Pâtissier Shima (パティシェ・シマ@麹町)

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0711050026Creme Shima is very good! Though the fig tart has only a very thin layer of fig on top and it is mostly cream – a bit too sweet for me. Marron tart is bascially a thick slice of marron paste.

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クレーム・アンジュ。
Creme d’Ange: the outside is made from fromage blanc, merengue and fresh cream. Inside is sponge cake soaked with raspberry sauce. Soft and fluffy but at the same time rich with cheese. Very nice! There is a small cafe space next to the cake shop where you can eat in.

Pâtissier Shima
Add: 3-12-4 Koujimachi, Chiyoda-ku (near Koujimachi or Hanzoumon station)
Tel: 03-3239-1031

beacon urban chop house

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北海道産タラバ蟹のクラブケーキ、レムラードソース。
From the 4200yen lunch course. Taraba crab cakes with remoulade sauce. Generous amount of crab meat inside. Tasty though the sauce is slightly salty. Peach tea is free and refillable.
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オーストラリア産サーロインステーキ (200g)。
マンゴークレームブリュレとマンゴーソルベ添え。
Australian sirloin, Angus, grade 1, long grain fed 200g. Not a big fan of steak…but this is very good! Asked for medium-rare and it was juicy and tender. Mango creme brulee topped with mango sorbet. Chunks of mango in the creme brulee, very good!

The restaurant is about 10 mins walks from either Shibuya or Omotesando station. The seats are spacious and comfortable, and not so crowded even on weekends. Lots of foreigners. The price is not cheap but the portion is big. Will definitely go back to try their hamburgers.

beacon (ビーコン・アーバンチョップハウス)
Add: 1-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Tel: 03-6418-0077

AUXAMIS TOKYO

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Fantastic view from the 35th floor of Marunouchi building.
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甘エビ、北海道産帆立貝と完熟マンゴーのタルタル カクテル仕立て。
I was surprised to see that they have very reasonably priced lunch course starting from 1800yen. We went for the special Southern France selection lunch course, 5040yen.
Sweet prawn, scallop and mango Tartare.
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パルマ産生ハム・吉田豚のリエット・本日のシャルキュトリーの一皿 オーガニックサラダ添え。
Parma Prosciutto, Pork rillette and pate with pistachio.
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南仏の香りをまとった仔羊背肉のロースト ラタトゥイユ添え ジュのソース。
Roasted baby lamb with ratatouille.
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本日のデザート。
Blueberry creme brulee with milk ice-cream.

AUXAMIS started off as a wine bar so we decided to go for the 1890yen wine tasting course which includes 3 glasses(2/3 glass each) of wine that go with the amuse-bouche, appetizer and main dish. I forgot to take pictures of one of the wine but you can check out my friend’s blog for the complete selection. The champagne and dessert wine in the pictures here are not included in the wine-tasting course. The food is overall good. The meaty appetizer is nice but indeed quite impossible to eat without wine. The massive lamb chop is tender and juicy; the amount of fat is a bit scary but with the help of the tasty veggy sauce I devoured the whole thing.

Menu: 1, 2, 3, 4.
AUXAMIS TOKYO

Goutte d’or et Crattini (グットドール・クラッティーニ)

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ナポリのモツッレラとくじらのタルタル。
Mozzarella and whale Tartare.
Tomato cream soup(I think…can’t remember exactly…).
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阿波尾鶏レバーのパテ、マンゴー添え。
冷たい桃のスパゲッティーニ。
Chicken liver pate and mango. This is quite nice.
Chillled peach spaghetti. The spaghetti is hidden underneath. Nothing special except the peach is very sweet.
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江戸前穴子と夏きのこのタリアテッレ、からすみがけ。
とっておき、生うにのスパゲッティ。
Tagliatelle with anago and summer mushroom and karasumi. Nice but quite spicy, especially after I accidentally ate a chilli.
Uni spaghetti. The same overly salty and spicy taste as last time(see tag).
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赤茶豚リブロースのソテー。
Grapefruit and wasabi sorbet. Interesting combination… quite like it actually.
Saute of Akacha(?) pork Riburosu(don’t know how to translate, it is this part). The pork itself is juicy and tender, though it would have haven nicer if it were grilled a bit longer. The veggy on the side were quite salty.
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ココナッツのビアンコマンジャーレ、アプリコット添え。
マンゴープリンとパッションフルーツ。
Coconut blanc manger with apricot. Not much coconut taste…
Mango pudding and passion fruit.
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0707250065ジャスミンティーのカタラーナ。
Jasmine creme brulee. Fresh herb tea. The desserts are pretty normal. The fresh herb tea was 840yen and I totally expected a pot, yet it came in a small cup and no refill…

I have to say my impression of this place doesn’t get better on my third visit. The chef seems to like his food very salty and very spicy. Couldn’t eat it without gulping red wine by the gallons. As a final blow, the service is rather bad…no smiles, sloppy response, and the champagne was not chilled properly – unforgivable!!
Menu(J) here.
Goutte d’or et Crattini
Add: 2-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyada-ku
Tel: 03-6212-6882

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

L’Embellir (ランベリー)

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Nice entrance~.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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

Bistro Bourgogne (ビストロ ブルゴーニュ)

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殻付きカキ。にんじんのムースとウニのコンソメゼリーよせ。
Argh very ugly photos because of the yellow lighting~
Oysters are raw but slightly warm.
Carrot mousse and uni with consomme jelly.
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鴨胸肉の燻製とフォアグラ、さといものテリーヌ、モザイク仕立て。
コック・オ・ヴァン(鶏もも肉の赤ワイン煮込み) ブルゴーニュ風。
Smoked duck breast, foie gras and satoimo(taro potato) terrine.
Coq au vin: chicken thigh simmered in red wine sauce.
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豚のロティー と豚の煮込み。
オレンジのクレームブリュレ 胡椒風味のクレームグラッセ。
Pork Roti and pork stewed in tomato.
Orange creme brulee with pepper ice-cream. Pepper ice-cream really has lots of pepper…interesting.

Dinner course is about 3900yen. Food is mediocre. Would be acceptable if it were 1000yen cheaper.
Bistro Bourgogne