Category Archives: 02:神宮前・青山・広尾

L’Embellir (ランベリー)

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カリカリのじゃがいもで包んだ赤座海老、オリエンタルなソース。
栗とリンゴのラビオリ、秋のキノコのソース。
From 4410yen lunch course.
Langoustines in fried potato roll, oriental sauce(herb).
Ravioli of chestnut and apple, in autumn mushroom sauce.
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0711280030うずらの丸ごととココット焼き、黒豚とフォワグラを詰めて、ソース・マデール。
Cocotte grilled quail stuffed with minced kurobuta(pork) and foie gras, Madere sauce. (+1050yen)
Chocolate mousse with honey ice-cream, chocolate and Rosemary ganache with vanilla ice-cream.

Been here before(see tag). I love the food much more this time cos my choices were all-hit-no-miss to my taste! You are supposed to choose 1 cold appetizer, 1 hot appetizer and 1 main dish, but instead I ordered 2 hot appetizers and 1 main(with no additional charge!) so I got to try the specialty Langoustines, and the ravioli which has my favourite food Japanese chestnut in it. Both are absolutely fantastic. The main dish and the dessert are both satisfying as well. The value for lunch is really not bad. Though glass wine is about 1575yen so it might be better to order bottles.

We went to this restaurant for lunch a few days after it got 1 Michelin star(though we booked way ahead) and saw all these flower bouquets in the front door. Some are from restaurants which also got Michelin stars.
L’Embellir
Add: 4-17-33 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3423-0131

La Rochelle Minami Aoyama (ラ・ロシェル南青山)

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小さいなオードブル： ヒラマサのジュレ、イワシとサーモンのクレープ包み、ニシ貝のフラン。
ロワール産白アスパラガスに帆立貝と北海道産雲丹を野生のウイキョウの香りで包み。
From the 7350yen dinner course.
Amuse bouche: Hiramasa(fish) jelly, sardine and salmon crepe, Nishigai(shellfish) flan.
White asparagus, uni and scallop, uni and mango mousse(on the spoon), olive jelly(at the back), and fennel here and there. This appetizer is amazing!
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旬の野菜のカプチーノ仕立て。
赤座海老を舌平目で包み、黒のパン粉焼きにし、イカ墨のラザニアとトマト風味のバルサミコソース。
Pumpkin soup cappuccino style.
Akaza-ebi(Langoustine) wrapped in Shitabirame(sole), grilled with black breadcrumbs. Squid ink lasagna at the bottom, with tomato and Balsamico sauce.
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和牛肉をハーブとベーコンで包み焼きにし、モアールと尾尻肉をカナッペにして。
お口直しの小さいなデザート。
Wagyu wrapped in herb and bacon.
Small dessert is apricot soup.
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0707220102アップルマンゴーのデザートにはちみつのアイスクリームを添えて。
Apple mango dessert and honey ice-cream. Petit fours. After coffee, herb tea is also served.

Lunch was very good last time(see tag) so went back for dinner. What a nice restaurant. Delicious and delicate food, attentive service, lovely environment(though lots of cheering and clapping and flashlights when a wedding reception is taking place) – all at a reasonable price. Very satisfied!
La Rochelle Minami Aoyama
Add: 3-14-23 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3478-5645

La Rochelle Minami Aoyama (ラ・ロシェル南青山)

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小さなオードブル。川原さんの畑の”いんげん”、オマール海老、イカのマリネと駿河湾のシラスを２種類の食感で。
From the 6510yen lunch course.
Amuse-bouche. Asparagus mousse in the front. Prawn and clam soup in the middle. Forgot the other two…
Kidney beans, with lobster and squid. Fried shirasu(baby sardine) and lobster on the spoon.
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かます＆雲丹をサンドウィッチのイメージで、ベルベーヌ風味のソースを添え。
仔牛のフィレ肉にフォアグラの燻製を詰めてローストし、オリビエさんのスパイスとサリエットの香り。
Kamasu(Saury pike or Barracuda) and uni, sandwich-style, with Vervain sauce.
Veal and smoked foie gras rolled in sansai(wild vegetable) with spice and sarriette(savory) flavour.
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0707060060プティ・デセール。デザートワゴン。
A small dessert, and then dessert wagon service where you can choose what you like. I had ALL. ^^;; Petit fours with the coffee, and then a small cup of fresh herb tea.

The food is just amazing. The presentation is beautiful yet taste is not compromised to make it look good. The mille-feuille-looking fish dish is pretty AND delicious, with many layers of uni, fish, prawn etc. The veal is tender and perfectly cooked. The most impressive part however, is the veggy on the side – all standing up and artistic-looking, and each of them has something unpredictable stuffed inside, e.g. ratatouille inside the radish, corn paste inside the aubergine…I love them all! The desserts are nice too. Souffle cheese cake with lavender, and honey ice-cream were the best. For the 6510yen lunch course, you can also choose a dessert plate instead of wagon dessert.

The environment is lovely. There is a church next to the restaurant(first pic). In fact on the day we went, there was a small wedding reception going on, and one-third of the restaurant was partitioned by glass panels and separated from where we sat. We could still see the bride and hear the clapping and cheering though.

