• 3
• Missed the mark

When we arrived at this place we were feeling quite optimistic that it may just be our next big find. Unfortunately it was far from that. The vibe is nice, with interiors crafted from natural materials, in subdued earthy tones with just the right balance between rustic and modern. The open kitchen is a nice touch but also lets it down, as the inside is not very stylish - approaches the realm of the banale suburban kitchen. Service was below average. Staff were for the most part frumpy in manner and dull in appearance and on several occasions they demonstrated an overall lack of both competence and service orientation. But it's the food we came for of course. And that was the clincher. We ordered one of the more expensive courses - JPY6000+ each plus drinks. After a few non-alcoholic drinks each, the total bill somehow came to over JPY16,000 which found us a bit surprised. At this price point it's fair to expect a certain level of experience and in this case, it just wasn't there. The genre is best described as fusion cuisine - not authentic Japanese but not really Western either. Fusion is fine, but it needs to be done well and unfortunately this wasn't. While we did appreciate some of the ideas, such as the use of an escargot dish in the presentation of a gratin-like soy vegetable number, and the use of a glass to dramatically encase smoke over another vegetable arrangement, flavour-wise nothing really 'sang' to us and for the most part the conceptual failed to translate into the pleasurable. We came away feeling like we'd overpaid and under-indulged. Unlikely to be back, which is a shame because Tokyo really needs more good organic restaurants.