Monthly Archive: May 2007 [34]
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May 30, 2007
Les Créations de NARISAWA
4725yen lunch course.
Amuse-bouche: A little pie with pate, kinkan(kumquat orange), pinenut and nanohana.
Bread is good.
岩手県・三陸の桜マスのカルパッチョ、菜園の薬味。
春野菜とフォワグラのロワイヤル、鴨のコンソメ仕立て 。
Sakura-masu(like salmon) carpaccio and garden vegetables.
Spring vegetables and foie gras royale(mousse), with duck consomme.
岩手県産・白金豚のポワレ、アサリの菜の花の マリニエール。
お口直しのティラミス。
Platinum pork and spring vegetables.
Pre-dessert: tiramisu. There are bits of sweetened ginger inside.
苺とアーモンドのパフェ。
Dessert: Strawberry and almond parfait.
After the main dessert, there is still the "wagon dessert".
I asked for a bit of almost everything...
Savarin is rich in alcohol and has moist texture, very good. Also like the mont blanc.
Vegetables are very very delicious in this place. In general very healthy and delicate taste. The kind of French that doesn't make you crave wine. Amongst the 3-course dessert, my favourite is the tiramisu. Value is good for lunch, though dinner seems very expensive. Saturday lunches get booked up very quickly(Sunday not opened). Say if you want to book a Sat lunch in May, you need to phone on the 1st April at 10am.
Menu: 1, 2. There is one more expensive lunch course that I forgot to take.
NARISAWA
Comments(2) [ french food | 神宮前・青山・広尾 ]
May 28, 2007
鮨さいとう (Sushi Saito)
Lunch at a sushi place with only 7 counter seats. We had the 5,000 lunch course with 10 sushi, a roll and miso soup. There is also a 10,000 yen course which consists of 15 sushi.
Hirame(Flatfish).
Forgot what. Tuna.
Chu-toro(more fatty tuna). Squid.
Aji(mackerel). Prawn.
Forgot what clam. Katsuo(bonito).
Anago. Tuna roll.
Very delicious sushi! The taste, the size, the look are all so elegant. The 35-year old chef is very humble and friendly. Finally I found a great sushi place which is high-quality, with comfortable atmosphere, and affordable!
鮨さいとう
Sushi Saito
Add: 1-9-15, Akasaka, minato-ku.
Tel: 03-3589-4412
Comments(4) [ my favourites | japanese food | 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
May 26, 2007
shigotouma (仕事馬)
Many visits to one of my favourite lunch spot! Specialised in horse meat but their lunch menu has a large variety.
新鮮桜肉のユッケ丼、コチュジャン風味のピリ辛スープ添え、￥９００。
Fresh (raw) horse meat rice bowl. Very nice with sesame oil seasoning and lots of Korean Namul. Comes with Korean spicy soup that you pour into the rice after you finish half of it.
窯焼き250gステーキ味噌ダレ丼、￥８５０。
Donburi with steak and miso. Many slices of beef which are soft but a bit tough to chew. Though the miso soup(100yen) is very good with lots of veggy in it.
馬肉ボロネーゼ、￥８５０。
Horse meat bolognese. Huge portion! The pasta is a bit soft but the sauce has a generous amount of meat. The Japanese-style minestrone(100yen) is good as ever. Also comes with a big salad(same as above), pumpkin pudding and coffee.
馬肉のレアハンバーグ 和風香味ソース、￥８５０。中華スープ、￥１００。
Horse meat rare hamburger. Chinese soup. Both very good and healthy-tasting.
具たくさんハヤシライス、￥８５０。けんちん汁、￥１００。
Hayashi rice. Kenchin-jiru. Even a simple Hayashi rice tastes so good in this place~~
Chocolate pudding.
Will come back again!
Menu here.
shigotouma
Comments(2) [ good cheap eats | 神田・神保町・秋葉原 ]
May 25, 2007
moomin bakery & cafe (ムーミンベーカリー&カフェ)
Dinner at this cute(bordering on tacky ^^;;) bakery cafe located inside an amusement park. Past entries: 1, 2.
