Grant Atkins

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Top bakeries/patisseries in Tokyo 2 - Pierre Herme

Pierre Herme is another must visit if you are in Tokyo. The master pastry chef is famous for his macarons. French Vogue magazine dubbed him "The Picasso of Pastry."

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Top bakeries in Tokyo 1 - Gontran Cherrier

Got a sweet tooth? Then Tokyo is definitely a city for your sweet addiction. The city is full of world class bakeries and patisseries. One of them is Gontran Cherrier. The famous French baker produces topnotch breads, pastries and sandwiches. His Tokyo shops offer Japanese-inspired items such as matcha (green tea) croissant.

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French Bistro in Tokyo - L'Amitie

L'Amitie is a French bistro located in Takadanobaba Tokyo. It offers high quality food at a cheap price. Dinner course (1appetizer + 1 entree) is $2700 yen (around $30CAD). Portions are huge. If you are looking for French comfort food at a casual setting, this is the place to go. The restaurant is so popular that making a reservation in a few months advance is highly recommended. Here are some pictures from my last visit in October last year.

Restaurant front

Burgundy-style Escargot

Assorted Ham with Rillettes

Chicken White Liver Mousse (huge portion for an appetizer)

Scallops

Duck Confit

Beef Bourginion (red wine beef stew)

Creme Brulee

L'Amitie
Address: 2-9-1 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
(東京都新宿区高田馬場2-9-1)
Reviews & info on Tabelog (the Japanese version of Yelp):
http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1305/A130503/13004131/

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Chez Inno

Chez Inno is a classic French restaurant located in Kyobashi Tokyo. It's considered by real foodies in Tokyo as one of the best French restaurants in the city. I'm not taking any Michelin Star into consideration when talking about restaurants in Japan. People may agree with me that Michelin Stars are given away too easily in this country. Chez Inno doesn't even have a star, but that doesn't take away the fact the restaurant truly is one of the best.

Chef/Owner Noboru Inoue worked at various world's famous restaurants in Europe before he came back to work in Japan and later opened Chez Inno in 1984. At Chez Inno, you will experience the classic French with heavy creamy sauce. The dishes are not modern or light, but surely are the most memorable dishes I have ever had. This is compared with the dishes I had in Joel Robuchon or Per Se. To fully experience Chef Inoue's culinary skills, choose a la carte instead of course menus. What's also great about this restaurant is that you can order a half portion of any entrees except their signature Maria Callas Lamb Pie dish, which is impossible to do a half portion. I tried 7 entrees during my visit in October 2013. Every dish was 10 out of 10. Didn't order any wine or dessert. Total bill came to around $350 CAD, which is very reasonable.

If you want to taste the classic French cuisine, make sure you pay a visit to Chez Inno when you are in Tokyo.