Shirokane-Takanawa is an upscale residential neighborhood you could call the Beverly Hills of Tokyo. Being residential, it doesn’t have many tourist spots, but a close friend lives there, so I often drop by when I’m in Tokyo. This trip too, we had a light lunch at a decent place nearby and chatted about this and that. Even a rich neighborhood has its own worries, and listening to my friend, it seems education is a serious problem everywhere. How are you supposed to raise kids these days… I don’t remember my parents spending much on me, and I barely went to cram school, but apparently kids like me are rare now. Having to agonize over which kindergarten to get into… honestly…
Anyway, it was lunchtime and I was hungry, so time to eat. The place is a French restaurant called Orexis (OREXIS). Going by online reviews the food isn’t especially outstanding, and given the neighborhood it’s a bit on the pricey side. But there’s an affordable lunch menu, you can book a private room and eat in peace, and the service is excellent, so we decided to go. I’d say it’s exactly the kind of place this neighborhood needs. Unless you live around here, though, there’s no need to make a special trip.
Water glass
The fancier the restaurant, the thinner the glasses, and by that measure this place has a top-tier French feel ^_^
Unsalted and salted butter
First time I’ve been served both at once. Health be damned, I slathered on the salted butter. I was planning to go pretty hard that day. (Still feeling the aftereffects…)
Amuse-bouche: frothed burdock and lemongrass ice cream
Very Japanese-style French. The earthy texture of the burdock meeting the soft foam gives it a special kind of elegance. As the ingredients suggest, it’s a flavor very familiar to Japanese diners. As a dining-out experience it’s not a dish that stays with you long, but for a neighborhood French place, a menu you won’t get tired of no matter how often you come deserves high marks.
Bread
I’m not usually a fan of plain baguette, but I was really happy with this one. I kept asking for refills.
Cauliflower blanc-manger with broccoli and lemon sauce, served with framboise-scented small shrimp
They set the cauliflower like tofu and topped it with salmon roe, and the pairing is brilliant. The nutty, clean flavor plus the fresh pop of the roe turned ordinary ingredients into a far-from-ordinary dish. The shrimp were lightly sweet and tasty, and the broccoli sauce impressed me too.
Smoked scallops marinated in honey and sherry vinegar sauce, with a hint of nutmeg, topped with salad
Put the tender scallop, well-pickled pickles and apple in your mouth all at once and a rich sweet-and-sour flavor spreads across your palate. An intriguing combination of ingredients, but I wished the portion were a bit bigger.
Grilled Hokkaido trout with onion
Trout doesn’t have much of a distinctive flavor to begin with, but it came out nicely grilled. It was pretty good with the sauce. I don’t know where they were from, but the onions were especially delicious.
Pork shoulder steak
A thick piece of meat, grilled nicely. Just the rugged style I like. Maybe because the meat was in good condition, it was satisfying both to cut and to chew. A main I really liked.
Pré-dessert
It may look like impurities, but there’s a little salt on the clear top layer. Inside it’s sweet with chocolate, while the top is clear, a bit sour and salty, which made it unusual. Rather than simply tasty, it had a sort of complex flavor.
Coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce
My friend said it was good, but I can’t drink coffee, so I passed
Berry ice cream
Rather than the eye-catching strawberry ice cream, the real point of this dessert was the sweet meringue-like confection. I actually liked it better than the chocolate dessert. The ice cream melted while I was taking photos, and I shed a tear…
After all that, a cup of herbal tea…
Two hours flew by. We had places to be so we left at that point, but I wonder what it would have been like to linger a bit longer. It’s a bit unfair to judge the food after eating their cheapest menu, but going by atmosphere alone it’s first-class, while the food doesn’t have much that stands out, so it left me slightly wanting. Still, there aren’t many places around here with this kind of atmosphere (plus there’s a 3,000-yen lunch course), so I think business will keep doing well.
Front entrance
Somehow feels luxurious. I guess it has to be at least this nice for people in this neighborhood to eat there. (Come to think of it, there’s also a Korean restaurant around here that’s like Yonsama’s Chanel boutique.) Having spent a fairly satisfying time, we head to our next destination.