Bread is self-service and all-you-can-eat. A bit dry and not much varieties though. There is a toaster for you to reheat the bread yourself. Salad(630yen).
Salmon cream soup(525yen). Apparently Scandinavian specialty. It was already cold when it came out, and not much ingredients inside the soup.
Chef's specialty: Pork saute in mushroom sauce(1470yen). Pretty normal...
The cafe is right underneath a roller-coaster. You can hear the screams while you eat there...^^;;;
Sandwich with salmon+cream cheese, and ham. Brie cheese and dried tomato. Take-out sandwiches are much better!
moomin bakery & cafe
Comments(2) [ bakeries | 大塚・茗荷谷・後楽園 ]
May 23, 2007
Restaurant Le Bourguignon (ル・ブルギニオン)
Amuse bouche: cream puff with pork rillette inside.
ブータン・ノワールのテリーヌ仕立て、りんごのサラダ。
アイナメのポワレに鶏のスープを添えて。
Boudin Noir(pork blood sausage) terrine with apple salad. Served warm, goes so well with the sweet apple sauce. Delicious!
Pan-fried Ainame(Greenling) in chicken clear soup. Not much impression.
豚足、豚舌、牛のトリップなどを煮込み、一度冷やして固めたものを両面かりっと焼き上げたもの。
サツマイモのモンブラン。
Pork feet, pork tongue and beef tripe are first simmered, let cooled and hardened, then grilled until crispy on the outside. Very good.
Satsuma-imo(Japanese sweet potato) Mont Blanc. There is rice inside. Apart from the rice bit, it is pretty normal. Nice though. My friend ordered bell pepper mousse which is much more interesting but "doesn't feel like dessert" apparently.
Lunch is 4500yen. Food is great, the interior makes you feel like you are in French countryside. Perhaps a little too quiet inside and the waiters are a little stiff-backed.
More pic from outside.
Le Bourguignon
Comments(3) [ french food | 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
May 22, 2007
RISTORANTE HAMASAKI （リストランテ濱崎）
5500yen lunch course. Sangria with fruits.
前菜の盛り合わせ。
Cheese chip. Appetizer plate(clockwise from left): baked prawn with breadcrumbs, onion mousse, anago fritter, octopus, mozzarella cheese and tomato, flatfish carpaccio, kidney beans and pumpkin.
冷製トマトのカッペリーニ。
Cold tomato Capellini. A bit too cold....
Simple toasted bread.
ズワイ蟹のバヴェッティーネ。
仔羊のカラメルソース。
Zuwai-gani(crab) bavettine.
Baby lamb in caramel sauce. Very super tiny portion....
Dessert is tiramisu, blanc manger and caramel ice-cream.
One of those impossible-to-book restaurants. Yet to my utter disappointment, the food is nothing special. Not bad or anything but considering the price and the hassle of booking, that is not one dish that really impresses. Also there is only one toilet for both men and women...^^;;
Menu here.
RISTORANTE HAMASAKI
Comments(2) [ italian food | 神宮前・青山・広尾 ]
May 21, 2007
Bistro le Midi (ビストロ・ル・ミディ)
仔羊のロティ 香草のソース、ベイクチーズケーキ、パンとコーヒー付きで、１２６０円。
Lamb roti in herb sauce. Baked cheese cake. 1260yen lunch set also comes with bread and coffee. The lamb is a bit tough. My friend's duck hamburger is better.
Bistro le Midi
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
FRENCH-DINING
ローストポーク、カシスソース。
Roasted pork with cassis sauce. Portion is big but tastes quite bland. With corn soup, bread and coffee it is 1300yen.
FRENCH-DINING
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
みのや
銀だらの照焼、７５０円。
Cod teriyaki. Small size and very salty.
みのや
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
PIETRO (ピエトロ)
オニオングラタンスープ、５００円。 ラザニア、６８０円。
Onion gratin soup. Lasagna. Both taste pretty horrible...
ピエトロ
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 19, 2007
Le jeu de l'assiette (ル・ジュー・ドゥ・ラシエット)
The toy-like(^^;;;) chandelier is from Venice apparently.
Cute glass beads on the table. We pretended to play chess with them...
