Read a review of La Bonne Table in the Japan Times and was very curious to try. Farm to table seems to be the in thing in Tokyo right now, with everyone going after the rustic Noma-esque vibe. I have never been to Noma nor really have the desire to do so, the concept of foraging for food isn’t new and chefs decades before his time like Marc Veyrat, whilst unknown to the International culinary world, was a European Culinary Giant. Veyrat at one point had six Michelin stars to his name, three for each of his restaurants. He’s been for decades cooking with mountain plant and herbs and perhaps best known for his restaurant that looks over the farmed animals with La Ferme de Mon Père in Megève. – How’s that for a real farm to table experience?
Back to La Bonne Table… cute little restaurant, cosy and there is a communal dining table for groups that overlook the open kitchen. Staff didn’t really speak English so I relied on my dining companion to translate. There’s one prix fixe menu and it was all seasonal produce – fresh, balanced, well seasoned and cooked, and the best of the terrior. But would I be back? Probably not with so many choices on where to dine in Tokyo.
We start with a simple garden salad, lots of leaves and root vegetables from beetroots to sweet potatoes, slightly underdressed, but the produce spoke for itself.
Then we had smokey wedges that arrived in a sealed plastic bag like a bag of chips – smokey, lightly salted and tasty.
I ordered the foie gras and thought I was getting a middle course of a corriander mushroom salad?! Well, it appears my foie gras was buried beneath. I love corriander and polished off the plate and surprised that the herb didn’t overpower the whole dish. Very nice.
Gnocchi and soup – it was a game of charades with our cute waiter who did the actions to explain how this dish was made. 100 points for effort. Again, well seasoned, and balanced with bits of lardon for richness as autumn goes into winter.
Perfectly cooked seabass in a delicious vegetable and seafood stock base, the little stick on the left was actually a pan fried rice stick – interesting but very dense!
A delicious pear chocolate crepe with caramel, salt and pepper ice cream. So good.
I still hold my ground that you can’t eat bad in Japan, the produce is great, the chefs precise, passionate and devoted and the service always impeccable despite language barriers.
La Bonne Table Tokyo
2 Chome-4-5 Nihonbashihoncho, Chuo,
Tokyo 103-0023, Japan
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