because over on the other side of Gotanda Station you will find Takahashi, another yakitoriya of rare quality.It, too, is a small place tucked away inconspicuously on the second floor of a modern building. And it also has that personal touch that comes from a hands-on owner-chef dedicated to detail. However, the style and approach are considerably different.


For more than two decades, Yuji Takahashi had his own upscale French restaurant, La Primeur, in Setagaya Ward. But it was always his dream to run a boutique-scale yakitori counter. When he realized that ambition three years ago with the opening of the eponymous Takahashi, he carried over with him both his expertise in French cuisine and his love of wine.


One corner of the small dining room — a stripped-back space, just an L-shaped counter seating 10 around an open kitchen, plus a small table with high bar stools for six more — is occupied by a large wine refrigerator and an impressive array of stemware. The wine list is compact but well selected to match the cuisine...
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Yoshicho
Il Viare Gotanda 2F, 1-12-9 Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5793-5050; www.yoshichou.info/
Open: 5-10:30 p.m. (last order); closed Sunday and holidays
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥600; umeshu from ¥650; sake from ¥700; shochu from ¥650
Cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese/English menu; little English spoken
map here


Takahashi
Pragma G-Tower 2F, 1-7-1 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku; (03) 5436-9677
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5-8 p.m. & 8:15-10:30; closed Sunday and 1st & 3rd Monday
Smoking: No restrictions
Price per head: figure around ¥3,500 plus drinks
Drinks: Beer ¥800; wine from ¥1,000/glass, from ¥5,500/bottle; sake ¥700; shochu ¥700; spirits from ¥800
Credit cards: Not accepted (cash only)
Language: Japanese menu; little English spoken
map here

Kamikozawa-tei (03) 3445-6700

Shabu-shabu in modernist mode

The Japan Times: Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

There's no finer way to eat on a chilly winter evening than sitting around a bubbling nabe hot pot. No matter what the ingredients — meat, fish, tofu or vegetables — just cooking and eating from the same communal casserole is nourishment for both body and soul.

Correction: It's even better if you're sharing that hot-pot with a select group of close friends, and especially so if the setting is more than a little bit special. That was certainly the case the other night when we dined at Kamikozawa-tei.

You don't have to be an architecture buff to appreciate that this low-slung freestanding single-story house in a residential area just down from Shirokanedai is a classic of its kind. With its clean, spare lines, monochrome facade of glass and unclad concrete and uncluttered compound, it is a modest masterpiece of Japanese modernist understatement.

Commissioned and built in the early 1960s by a university professor, a German specialist, it remained his private home for half a century. Recently, he became unable to maintain it, so his relatives decided the best way to preserve this architectural gem was to convert it into an exclusive boutique restaurant. Named simply after the family name, Kamikozawa, and managed by the owner's nephew, it opened discreetly late last year to minimal fanfare.

The menu is as simple and uncluttered as the building itself. The specialty of the house is shabu-shabu, prepared with beef from premium Omi wagyu cattle. This serves as the focal point of dinner at Kamikozawa-tei. As we soon found out, though, the same beef features prominently throughout the meal, no matter which of the set-course dinners (¥6,090, ¥8,000 or ¥10,000; by advance reservation only) you have.

In such a minimalist setting — walls of unclad concrete with little or no decoration (sadly the original period fixtures and fittings have been stored away) — we felt no need for an elaborate banquet. The simplest of the three menus, comprising five courses, proved to be more than adequate.

As appetizers, we were served steak tartare, smoothly ground and arranged on delicate slices of baguette. With these came a small bowl of sashimi-style liver, the cubes of raw meat lightly dressed with sesame, giving the dish a Korean accent.

The mixed salad that followed provided a welcome vegetable counterpoint. It didn't matter that the greens were too generously slathered with dressing: This merely reinforced the sense that we were more private guests in the Kamikozawa home than customers in a sleek, professional operation.

The third course was one of the highlights of our dinner: a platter oftataki-style beef slices. The meat, a choice cut of rump, was outstanding. Lightly seared on the outside, deep- red-rare in the center, it had a wonderful texture with such a deep, lingering flavor it barely needed the roasted sesame dip that accompanied it.

