Le garcon de la vigne's Reviews/Tokyo Restaurants, French

wineman

Hmmm....need to eat here again?
(2008-06-19)
I have been hearing about Le Garcon de la Vigne for several years. It was first recommended to me by one of my wine clients who owns a well-known wine bar/store, and then by various other people that I trust have good palates.

So I can say that I was REALLY looking forward to the dining experience when I went last week with 3 friends.

However, my expectations were not met. The food tasted good, but not great. The ingredients were fresh, but not inspiring. Prices were a bit high for the full course, although my friends (with smaller appetites) seemed to be content with the 3,800 yen course.

I opted for the full deal at 6,000 yen. Very filling, but somehow I was left feeling that something was missing. I opted for the lamb for my main dish....it was thicker than anything I've ever seen, but just didn't satisfy on the flavor front.

On the other hand, the wines were quite good despite being all biodynamic. I hate the usual biodynamic wines that are served in most places due to there funky flavors (which in my opinion is a sign of a "sick" wine rather than what some people would call "bio" in flavor.) We had one bottle of Riesling which was extremely nice despite the massive amounts of sediment from this unfiltered wine. Then we had a few glass wines which were also very nice. My only complaints would be that there could have been some more "friendly-priced" wines on the list and they should also include wines from other regions. (A French restaurant does not mean that all the wines need to be from France any more than all the food ingredients need to be from that region either.) One good point to note is that you can bring your own wine for a (high) corkage fee of 3000 yen. I suggest letting them know you are planning to bring wine when you make your reservation.

I think a return trip (for lunch?) is required to re-examine my first impression. I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would disagree with this review, but I let it stand as is (for now).

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Dominic

Le garcon de la vigne
(2008-01-16)
You might be forgiven for thinking that I have a preference for French restaurants since I have written about so many on my blog. Well it's not quite true but we are so spoiled for choice in Tokyo. My latest subject is a restaurant in the Hiroo shopping street that I have been to several times. It is a small restaurant situated on the lower ground floor and decorated in an authentic French style. On my last visit I had a prawn cocktail for entree. It was so much better than it sounds if you're used to those 70's style prawn cocktails with thousand island sauce. This one consisted of some delicious prawns served with fresh daikon, avocado and a light mustard sauce. I had oysters baked with a light Hollandaise style sauce for my main. Both the prawns and the oysters were fresh and therefore delicious. They are open for lunch and the food is always decent. If you are looking for a nice unpretentious French meal in Hiroo with brisk service you could not go past Le Garcon de la Vigne once in while. Because the tables are very close together I would tend to recommend it less for business than pleasure. http://tokyoeater.blogspot.com

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HK

Blissful, affordable French cuisine in Tokyo
(2008-05-07)
I've been to many French brasseries & bistros in Tokyo, including some of the well-known establishments, and this (to my surprise) turned out to be the best! I especially liked:

1) Wine: the owner is a sommelier, so the wine was excellent, without being outrageously priced

2) Food: Some great combinations of different tastes and textures, and fabulous sauces. The overall result is blissfully complex, but still very light compared to many traditional French dishes.

3) Ambience: Small, intimate setting with a very friendly owner.

4) The prices were extremely reasonable by Tokyo standards for first class French cuisine.

The menu is only in French and Japanese, but that only adds to the sense of authenticity (and shouldn't keep anyone away)...

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Nico

Le garcon de la vigne
(2008-01-02)
I had read enough about Le garcon de la vigne (A boy from the vineyards in French) that I knew I wanted to love this place. Luckily, it exceeded my expectations and has become one of those places that I want to bring people over to enjoy superb cooking, healthy ingredients and excellent wine pairings.

The owner is a Japanese sommelier who worked in France for several years as an organic winemaker, and he is also in charge of the front of the house. The restaurant is obviously influenced by his love of wine, and beyond the collection of glasses and decanters, there's lots of wine objects scattered around such as old wine openers or a box of Romani Conti (one of the most expensive wines in the world). The wine list is not posted, but it's all organic and with an emphasis on French wines which is what he knows best. The wines are almost all available by the glass, and I would ask him to suggest the pairing as he is clearly a master in this regard. The pairing that he suggested for my salmon dish (1200 yen per glass) was perfect.

The organic philosophy also translates into the work of the kitchen. Le garcon de la vigne has a working relationship with a number of organic farms in Chiba, and the menu changes according to the seasons and what they receive from the farms; that is, the farms pick whatever is at their prime and the restaurant changes its menu to feature those items. The fish, whenever possible, is local and wild, and the beef comes from local herds that while not certified organic, are raised according to what they call “stress-free beef.”

My first taste of the kitchen was a cold potato cream soup (800 yen), while on a different occasion it turned into a cold carrot soup. Both were superb and light; just perfect to open up my appetite for what was to come next. The fish of the day (2000 yen) was roasted wild salmon in a caper sauce garnished with caramelized carrots and sauteed greens. The fish was absolutely exquisite...caramelized on the outside and still moist and slightly raw in the middle. Finally, dessert was a cr?me brulee (500 yen), to which they secretly added orange peel, and which came together with caramelized almonds and an excellent homemade chocolate truffle.

The room is small and inviting; this is a restaurant that makes you want to linger around and take in the surroundings. Having said that, the coziness translates into few tables available. Le garcon de la vigne can only seat 18 customers at a time, and by my calculation, the biggest group they can accommodate would be six people, so reservations are definitely a good idea. This is a restaurant that fuses ethical food with great cooking technique, awesome wines, superb service and extra little something that only some restaurants can pull off. This is one you don't want to miss.

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Le garcon de la vigne French / Hiroo

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