Tokyo Food Page

---

★L'Artemis/
Jingumae 2-chome:
French
▼5786-0220
▽Data

---

One of the first
things we noticed at
L'Artemis was the
surprising selection
of eaux-de-vie -
some twenty bottles
of flavored spirits
in a decorative
counter-top line-up.
And not just the
usual pear and cher-
ry brandies, either
- there were aspara-
gus and lavender and
other unexpected
flavors. The
countertop bottles
are purely for show,
we learned - the
actual serving bot-
tles are stored well
below zero in a big
freezer, as is only
proper. But even
more impressive is
L'Artemis's huge
cellar of wines -
hundreds of bottles
from all regions of
France, with a
large, multi-page
wine list to help
guide you through
the choices.

The list covers
every price range,
and you'll find good
value for money at
every level, whether
your wine budget is
Y4000 or Y20,000.
You can be assured
that even if you're
splurging at a high-
er price level, the
food here is more
than a match for the
drink. It's top-
class modern French
cooking, prepared by
an enthusiastic
young chef (Yusuke
Nakada by name) who
recently returned
from years of ap-
prenticeship in the
kitchens of France.
This is clearly some
of the best French
cooking in central
Tokyo at this price
range (three-course
prix-fixe dinners
are just Y4000).

We started a recent
dinner with compli-
mentary flutes of
Champagne and mini-
ature tartlets
stuffed with an
olive and mushroom
tapenade - a nice
welcoming touch
while we perused the
menu. The Y4000 menu
includes a starter,
main and dessert,
and bumping up to
Y5250 gets you an
additional starter,
although we found
the portions of the
3-course dinner more
than enough for all
but the most rave-
nous appetite. And
while all the food
we've tried has been
very good, the truly
spectacular dishes
have all been recom-
mendations of the
waiter, so we
strongly recommend
following his ad-
vice.

One of those stun-
ning dishes was a
crab and avocado
cappucino, a warm
and frothy concoc-
tion served elegant-
ly in a glass cup.
We also enjoyed a
remarkable smoked
salmon - top-quality
Scottish salmon just
lightly smoked, with
a freshness of fla-
vor that made all
the other smoked
salmon we've had in
Tokyo seem insipid
by comparison.

The main courses
tend to be meat-
centered, although
there's always one
fish dish of the
day. Our sauteed
rockfish filet was
quite nicely done,
moist and flavorful,
and covered with
crunchy baked wild
rice. We also en-
joyed the roast pork
- small-farm-raised
"kurobuta" ("black
pork") from Kyushu -
although some might
find it a wee bit on
the fatty side. The
duck confit, on the
other hand, was
rather less oily
than some versions
around town - nicely
textured with a very
crisp skin and ten-
der meat. All dishes
came with perfectly
crisp vegetables on
the side.

The desserts live up
to the same high
standards as the
rest of the menu,
and we particularly
enjoyed the lemon
souffle (the souffle
changes every day).
Service is profes-
sional and quite
competent. The din-
ing room is rela-
tively small, and
the atmosphere is a
tad more formal than
in your typical
bistrot, although
not uncomfortably
so. Big picture-
glass windows look
onto a quiet Jingu-
mae side-street. And
while most of the
bars and restaurants
nearby cater to a
neighborhood
fashion-industry
crowd, L'Artemis is
really a restaurant
for the whole city -
well worth travel-
ling across town
for. (If you do
happen to be in the
neighborhood though,
the Y1500 lunch is
worth a try.)

By the way, if you'd
prefer an after-
dinner alternative
to eau-de-vie, the
well-stocked Belgian
beer bar called
Binimaru is just
downstairs, in the
basement of the same
building.

---

▼Photo (small)
▼Photo (large)
▼Map for AU phones
▼Map for DoCoMo

---

◎Jingumae 2-31-7,
Villa Gloria 101.
[From the intersec-
tion of Meiji-dori
and Takeshita-dori
walk north on Meiji-
dori to the first
major intersection,
turn right, then
immediately turn
left at the first
small street;
L'Artemis is on the
left after about 60
seconds. About a 10-
minute walk from
either Harajuku (JR
Yamanote-sen) or
Sendagaya (JR Sobu-
sen)]
◎Open noon-2:30, 6-
9:30pm (LO). Closed
Wednesdays.

---

戀Tokyo Food top