Deco Boco(citrus fruit) sorbet with champagne poured on top. Yum! But later found out that this little cocktail costs 1500yen.
アスパラガスの冷製 クルヴェットグリーズのジュレを添えて。
食感の違う葉野菜のミルフィーユ ホッキ貝とそのヴィネグレット。
Asparagus with jelly and sauce made from small prawn. This is very delicious!
Mille-feuille of vegetables, hokkigai(surf clam) and vinaigrette. Mille-feuille...is just a few slices of vegetables placed on top of each other. Tasty though. The clams are sweet.
スズキのポワレ 豚の背脂風味 人参ソース。
シャラン産鴨もも肉のソテー 白と赤のソース。
Sea bass with "pork back fat" and carrot sauce. The "pork back fat" is the thin slice on top of the fish. It is not oily at all and goes well with the fish. The carrot sauce is very good too.
Duck thigh saute, white and red sauce. Red sauce is beet, white sauce is onion. Somehow the way the duck is cooked reminds me of Cantonese grilled duck...I was not the only one craving rice, my friend said the duck should be served on a donburi. ^^;; Nice dish that goes with wine though.
苺のリゾット。
”インカのめざめ”のミルクレープとオリーブオイルのグラス。
Strawberry risotto. Strangely nostalgic...
"Awakening of Inca"(just potato ^^;;) milk crepe and olive oil ice-cream - it really tastes like olive oil!
The desserts are so interesting...
Lunch course we had was 5500yen. Service charge is 10%. Everything in the pictures are included for one person.
This restaurant is fairly new but the servers are veterans from other famous restaurants apparently, and they are indeed very good - helpful, funny, smiling the whole time.
Menu: 1, 2, 3.
Le jeu de l'assiette
Comments(2) [ french food | 渋谷・恵比寿・代官山 ]
May 16, 2007
Le Remois (ル・レモア)
カニとアボカドのタルタル。
3200yen lunch course. Glass champagne is 1300yen, half glass is 800yen. The bread is so-so.
Appetizer: Crab and avocado Tartar, with tomato and basil sauce. Very good! Close-up pic here.
鶏肉と木のこ、じゃが芋のグランメール風。ガトーショコラ・クラシック。
Main: Chicken and mushroom in a Cocotte. Quite nice but a bit salty. Dessert: Classic gateau chocolate is normal.
The original shop is in Aoyama and is much more expensive. This branch in Shinmaru building is more casual. A lot of dishes come in Cocotte...even a cold salad.
Le Remois
Comments(3) [ french food | 有楽町・丸の内 ]
May 15, 2007
七草＠下北沢
Japanese menu here. (Even I can't read the words...) 4900yen dinner course.
Grape vinger soda. Green pea soup.
Sakura rice(mochi rice wrapped in salted sakura leaf), Hotaru squid, yuzu radish and nanohana. So good!
Some veggy with sanshou(Japanese pepper) seed.
Tamago-yaki(sweet egg roll).
Yamaimo(mountain potato) manju.
The beans in the right pic are for 4 people.
Yuba, fu etc. with sesame sauce. This is also for 4 people.
Belly pork with soy beans. Very soft~
Wish the rice came together with the belly pork instead of after. The round balls inside the jelly are made from tofu.
Healthy, light, simple, lots of fresh and delicious vegetables. The staff, the customers were all female. Unfortunately the service was a little cold. And I actually got hungry in like 3 hours....
七草
May 13, 2007
Pie ou Face (ピル ウ ファス)
ペペロナータ パルマの生ハム添え。
Bell pepper and ham.
ハーブ豚のグリル、ソースオリエンタル、にんじんのプレゼ添え。
クレームカラメル プラムの赤ワイン煮添え。
Grilled herb pork with oriental sauce and braised carrot.
Creme caramel with plum cooked in red wine.
Lunch course is 1890yen.
The food tastes very fresh. The pork has a nice herbal fragrance and very tender. The sauce is sweet and delicious. A madam and a young woman are cooking inside the kitchen and an old gentleman is serving diligently. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. A place to take it slow and easy - food comes slow so probably not the right place if you are in a hurry. They run cooking classes once a week apparently. Located right next to this place.
