Monday, April 27, 2009

59. Restaurant Review: L-Atelier de Joel Robuchon (Roppongi Hills)

A sister restaurant to the chef's Paris location, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon is a welcome addition to Tokyo. The French restaurant is 'Roppongi Hills Casual' (meaning: not that casual) and most guests are seated at a long bar counter that overlooks a completely visible kitchen. There are also three tables that can seat four each.

Sit at the counter, the show is better. The shiny silver (spotlessly clean) kitchen is full of activity, with a staff dressed in all black working in perfect coordination.

I was there for dinner with my husband. We started with a few appetizers including the best shrimp I have ever eaten in my life. It was lightly battered and fried and it melted in my mouth. Pricey at 1000 yen each, but I'd order them again.

My main dish was a marinated white fish (3,200 yen), my husband had lamb chops (3,900). Both absolutely delicious. We stopped there, but all of the French people around us (there were quite a few) had a cheese plate with bottles of wine, then coffee,...

Glasses of the house red were 1,300 yen, a 500ml bottle of Evian, 700 yen.There is a 10% service charge, and our bill came to 16,389 yen. Not somewhere you could eat on a regular basis. But, it was some of the best food I've ever eaten in Tokyo, I would recommend it, hands down.

Reservations are only accepted for lunch and early dinner.

Menus are in French and Japanese. If you don't read either, just pick anything - it all seems to be delicious.

Address: Roppongi Hills Hillside, 2nd Floor, 6-10-1 Roppongi
Hours of Operation: 11:00- 22:00 (last order is at 22:00).
Tel: 03-5772-7500
http://www.robuchon.com/

Next door is the Robuchon Boutique, which sells traditional French breads and pastries.

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