With a serving staff of just two, the pace of the meal was by necessity unhurried. The leisurely intervals between courses afforded us plenty of time for conversation over our wine (be warned, it's the briefest of wine lists: Champagne; a sparkling wine; two whites; and a single red, the more than adequate Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon) as our shabu-shabu nabe was readied.

full article here...

map here...

Kamikozawa-teiwww.kamikozawatei.comLocation: 1-12-7 Kami-Osaki, Shinagawa-ku
(03) 3445-6700
Open: 5 p.m.-midnight (last order 10:30 p.m.) closed Mon.
Nearest station: Shirokanedai (Namboku Line)
How to get there: From Shirokanedai Station (Exit 1) turn left along Meguro-dori (toward Meguro). Just before the Tokyu Store, turn left down a small side street and follow it down the slope. At the first crossroads, turn left and continue downhill. Turn right at the second side street and you will see Kamikozawa-tei on your right after about 50 meters.
What works: The exquisitely simple yet exclusive setting
What doesn't: Service is well-intentioned but still not up to speed.
Number of seats: 26
BGM: Jazz vocal
Smoking: Permitted
Price per head: Courses at ¥6,090, ¥8,000 and ¥10,000 (special opening menu at ¥5,000 until Feb. 21).
Drinks: Beer from ¥700; cocktails ¥800; shochu from ¥600; umeshu ¥700; wine from ¥900/glass, ¥4,800/bottle
Credit cards: Major cards accepted
Language: Japanese menu; a little English spoken
Reservations: Essential

E*A*T (03) 6459-2432

Fast food worth lingering over

The Japan TImes, Friday, Jan. 22, 2010

The bright yellow sign calls down over the busy, narrow sidewalk like a grandmama from the old country exhorting her brood to come to table. "EAT EAT," it shouts. Do as you're told: Go in and sit down. We did. And we ate. We ate very well indeed.

Apart from the neon up above, there's little to indicate this blink-and-you-miss -it hole-in-the-wall diner is anything special. But, as we've learned so many times in this city, you don't judge a restaurant by the width of its shop front or the length of its history.

Eat — for that is its punchy, no-nonsense name — only opened last summer, but it didn't take long for the word to reach the street: Tokyo's got a hot new "premium burger" joint. We found out it's got a lot more to offer besides.

There are three tiny wooden tables where you can perch by the window, but the seven leopard-skin-print bar stools at the counter are cozier and more comfortable. We shoehorned ourselves in by the narrow open kitchen and settled back. Certainly we were there for the burgers. But what was the hurry? Why not start with a couple of snacks?

First up, a plate of chips and dips to go with that initial bottle of Lowenbrau (there's also Yebisu on draft, or Corona for the truly homesick). Instead of standard-issue corn chips out of the package, we were given a plate of crisp tortilla chips cooked in-house with a couple of tasty dips — a piquant homemade salsa with fine-diced tomato, pimento and onion; and a smooth, creamy guacamole. We were impressed from the get-go.

We were also intrigued to find a menu of weekly specials that was far from the norm for a fast-food restaurant. It wasn't the weather for chilled carrot and ginger soup, but we certainly felt like trying the seafood gumbo. It didn't disappoint. Dark, rich and nicely spiced with both chili and black pepper, it includes clams, fine-cut squid, carrot, mushrooms, and even the crumbs of broken-up chips for extra texture.

We weren't going to risk spoiling our appetite for burgers by ordering the sirloin steak (from wagyu — Japanese black Angus cattle) or the beef stew. But we just had to try the confit of duck; first because it seems so unlikely to find this standard of French cuisine in a fast-food joint, and second because it's one of our all-time favorite dishes.

The flavorful leg meat was neither too dry nor too salty (two common faults), and had plenty of good crisp skin. It looked appetizing too, served with a tart cassis jam that was drizzled artistically in concentric circles over the plate. Clearly, this had to be the work not of some hired grill-hand but a proper trained cook.

And so it turned out: Eat's cheerful chef, Michi Takahashi, ran a highly regarded restaurant in Los Angeles until 2008. Now back in Tokyo, he may have started up in modest premises, but he's not scaling back on quality.

Read more here...

E*A*T
2-12-27 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-kutel: (03) 6459-24324
Open: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-10:30 p.m. (Sunday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.).
Nearest station: Gaienmae (Ginza Line)

Map here...