Lunch menu(J) here.
Pie ou Face
Comments(5) [ my favourites | french food | 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 12, 2007
cuisine naturelle Les Brindes （レ・ブランドゥ）
Appetizer plate is quite good. The small grilled fish is hot.
フレッシュ魚貝のソースで和えたタリオリーニ。
Tagliolini in fresh seafood sauce. Has Mantis prawn, clams, mussels, scallop etc. Sauce is tomato based. Pretty good.
Dessert is sesame ice-cream and blanc manger with strawberry sauce. All together 2180yen. Value is not bad, considering the vegetables used are organic.
Lunch menu(J) here.
cuisine naturelle Les Brindes
Comments(3) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
まんなか屋
カキフライ定食、９００円。
Fried oyster lunch set. Gosh the portion is massive! The coating is so thick that I had to peel the batter off the last two pieces and just eat the oyster. Very popular place so you will definitely have to share tables. Service is friendly.
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
DINING 彩
ハンバーグ御膳（ホワイトソース）、９００円。
Hamburger with white sauce. Gross...
DINING 彩
Comments(3) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
Pizzeria Gelateria Zio
オルトラーナ： たっぷり野菜の煮込み・パルミジャーノチーズ、１５８０円。
Ortolana: Vegetables and parmesan cheese. Only opens at lunch hour on weekends but doesn't offer lunch sets. Taste is just so-so.
Pizzeria Gelateria Zio
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 10, 2007
L'Embellir (ランベリー)
Nice entrance~.
ナスで巻いたウサギのガランティーヌ、タイム風味。
4410yen lunch course with 2 appetizers, main dish and dessert. The bread is quite big size but it is just so good that I had THREE!!
Galantine with rabbit meat rolled in aubergine. This kind of meat appetizer is the chef's specialty apparently. Very good!
カキ(厚岸産)とフォアグラのグラタン。
ホロホロ鳥と大山地鶏をミンチ状にして二層に。胡椒とポートワインのソース 。
Oyster and foie gras gratin. Absolutely delicious!!
Guinea fowl and chicken are minced and made into two layers. Sauce is pepper and port wine. As my friend put it: a high-class chicken hamburger(^^;;). Very good though. Sauce is rich and delicious. Great with wine.
クレームブリュレ。
Creme brulee with banana crepe and chocolate slice(nice chocolate smell, probably freshly made?) and ice-cream.
And one petit four plate for each person!
Coffee refill OK. And a small glass of vinegar at the end to clear your taste. Finger cakes for everyone to take home too.
Service can be a bit robotic with no smiles. But the food is great and the value is good(drinks are reasonable too). Definitely want to go back!
Cool menu plates: left half, right half. A bit difficult to read though.
L'Embellir
Comments(4) [ my favourites | french food | 神宮前・青山・広尾 ]
DEL REY (デルレイ)
Marron glace ice-cream, 1890ye. Plus 10% service charge...so expensive and totally not worth it. Just watery vanilla ice-cream with like 2 micro pieces of marron glace.
DEL REY
Comments(2) [ cakes and sweets | 神宮前・青山・広尾 ]
May 09, 2007
いもや
とんかつ定食、￥７００。
Tonkatsu lunch. The pork is thick and juicy. THe coating is not too thick. Very cheap for the quality. No wonder there is always a queue at lunch time. Customers are all guys. Counter seats only. Kinda scary that there is no conversation inside at all - the master makes the tonkatsu quickly and quietly, while the customers eat quickly and quietly....^^;;
Comments(2) [ good cheap eats | 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
BRONX 飯田橋店
かぼちゃとチーズの春巻き、６５０円。
茄子のボロネーゼ、７５０円。
Pumpkin and cheese spring roll. Spaghetti with aubergine in Bolognese sauce. The pasta is the fresh kind, not the usual dried one. Overall food is okay. Very cheap. The service is very good and attentive for a place like this.
BRONX 飯田橋店
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
料理人のとっておき
トロサバの塩焼き、１２５０円。
Grilled mackerel with salt. Doesn't taste as good as it looks. A bit expensive too.
