Address - 5-14-4 Ogikubo, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Opening hours - Open from 11:30 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 22:00. Closed on Mondays Map - See directions Telephone - 3220-5448 Menu - In Japanese and French CC - OK
Yesterday (October 1999) a friend of mine introduced me to Brin de Muguet, a French restaurant opened by people who until recently worked at Le Canard in Shinjuku. The place is very small, no more than 20 seats, quiet and pleasant even when full as it was the evening we went. The interior is all in wood (my friends say that it was all made by the guys themselves), simple but in good taste.
And the food? The whole operation is run by French staff, and this is a first for me. So far I always had French food prepared by Japanese, and I must say Brin de Muguet tastes different. The cook really knows what he is doing, and even unpromising dishes like roast pork with lentils turn out ot be real treats (particularly the lentils). The dessert was pure delight, the best I have had in a long while. And the menu changes once in a while, so you don't have the time to grow tired of it.You can choose one of three sets: the cheapest costs 3500, the most expensive 6500: this can sound a bit expensive, but it really isn't; believe me, you will get your money's worth and more.
Two years after: I have been going regularly to BdM for two years now, and I like it more than ever. As a matter of fact, it's one of my favorite restaurant, partly because I have come to know and like the folks there, and partly because time has confirmed the restaurant's commitment to quality and friendly but expert service.
By the way, my friend Claus Regge pointed out to me that no restaurant review, particularly where a French venue is concerned, is complete without a discussion of the wines on offer. Since I am not a wine drinker, Claus has agreed to accompany me on some of my expeditions and shoulder the awesome burden (?) of swirling, smelling and sipping, sometimes quaffing, the wines. His piece follows. For myself, I will just say that you shouldn't forget to taste their Yosmeyer Eau-de-Vie, a liquor strong and delicate at the same time that comes in about eight different flavors, all worth trying and a good end to anybody's meal.
To go to Brin de Muguet, get out of Ogikubo Station's west exit, take Suzuran Dori (there's a big arch with the name in Hiragana where it begins) and, about three hundred meters later, where it ends, on the right you will find Brin de Muguet with its French flag.
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A very pleasant surprise at Brin de Muguet. was the wine list. Isn't it astounding that a place as small as the Brin de Muguet can offer over seventy kinds of wine? The "whites" page lists twelve Burgundies, four from the Loire, three from Alsace (yes, there is even a Gewurztraminer) and three from Bordeaux incluiding two sweet Sauternes dessert wines which are, unfortunately, not available in half bottles; who can drink a whole bottle of a sweet Sauternes?
I confess that my eyes automatically drift over to the "reds" on any wine list. Here, things get even better at the Brin de Muguet. Fifteen Burgundies are followed by one Beaujolais, two Cote du Rhone including a Chateau-Neuf du Pape, one each from Languedoc and Fitou and -- glory upon glory -- thirty-two Bordeaux. Prices are quite reasonable by Tokyo restaurant standards. There's a Paulliac at Yen 3600 which, upon closer examination, turns out to be the fourth wine from no less than Ch. Lafite Rothschild. At the high end, there's an '88 Ch. Cheval Blanc, one of only two "premier" grand crus from St. Emilion (the other being Ch. Ausone), undoubtedly a magnificent bottle for that special evening when you don't mind spending Yen 38,000. The biggest surprise of all was a '52 (yes, that is vintage 1952, and it's not a typing error) Ch. Les Guettes, a name I had never come across.
I picked a bottle of '89 (an excellent vintage) Ch. Grands Sillons, a largely unknown Pomerol which turned out to be a fine choice. After some time in the glass, it developed the fleshy, succulent bouquet of berries and chocolate for which Pomerol is famous, and the rich, gratifying, concentrated taste of barrels of fruit and soft tannins you would expect from a wine with ten years of bottle age. The price? A very reasonable Yen 7200.
The Brin de Muguet will see me again soon. Even if they served no food at all, I'd go back just for the wine list.
GETTING THERE: Get out of Okigubo station's west exit, turn right and then left at the Sanwa Bank. Go straight for about 200 meters and you will find Brin de Muguet on the right side of the street.