モン・サン・ミッシェルのアニョー・ド・プレサレ : Brasserie VIRON Marunouchi Ten

A return visit in the evening. This time, I came to enjoy the Presale from Mont Saint-Michel. I've had domestic Presale from Yakushima, but this was my first time trying the authentic French variety. When I visited, the options were from the leg, shoulder, and saddle. I'm not sure if the cooking method was the same for all parts. Since I visited shortly after their arrival, they might have intended to let the saddle rest before serving. I chose the saddle, which was about 200g. The portion seemed modest for "VIRON," but given the rarity of the ingredient, they might have intended to offer more people a chance to enjoy it. It was just the right amount for one person. The quantity might have increased as the price has changed? The saddle was roasted, served with a jus d'agneau sauce. Wow, this has a very delicate texture. There's almost none of the lamb odor that one might associate with Australian or New Zealand lamb. It's delicious. I truly think this is excellent. It's best prepared simply, without any unnecessary seasonings, making the meat itself shine. For an appetizer, I had the Moules Marinières, also from Mont Saint-Michel. This has become a staple ingredient in Japan as well. An owner of a certain restaurant told me that to make it easier to eat a lot, you can take one shell, scoop out the meat, and pinch it with the empty shell like tongs. I also had some pommes frites alongside. The soup was a cold white asparagus soup, lightly blended. As with the cep from my previous visit, even though the portion was ample, it did not feel thinned out, allowing the true flavors of the ingredients to come through. The price is reasonable too, and I recommend the soups. For dessert, I had a tart made with the Mirabelle plums from France, which was also good. I've been going to a local shop called Overcafé recently, but the level of their baguettes is completely different. It's quite impressive. Generally, I don't think that bread served at restaurants needs to be exceptional, but the difference here is impossible to overlook. The atmosphere and service were as good as ever. I believe this is one of the top bistros in Tokyo. I'll come back again. It was a great meal!

Visited at night. This is a place I had been wanting to try for a while. Initially, I thought I would have the classic dish, the casserole, but once I stepped inside, I saw a variety of today's recommended dishes including game meat. To start, I must say that I did not experience the poor service that was mentioned in some reviews. On the contrary, the service provided by the lovely staff was very polite and friendly. Compared to other places in the same category, the service here is miles better than that of Bakanan. Here's what I ordered: From the Grand Menu: Fried Yariika (cuttlefish) It comes as a salad. The anchovy flavor balances the taste nicely, and the portion is generous. Interestingly, I found the vegetables with the anchovy flavor tastier than the cuttlefish itself. From the Grand Menu: Soup de Poisson Among all the soup de poissons I've had at other places, this one had a noticeably lower salt content. I believe that you need a certain level of salt to really bring out the flavor and aroma of the dashi (broth), but since the portion is large and reasonably priced, it was still quite good. Today's recommendation: Roasted Wood Pigeon from Scotland There were also other game options like mountain quail, Ezo deer, and mallard. Just like at Lesprit Mitani, here they seem to cook the birds whole regardless of their size. I was shown something in the middle of preparation. I had confused wood pigeons with pichon ramier (rock pigeons), but I guess they're different? It came with a rich sauce made from its innards and red wine. The sauce was incredibly rich. Since it was cooked whole, the portion was substantial. Unlike the squab I had at Ozami on the same day, this was much richer with a firmer texture. This can definitely be considered very affordable. It was delicious. From the Grand Menu: Tarte Tatin ... It was HUGE (laughs). So big that it made me laugh. I've never seen anything like this before. It's almost a gag at this point. Bakanan's tart was surprisingly large as well, but this one is even bigger. Unbelievable. The caramelized apples were excellent. With this size, it feels like the balance between the apples and the puff pastry might be off, but I think it still delivers great flavor. Here's the breakdown of the costs: Fried Yariika (official name forgotten) JPY 1680 Soup de Poisson JPY 1260 Roasted Wood Pigeon JPY 3675 Tarte Tatin with Fresh Cream JPY 1155 Cafe JPY 609 White Wine Glass JPY 840 Service charge 10% JPY 922 Total JPY 10141 Store Features: At first glance, the prices might seem high, but considering the portions, some dishes may even feel inexpensive. They offer a good variety of classic bistro dishes along with seasonal recommended dishes, so it seems I wouldn't get bored even if I visited frequently. I know nothing about wine, so I can't comment on that. The quality of the food is actually better than that of Bakanan (sorry for always comparing). Service was good as well. Personally, I love this type of cuisine and restaurant, so I would be happy to go back as many times as I can. Thank you to the staff. It was a great meal!