If you print out the coupon here, you get a discount of about 1000yen for the “seasonal lunch course”. Very good value! One coupon can be used for up to 4 people.
La Rochelle Minami Aoyama
Add: 3-14-23 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3478-5645

La Blanche (ラ・ブランシュ)

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Pork rillette. Bread is nice and warm.
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イワシとジャガ芋の重ね焼き、トリュフ風味。
本日の魚料理： マナガツオのポワレ、キュウリソース。
Grilled layers of sardine and potato, with truffle flavour.
Today’s fish dish: Managatsuo(a kind of bonito) in cucumber sauce.
These two dishes are easily the tastiest thing I have had recently! The truffle fragrance is strong and appetizing. The sardine and the potato match so amazingly well. There is a bit of melting butter on top. The little cup is warm, milky and smooth potage with sardine flavour. The fish dish is juicy and fatty, grilled to perfect crispiness on the outside. The cucumber sauce is a wonder too, full of herb taste. I mopped every bit of the sauce with bread, which kept coming, and my friend simply drank the sauce to the last drop with a spoon. It was that good. The onions, cucumber and other vegetables are fresh and sweet and juicy. Simply perfect!
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グランテ： 八角のシャーベット。
鴨肉のコンフィ、パイ包み焼き。
Anise sorbet.
Grilled duck confit pie. The duck meat inside the pie is mixed with herbs and vegetables. Quite good but not as impressive as the fish dish. The veggy on the side are delicious though.
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お口直し： カルバドスのシャーベット。
Marinated beet came separately later…maybe they forgot?
Apple brandy sorbet.
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チョコレートムースとチョコレートアイス。
Chocolate mousse and chocolate ice-cream. Super rich chocolate flavour…a bit too rich for me though.

We had the 6000yen lunch. The cheaper 3600yen lunch doesn’t include the sardine and potato appetizer which I really wanted to try. Wine is 1200yen per glass.

At first I thought the price range is a bit towards the expensive side, but the food is just fantastic and all worth it – fresh and tasty vegetables ARE expensive. The portion is generous, the service is friendly, the atmosphere is warm and homely. The chef came out to say hi at the beginning and again when we finished our food. On the day we went, most of the customers were madams and old ladies and they mostly ordered fish instead of meat. I asked the waiter if fish is the chef’s specialty and he said meat dish is just as delicious. But meat dishes like lamb chop, pork roti etc. are only included in the 7800yen lunch course.
Lunch menu(J) here.
La Blanche
Add: 2-3-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3499-0919

epanoui (エパヌイ)

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江戸前穴子のポワレ　リゾット添え　赤ワイン風味のソース。
Amuse: Soramame(broad bean), ham and short pasta.
Appetizer: Pan-fried anago with cheese risotto in red wine sauce. Very Japanese.
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イベリコ・デ・ベジョータのカイエット　甘酸っぱいソースをかけて： 豚のひき肉と野菜を網脂で包んで焼き上げ甘酸っぱいソースをかけた。
Cold potato potage.
Main dish: Minced Iberico pork and vegetables in sweet and sour sauce. So it is a high-class pork hamburger. ^^;;;
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クレーム・キャラメル　キャラメルのアイスクリーム添え。プラリネのミルフゥィユ　チョコレートのアイスクリーム添え。ガナッシュのヴァロティーヌ　オレンジ風味　コーヒーのアイスクリーム添え。
Three desserts my friends and I shared. Creme caramel(pudding) with caramel ice-cream. Praline mille-feuille with chocolate ice-cream. Ganache cake with orange flavour, coffee ice-cream.

We had the 3990yen dinner course. Soup is additonal order, 525yen. Food is not bad. Very good value for a full course dinner. The homemade bread is delicious. The anago and hamburger I had were fine but my friends were disappointed that their foie gras appetizer, lamb and fish were all a little overcooked. The desserts were just so-so. The intimate atmosphere is nice though, and the madam is very friendly. I have come here a couple of years ago and liked it(see tag).

epanoui (HP, review)
Add: Hiroo 3-2-14, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-3407-1513

Sol Levante （ソルレヴァンテ）

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モンテ ビアンコ、￥５００。ババ。
From two separate visits.
Monte Bianco. Italian version of Mont Blanc. Bottom is merengue, then chestnut paste, topped with a mountain of cream. Nice but….too sweet! Even the cream is sweetened. It is very big too. I only managed to eat half. Baba with lemon liquor.
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カフェミスティ、￥１１００。
Dessert plate with espresso-flavoured sorbet, ice-cream, mousse and semi-freddo in a cup shape. Not bad. Very strong espresso taste. Though it doesn’t look as nice as the picture in the menu…^^;;
Menu: 1, 2, 3.
Sol Levante
Add: 3-10-14 Kita-aoyama, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-5464-1155

CICADA (シカダ)

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モロッコ風クラブケーキ。 カラマリロースト、プロシュートと香草パン粉詰。
Spicy moroccan crab cakes. Roasted Calamari stuffed with prosciutto.
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ラムタジン。 魚介のタジン。
Lamb tagine with cous-cous. Seafood tagine with cous-cous.
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ピスタチオクレームブリュレ。 ヴァローナチョコレートケーキと生チョコレートジェラート。
Super-rich and warm Valrhona 70% cocoa chocolate cake with chocolate gelato. Pistachio crème brulee.

I read a review here and got curious about this place. It looked very foreigner-oriented, having a couple of sister restaurants offering American food like hamburger so I wasn’t so sure. But I was pleasantly surprised that the food was great! Supposed to be Mediterranean cuisine: Greek, Moroccan, Portuguese, Italian etc. 2800yen lunch course includes appetizer, main dish, dessert and coffee, with tax included and no service charge for lunch, even on weekends. All the stuff we ordered were delicious – every dish of them! The portion is huge. I have never seen a creme brulee that big in a Japanese restaurant, and it is not just big but delicious and rich with pistachio flavour. The waiter came to recommend us olive oil with the bread, and he didn’t say anything about additional charge for the olive oil, fortunately I had read the review…^^;; But apart from that the staff are very friendly. English-speaking staff available.
CICADA