Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

Cuisine: Soba

Map: Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

Charged Price: JPY2,000 per person without alcohol

Visited: 13 November 2015

Food: 8/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 8/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Who knows "Soba" can be fabulously nice. Whilst people keep seeking and searching for high end sushi or sukiyaki, this little soba-specialised restaurant just out of Tokyo city centre offers such unforgettable soba: "Jiyusan". Apart from lovely soba, the atmosphere and services of this place are as equally great. Expect the warm welcome from owners, and quiet and peaceful ambient.

As it is out of city centre, arriving at Jiyusan can be a little tedious. What we did is taking a train from Ikebukuro to Higashi-Nagasaki (~ 5 minutes) and then followed by a short walk of around 10 mins. Trust me, it is not that difficult and worth a trip for dinner.

Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

small but comfy restaurant

counter seats

When flipping through me here, we were not surprised the menu was all in Japanese. However, the owner was kind enough to recommend us to take Dinner Course which was priced at JPY2,000. This came into 3 parts. The first one was Soba on Bamboo for dipping - せいろ (9/10). Classic zaru soba that was well made. If you were Italian, you may say "al dente". Delicious indeed. Love the texture as well as well balanced dipping sauce.

Soba on Bamboo for dipping - せいろ

Then we were presented with a small bowl of Soba with Mackerel in Soup - 小さばにしんそば (8/10). This was mind refreshing. The soup was well made with flavour and a touch of tanginess. The saba (mackerel) was also tasty.

Soba with Mackerel in Soup - 小さばにしんそば

[soba water with remaining dipping sauce]

Lastly, the dessert was red bean jelly (8/10), I suppose. What a perfect way to end the course in classic Japanese style. Sweetness was well balanced. The flavour of red bean exploded deliciously. Soft on the texture. Love it.

Nothing much to say about this place, except "Must Visit".

dessert of red bean jelly

Jiyusan (じゆうさん) @ Eharacho, Tokyo

3-1-4 Eharacho
Nakano
Tokyo 〒165-0023
Japan

Open Hours: Tue-Sun from 11:00am - 03:00pm for lunch and 05:30pm - 09:00pm for dinner

Tel: +81 (0) 3 3951 3397
Web: http://www.bluewesco.co.jp/hp/jiyu-san/index.html

Pirouette @ Paris, France

Cuisine: French

Map: Pirouette @ Paris, France

Price: EUR35 per person (what I paid for)

Visited: 9 May 2013

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 9/10

Value for money: 7/10

Services: 5/10

Pirouette @ Paris, France

In the search for delicious food during our trip to France, we had been advised to give a go to Restaurant Pirouette which fairly new to the Parisians. This place is located pretty much in the centre of Paris, just a few minutes walk from Metro Etienne Marcel or Metro Les Halles or RER Chatelet - Les Halles. Well, the street leading to Pirouette is rather small and there are so many other restaurants around, so be alert when searching for it.

love the large window that gives such natural light

simple wooden decor

the bar

the wine cellar

Firstly, I have to say that do not expect the kind of fine dining here. It is more like bistro style restaurant in fact: big window, bar in the middle, simple wooden furnitures, relax and chill atmosphere, contemporary, and black board style menu. Menu here does get changed frequently depending of available ingredients and are available for chosen just 4-5 types for each course. The pricing is in line with other restaurants but rather yummy. During lunch time you may also go for set lunch at the price of around EUR15, dinner is of course more expensive with 3 courses at the price of EUR38.

small amuse bouche to start

meat menu

my wine of the night

The wine list is decent with choices of wine from various areas of France but mostly from Burgundy and Rhone. There are as well around 10+ choices of wine by glass for ordering. The mark up is fairly high and selection is in the affordable range mostly.  For this meal, we had a bottle of Domaine Bart Marsannay Les Grande Vignes 2010 to go along (100% pinot noir, EUR38).

Filet de boeuf

overcooked steak (T_T)

like these roasted potatoes

Filet de boeuf (EUR24) was beef steak. This one could be really good if it was cooked rightly. However, it turned to be well well done making it harder than it supposed to be. I wish it was medium or medium-rare. (4/10)

the star of the meal, Epaule d'agneau "7 heures", carottes violettes, raisins

Next was Epaule d'agneau "7 heures", carottes violettes, raisins (8/10, EUR24). This one was 7 hours slow cooked lamb such that it was juicy and tender. It came with thick and delicious gravy and served along with beetroot that matched well with sweetness of grapes. I do like this one the most amongst those I tried at Pirouette.

Plume Iberica

the natural tenderness of Iberian pork is irresistible

We also had a dish from meat menu, which was Pluma Iberica (EUR25). Iberian pork is indeed one of the finest pork. This piece of grilled pork came along with roasted potatoes giving simplicity to preserve the natural taste of the pork. So good and so tender. Cooked rightly unlike the beef dish. (7/10).

Lotte, jus d'etrilles, celeris & champignons

Lastly, we also had fish dish: Lotte, jus d'etrilles, celeris & champignons (7/10, EUR26). This was a fine fillet of monk fish in crab-bisque like sauce and served along with celery and mushroom. An enjoyable dish. Though, I do like the flavour of it, I still think there must be some missing piece of ingredient to finely tune the palate.

All in all, this is a very good restaurant to try or even a regular visit for local. I particularly like the atmosphere, which is chill and relax, coupling with good food and decent wine: perfect. The service is also lovely. Staffs are friendly and are willing to help. We arrived almost an hour early and the place was not open, the guy did not hesitate to let us in, sit, and wait for the kitchen to be ready. Just one minor bit that one of the staffs tried to have our party check our bill so that a party of non-booking customers can have our table. Well, this kind of restaurant is expected to have many turnover for a good good night, isn't it? Otherwise, fabulous it is.

Pirouette @ Paris, France

5 Rue Montdetour
Paris 75001
France

Open Hours: Monday - Saturday for lunch between 12:00hrs and 14:00hrs and dinner between 19:30hrs and 22:30hrs

Tel: +33 (0) 1 40 26 47 81
Web: http://www.restaurantpirouette.com