This is one of those ‘slice of France’ places, in . It’s in Maru Biru, which I find very faceless and unappealing (perhaps it’s just the lower floors, since I haven’t ascended to the heights for any dining yet?), but when you step inside it’s dark and terribly, terribly Frenchy. I can say that with authority because I went to France once, and studied French for 4 years in high school.
About the food, I remember mainly my companion’s cold entrée – unagi and black rice terrine. This was in the category of ‘things that sound so weird you just have to get them’ (usually it’s me that gets those things, and they’re very hit-or-miss, so I’m glad she took the plunge) but it was more weird than good (miss!). I also seem to remember a roast lamb dish on my side, with roasted garlic. I think it was OK. In my memory the food wasn’t quite up to the clean/composed standards of the Au Gout du Jour group, which is my standard for upper-mid-price French, but it was robust and definitely modern, as opposed to some places I could name.
Service was competent in an uncle-y, grandfather-y way, which was very nice. The thing that stands out in my mind is that when we were leaving, the waiter gave my companion’s coat to ME. I thought “No, that’s obviously HER coat, you dunce”, followed a split-second later by “You dunce, you’re supposed to help her put her coat on, and he’s helping you do that!” Anyway, some strange and unclear memories, but I would go back.
5220-7022 http://www.labyrinthe.co.jp/marunouchi/