イワシのオイルサーディン。トマトのオーブン焼き。
Sardine with olive oil. Oven tomato(some rare type of tomato apparently) and cheese with garlic. Both are very good.
コクレ鶏のハーブ焼き。ウニのクリームパスタ。
Some French bred chicken, grilled with herb. A bit normal.
Uni pasta. Not spaghetti but thicker type, probably linguine, cooked just right, but the uni cream sauce had not much uni taste…
失恋のパスタ。海老のトマトソースリゾット。
“Broken heart pasta”, just Lasagne with corn beef instead of minced meat, and not grilled.
Prawn tomato sauce risotto. The prawn was a bit bitter…
A small restaurant with only counter seats. The chef is famous for being rude and noisy. ^^;; But since we were prepared, we were not too shocked. Still a bit nervous when ordering or asking for recommendations. He and his wife both smoked while cooking, which was something I had never experienced in Japan, even in cheap places. Because of the open kitchen+counter seats, all our clothes stank oily afterwards. 3 of us shared all the food and opened 2 bottles of wine, came up to 5000yen per person, quite cheap! But really, once is enough. ^^;;
岩井食堂
Does the tomato taste special (certainly looks like a cute size). The sardine picture looks so pretty ^^:;; Broken heart pasta…^^;;; From the name and the pasta dishes, it seems more like a southern Europian food restaurant? The exterior looks absolutely adorable, especially with the vespa bike parked outside, so dreamy Parisian~ ^^:;;
The place is tiny indeed. Is the place famous for being good so the chef’s bad attitude is part of the deal you have to put up with? ^^;; I never had Lasagne that’s not baked in “cake form.” Seems hard to eat them that way in the pix.
Joan>
Yeah good food and very cheap, seems quite popular among the neighbours. The chef actually published a recipe book. One of my friends wanted to order French Toast which we saw in other people’s blog, but the chef said that he made that recipe for his girlfriend but now he is married so won’t make that anymore, then he threw us his recipe book and told us to make the French toast ourselves following the recipe. Then my other friend said she flipped through the recipe book before but didn’t buy it, the chef was very offended…oops… ^^;;
Freda>
According to the chef, the tomato doesn’t taste good if eaten raw, but once cooked it becomes delicious. It tasted like normal tomato to me though, the texture felt a bit like semi-dried tomato, slightly hard and not so much juice. Broken heart pasta was probably a recipe created when the chef got dumped…oops…^^;; The food was half bistro and half “youshoku”, I hesitated whether to put it in “French” category, haha. Oh yeah, the place looks much nicer that I had expected it…but hush hush secret only here, I saw a small cockroach on the wall once I sat down…I didn’t say anthing though…^^;; Also the restaurant opened at 7pm, and I went there like 10 minutes early and they saw me waiting outside the door but wouldn’t open and let me sit down inside…
Since there are only counter seats, you MUST interact with the chef right? No way around it…^^;; It is so interesting that the chef is such a strong character, even put so much of himself in the food (lost love ^^;;; oh does it have bitterness aftertaste?). Now I’m curious about the French toast…
I wouldn’t mind shut out outside before they opened.. it’s out of courtsey I think. Once a customer is welcomed inside you’re the client that they have to serve. It won’t look good for them neglect you at your table while they’re running around to check things before open…^^;; What would bug me is, if I went to a place when they’re just opened (at 5 for example), and the entirely place is empty. I asked for a table but I were told “let me check the book” and said there were no open table, all reserved and won’t allow me in. Not even one table save for walk-in. That’s just snotty and absurd. Not that I ever experience that ^^:;; but I often read compliant like this from other people.
ゴキちゃん発見してたの～？私たちにも言わなかったよね？
そりゃ言わないよ、、、気にしちゃうんでしょ、私みたいに。
ご飯の中に入ったら言うけど。^^;;
Freda>
Yeah my two friends did most of the interacting with the chef…I was too chicken.
All tables reserved and no walk-in is soooooo common here, especially for popular restaurants! ^^;; But Japanese usually book beforehand if it is a proper dinner. Places I like to go, French/Italian restaurants in which case the owner is the chef, and his wife waits on customers, are vey tiny and filled up very quickly~
Yeah I see how it’s reserved-only for upscale famous restaurants. But for neighorhood bistro, cafe, winebar…should have a few walk-in table open. Some people are so pissed that certain Parisienne winebar/cafes wannabe in LA are not doing that ^^;; What’s the point of locating in the streetwalk Metro-city…
Oh i read newspaper that Bae yong jun newly opened a highend korean resatuarnt in Tokyo, and how it’s fully booked by crazy c9 fans for the rest of the year…^^;;;;
You gals should lie to the guy that you already have the book (or ordered it on amazon and it’s on its way…just so he won’t give you quiz) so he won’t feel offended ^^;;
Joan>
I am too chicken to say stuff like that…it was my very honest friend. ^^;;
Freda>
Wahaha, I didn’t know! Gosh, it looks really high class, dinner course is 15,000yen…what the…
Wow that place looks high end!! The gourmet looking food looks like those emperor ones ate in that k-drama ‘Da Jang Geum” ^^;;;