I met up with a friend in Shinjuku. When I thought about going somewhere quiet and neat, there weren’t many candidates. The line at Suminoe, a place I like ^_^, was way too long, so I gave up and went to Troisgros’s casual dining spot in the basement of the Odakyu Department Store.
This is the place.
Troisgros is a famous three-star restaurant in France. Its Tokyo branch at the Hyatt Regency got two stars. It’s a restaurant known for being excellent value for money. But how would the casual dining version be.. Some of the casual dining places that have popped up in this style lately have a bad reputation, you see.
Overall the service is fine, and although the tables are small, the interior is satisfying too. I was glad the crowd wasn’t noisy. As for the taste, you have to eat it to know. After thinking a bit about what to have, I saw the lunch menu starts from 1,680 yen, so I ordered that.
It comes with juice or coffee.
I had grapefruit juice. Taste: so-so
Bread, with refills.
The bread is well baked, and the olives are fresh and tasty too. It seems they sell the bread separately, so I should buy some later. It’s not the hard-crusted style I like, though, so it’ll probably slip down my priority list..
Starter, eel pie
They put eel in a pie. Hmm.. it’s subtle. It’s not bad, but calling it delicious is.. I suppose I have to rate it highly for capturing the season. Next time I should come in a different season.
For the main you can choose either the meat or the fish dish.
The fish main
I didn’t taste it, so I can’t say.
The meat main
It’s a hamburg steak.. I’ve been eating quite a few hamburg steaks lately ^_^ This one is just so-so. I don’t think it’s worth paying 1,680 yen just to eat a hamburg steak of this level. Cheap menu or not, it’s not very satisfying. If it weren’t for the atmosphere and the service I wouldn’t come back, but there aren’t many places like this in Shinjuku, so I’ll probably end up coming again.
The refilled bread
The bread was good, so I got a refill. The portions seem small, but the tasty bread and the refills make up for it. Dessert costs another 500 yen, but I wasn’t the one paying, so I held back.
It falls well short of its reputation, but even so it gets the basics right. Being a good restaurant in Shinjuku where hardly anyone lines up at lunchtime is a big plus, too. Having been here, I don’t think I can say I know the taste of the main restaurant. The main restaurant will be worth visiting in its own right, so I’ll have to make a chance to go there next time.