I’d known for ages that Brasserie L’ecrin, the casual-dining offshoot of L’ecrin, the famous French restaurant in Ginza, was in Ueno (not that I ever had a reason to go all the way to Ueno for French food anyway), but I only found out recently that there’s a little café right in front of it. And that the café serves simple, cheap food, all of it coming out of L’ecrin’s kitchen. Now that I knew, I had to go right away, right? ^_^
The entrance
There are plenty of signs, and it’s right in the middle of Ueno Station, so it’s not hard to find. It’s not big: three tables and what looked like about ten counter seats. Head further in and you reach Brasserie L’ecrin itself.
The menu
They serve light meals, alcohol and soft drinks. Asahi Super Dry is 500 yen. ^_^
So I ordered one.
One cold beer on a hot day and all the fatigue from walking around for ages just melted away. I love that Japan has a daytime-drinking culture ^_^
Chicken liver mousse, ordered to go with the beer
It’s only 500 yen, but what came out was proper, classic French. The mousse has a light touch of cassis and chocolate sauce, which adds just the little accent missing from the combination of mild, rich chicken liver mousse and crunchy bread. I can’t imagine a better snack with beer. I was starting to want some wine too, but daytime drinking stops at one glass ^_^
Piling it on thick.
Munch munch… I think I’m starting to like Ueno more and more.
The menu card
That’s what the sets with coffee or tea cost. At these prices, I’d say it beats going to Starbucks. Next time maybe I’ll try a sandwich set with a glass of white wine? During the day, of course ^_^
Well fed and in a great mood, I headed off to my next stop. It was a busy day, but maybe because I’d been drinking since midday, the world felt like a happy place. I really should come to Ueno more often.