料理人のとっておき
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
八車
和牛すき焼き定食、８００円。
Wagyu sukiyaki lunch set. The sukiyaki is too salty!! Tempura lunch set that everyone orders looks good....
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 08, 2007
HongCho ぶるだっく
ぶるだっく： 蒸した鶏もも肉をオリジナルソースで直火焼きした夜の定番メニュー。
Dinner at a chain restaurant from Korea.
Booldak: Steamed chicken grilled with original sauce. The dish that is also the restaurant's name. Very very spicy!! But the chicken is soft and juicy, and the sauce is addictive. The original spicy version is only available at dinner time - at lunch time it is a milder version.
ぶるでじ： 豚三段バラ肉をオリジナルソースで直火焼きした。
包み野菜の盛り合わせ。
Pork belly meat grilled in original sauce. Sweeter and milder than Booldak. The meat is a bit hard.
Fresh vegetables to wrap around the meat which makes it less spicy.
ケランチム： イカ、エビなどが入った、具だくさんの豆乳玉子スプ。
ヌルンジ： おこげスープ。
Squid and prawn soup with egg tofu. Very good!
Rice soup is mostly tasteless water with very little rice.
Two people, two drinks, 4800yen.
ＨｏｎｇＣｈｏ ぶるだっく
Comments(2) [ other cuisines | 渋谷・恵比寿・代官山 ]
May 07, 2007
Cote d'Or （コートドール）
赤ピーマンのムース。
スモークサーモン、ポロ葱とじゃがいものスープ。
Red bell pepper mousse, with tomato sauce.
Smoked salmon, leek and potato soup.
羊のレバー、タン、ハラミのグリル。
アールグレイのシャーベット。
Grilled liver, tongue, and diaphragm of lamb. Comes with potato galette.
Earl Grey sorbet.
バナナタルト。
Banana tart. Has coconut in it.
Lunch course plus a glass of white wine, 6600yen.
Everything is good! Brought a friend who has many likes and dislikes about food and who generally hates French food(^^;;) to this place for lunch. Thanks to the very accomodating staff, my friend was able to finish the course without picking half of her plate off. Past entries: 1, 2.
Cote d'Or
Comments(7) [ my favourites | french food | 白金・三田 ]
May 05, 2007
La Cave IDEALE L'ANGLE (ラ・カーブ・イデアル・ラングル)
牛すじワインカレー、９００円。
Beef tendon wine curry. Not particularly strong in wine taste, but very nice. A french restaurant at night but does curry at lunch time. Always very empty...
La Cave IDEALE L'ANGLE
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
Luce (ルーチェ)
マトウ鯛のオーブン焼き、トマトクリームソース、１１５０円。
Oven-grilled bream with tomato cream sauce. Comes with bread, salad, coffee and a small ice-cream. This place is always crowded so I was expecting something good...but the food was quite horrible...
ルーチェ
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
宗村
カレイの煮付け、８８０円。
Simmered karei(turbot). Tastes OK. Madam very friendly.
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
時代寿司
カキとじ丼、１０５０円。
Rice bow with oyster and egg. Huge portion and tastes quite good.
時代寿司
Comments(0) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 04, 2007
Ristorante Sakanoue (リストランテ さかのうえ)
オニオンフォカッチャ。
自家製ブーダンノワールのテリーヌ。
Onion focaccia is warm and soft, but a bit oily.
Boudin Noir(pork blood sausage) terrine. Warm and rich-tasting. Wanted wine... There are hazelnut and pinenut and orange under the leaf.
仔羊のラグーソース和え、ローズマリー風味の手打ちパッパルデル。
黒豚ロースの炭火焼き、無農薬野菜のグリル添え。
チョコレートプリンとナッツのジェラート。
Homemade Pappardelle with baby lamb Ragu sauce and rosemary. Big chunks of lamb! Also radish, potato and kidney beans. Nice but quite meaty...craved wine...
