Address -Shinjuku-ku, Kagurazaka 3-2 Yamanouchi Bldg1 Fl Opening hours - Open every day lunch (12:00 to 16:00) and dinner (18:00 to 24:00) Map - See Yahoo site (in Japanese) Telephone - 3266-0633 Menu - In Japanese and French CC - OK

One of the many sins I must confess to is a marked preference for reasonably priced restaurants. Call me cheap, but I hate to spend more than 5000 yen (including drinks) for a meal. I can already hear the howls of those who think 5000 yen is a fortune (and it is) ...
Please compare the ephemerality of labial pleasures with the permanence of so many other ways of investing. That much money spent in food goes literally down the tubes with no lasting pleasure and on average 24 hours later it ends in the toilet, whereas if you use the same amount for a book, a video or another such vehicle of learning, the acquired wisdom will accompany you until the day you die.
Given the situation, me and budget-French restaurants are a natural pair, and in fact we get along fine.
Of the restaurant chains I know in my beloved Tokyo, none offers more for less than that including Pas-a-Pas, La Dinette, Metro De Paris, Le Mouton Blanc, and Le Loisir.
Le Loisir is a restaurant that offers a little more elegance and decor, but practically the same food of cheaper choices like La Dinette. I chose a 3500 yen set and found it OK. The real diffence, apart from the neckties on the waiters, is the wine and liquor list.
I had for example a splendid glass of old Port that cost me half as much as the meal.
In the end, I prefer La Dinette or L'Amitie. Their very simplicity make them dear to me: no neckties required.
November 2003