Tokyo Food Page

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We/
Ebisu: Vietnamese
▼3463-7875
▽Data

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Now that Vietnamese
spring rolls and pho
are practically
staples in chic
Tokyo cafes, it
wasn't too surpris-
ing to hear about
this latest evidence
of Indochina trendi-
ness - a Vietnamese
dining bar. "We", a
tiny spot hidden
away in the back
streets of Ebisu,
promises "Tokyo-
style Modern Vietna-
mese cuisine", and
the kitchen delivers
on the promise with
inventive cooking
and craftsman-like
presentation.

The food here occu-
pies a middle ground
between elaborate
French-influenced
Vietnamese grand
cuisine and the
down-to-earth
noodle-shop fare
that's so commonly
found in Tokyo. The
centerpiece of the
appetizer menu is
We's selection of
original spring
rolls - a showcase
for fillings like
marinated scallops
with a tangy apple
dressing and the
highly recommended
tamarind chicken
with cumin sauce.
Another appetizing
starter is the water
chestnut and tofu
dumplings with yuzu
- deep-fried balls
filled with finely
minced water chest-
nuts, mushroom and
other ingredients,
coated with crunchy
little strips of
fried yuba (tofu
skin) and served
with a garlicky,
slightly citrus-
infused sauce.

The attractive pres-
entation of the
dishes owes more to
a kaiseki sensibil-
ity than to French
tradition, with the
servingware careful-
ly selected to show
off each dish. We
were very impressed
by the look of our
assorted vegetables
- ten different
representatives of
the vegetable king-
dom variously
toasted, boiled and
sauteed, all artful-
ly arrayed on an
attractive platter
and drizzled with a
piquant sauce. Soup
options include a
coriander-seasoned
broccoli potage and
a lemon-ginger-fla-
vored pumpkin cream
soup. Main dishes
are reasonably
sized, with choices
like prawns in "1973
sauce" (We's jokey
translation of
"sauce americaine"),
and excellent roast
free-range chicken,
which comes with
either a spicy coco-
nut milk-based sauce
or an orange-mango
sauce with subtle
hints of five-spice
flavoring. An extra
dollop of coriander
leaves is available
in many of the
dishes for an extra
Y50 surcharge, and
it's worth the
splurge.

The cozy setting is
very much that of a
"dining bar", with
intimate spaces
spread out over two
levels. Drink orders
are taken as soon as
you arrive, and the
wine list is reason-
ably priced, with a
house wine (Austra-
lia's Rawson's Re-
treat - Y3300/bot-
tle) well suited to
the food. Alterna-
tively, Tiger beer
is Y700 a bottle. If
you're in for a full
meal, the six-course
dinner is Y3300 (two
appetizers, salad,
main, noodles, des-
sert); otherwise, a
budget of Y3000-4000
should provide a
good amount of food
and drink.

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◎Ebisu-Nishi 1-15-
8. [from exit 4 of
the Hibiya line turn
right immediately
and walk for 150
meters; We is on the
right]
◎Open 11:30am-mid-
night daily.

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