Bastide de Crillon, Otemachi (オアゾ5階)

“Crillon’s Castle”, or words to that effect, is tucked high in a mountain aerie where only eagles and brave or foolhardy men tread. Errr, flap and alight. And peck. Or something. Actually it’s just on Oazo’s 5th floor next to Amalfi Moderna, and its tablecloths share the same slightly vomitous shade of green. I was worried that they’re in the same group, or share a kitchen or something. Actually, I’m still worried, but Crillon seems a little better than Amalfi.

Yer basic lunch sets are Y1500 (meat) and Y1800 (fish), but the increment gets you a small starter (soup) instead of a basic (salad). Yesterday’s meat was chicken, as I suspect it often is, and this was a big leg-plus-alpha piece with a thick layer of fat under the brown and crispy skin. Not bad, not bad. The fish was a piece of snapper (姫鯛, I think they said?), again with the skin crisped, accompanied by a lonely scallop, and topped with a tangle of crisp-fried negi rings, tiny dried shrimp and mizuna. I must say – points for creativity and making some effort there. Coffee was strangely good, but I think this is just because I haven’t been drinking much coffee this year. No dessert . Things also came with tolerable baguette slices and real, genuine butter!

This is the kind of place that makes an amusing diversion for lunch if you don’t mind the price, but I couldn’t in good faith recommend it for dinner regardless of price (brief conference with others outside yesterday’s dining team confirmed this suspicion). I have a feeling it will be OK, but you could spend your yen and calorie allotment more sensibly elsewhere.

Crayola?
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