Charcoal-grilled kurobuta pork with grilled organic vegetables. Nice charcoal smell and meat very tender. At this point I was beyond desperate for wine. Should have just "fxck work" and ordered wine from the beginning. The food is not overly salty, but I have somehow chosen meat + meat + meat for the course...
Dessert is chocolate pudding and nut gelato. Good too.
All that food plus coffee, only 2500yen. Very good value!
Lunch menu(J) here.
Ristorante Sakanoue
Comments(4) [ italian food | 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
大阪寿司 大〆
大阪寿司と蒸し寿司（穴子）の小盛りセット、２４００円。
Close-up of the food: 1, 2.
Osaka Oshizushi and steamed sushi with anago(in the bowl). The four oshizushi are nothing special but the hot anago sushi bowl is quite nice. Quite expensive for the amount you get though. Love the interior.
大〆
Comments(2) [ 飯田橋・神楽坂 ]
May 01, 2007
Toshi Yoroizuka
My favourite dessert place has moved to Tokyo Midtown as well.
Past entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
The queue in the pictures...is for take-out only!!! Apparently only 3 groups of customers are allowed inside at one time. You have to wait forever before you can actually look at the cakes. -o-;;; Anyway, I prefer the tarts and pies much more than the cakes in this place. My primary target, as always, is the one-plate dessert that you eat at the counter space. In order to eat in, you need to write down your name and come back one and a half hour later...and you must be there when they call you or your booking is cancelled for good. You can't book in advance either. Say if you want to book for 3pm, you must be there to write down your name at 1:30pm sharp. And of course there is no guarantee that you can get in at 3pm sharp. What a nightmare...
But once you are inside, you are in heaven! I had the strawberry mille-feuille and blueberry ice-cream. So delicious~!! Fresh mint tea is very good too. The dessert used to be 1000yen but now has gone up to 1200yen...well I guess that is inevitable. Also it is a shame that the main patisserie chef mainly stays inside the kitchen where you can't see, while it used to be open kitchen~.
Toshi Yoroizuka
Comments(2) [ cakes and sweets | 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
cuisine francaise JJ
Finally went to Tokyo Midtown! Only took a few pics on my way to lunch. The area is actually quite big. Of course lots of lots of people flooding everywhere. Queues outside every restaurant at lunch time.
We have booked a table in advance - no way I'm going to queue. ^^;; Have been to this restaurant twice before. Used to call "Joel" and located in Aoyama. Old entries here and here. The old location is closed now. The chef and the whole staff team have moved to Midtown. The manager still remembers me...err....
These pics are taken in the terrace space also belongs to the restaurant. It was sunny but still a bit chilly, so we decided to eat inside. We sat at the counter. Fantastic view! Apparently it was intended to be a bar counter but it was mistakenly built too low(^^;;;) so now it is also used as dining space as well.
The champagne served that day was the usual 13% but somehow it felt strong and I was dizzy pretty quickly~
Lunch menu(J) here.
4200yen lunch course consists of an appetizer, a main dish, dessert and coffee. Used to include two appetizers for the 4200yen lunch so as expected the price has gone up. We added one more appetizer to the lunch for an extra charge of 1800yen.
Amuse bouche: clam in saffron sauce.
Traditional country pate, with salad, walnut and bacon cake.
Puff-pastry of Norwegian salmon and mousse. Itadori sauce and red wine sauce.
Quail with potato paillasson(from the web: traditional potato preparation in which grated raw potatoes are fried to form a thin flat cake resembling a straw mat ("paillasson" in French)) and mushroom saute. Desserts from the wagon.
The food is great! Just love the sauce here so much. Service is friendly as ever. After we had our desserts, we spot the French chef(60 year-old gent) hanging around, talking and laughing with the madams, having a good time himself. The Japanese staff all have that "Oh not again~~" smiles on their faces. ^^;;; Later he came to talk to us and dragged us to the terrace and we chatted for quite a while. He was drinking coffee from a plastic cup that you normally use to brush your teeth. ^^;; Funny guy. Kept telling dirty jokes(in fluent Japanese!) and winking to my (girl) friend...err....^^;;;
cuisine francaise JJ
Comments(2) [ my favourites | french food | 麻布・六本木・赤坂 ]
