Juan-Les-Pins French Cuisine ジュアン・レ・パン 022-379-6929

Website:  http://www.jlp-sendai.com/menu.html

Address:  仙台市泉区中山1-18-3.   According to their website, located about a ten-minute walk from Yaotome Subway Station.

Map:  Scroll down below.

Lunch:  11:30 am to 2:15 pm. Dinner:  5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.   

Closed Wednesdays. 

I’d like to thank my student, Aki, for recommending this superb restaurant to me, as this was quite a treat!

Hidden along a residential side street, this small, quaint eatery looks more like a house than a restaurant, and can easily be passed by.

As we were handed the menu, we were surprised that only two different course menu options were available, with no a la carte alternatives to choose from.

My wife decided on the lower-priced soup/entrée/dessert course for 1890 yen, and I went with the Chef’s Recommended course for 2500 yen.  As each course offered a selection from the same number of soups (3) and entrées (7), the only differences between the two was that the Chef’s set comes with an appetizer and a wider variety of desserts. 

I’ll start of with a description of my Chef’s course.  The listed appetizer was a fish with vegetables combination (本ますのポワレと春の野菜の取り合わせ) that didn’t sound appetizing to this picky eater.  I politely asked if the chef would kindly substitute another hors d’ oeuvre due to my aversion to fish.  I was brought a lovely dish of mini-pork steaks with yukina greens soaked in red wine sauce.  The pork was so tender that a knife was not necessary to cut it.  The sauce and the leafy vegetables were delicious!  This would have made a great entrée all by itself!

Pork with Yukina Greens in Red Wine Sauce

With both courses came the piping hot homemade rolls with homemade butter!  When I first picked up the roll, it burned my fingers and I dropped it, luckily back onto the plate.  After letting it cool down for a minute or two, I broke opened the bread and saw the steam arise from the insides of the roll and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted across the table.   I attempted to take a photo of this, but to no avail.  According to their website, they pre-bake the bread to 80% of its completion, and only upon a customer’s orders will they bake the remainder so that it arrives oven-fresh to your table.  These rolls were quite large in size and, as I had been warned ahead of time by Aki that, since the courses were brought out at a slow pace, I might have the feeling of fullness quite quickly, so I nibbled on the roll at a leisurely pace.

Homemade Butter and Rolls

Next came the onion gratin soup.  My student raved about two things on this menu:  the onion gratin soup and the dessert (but more on that later).   My wife and I both ordered this soup and completely agreed with her.   I don’t like cheese but I was made a convert with this soup.  Oniony yet sweet, with chunks of the homemade bread added to the mix.

オニオングラタンスープ

I selected the beef rib meat steak with a lightly seasoned vinaigrette sauce for an additional 315 yen.  Topped with an assortment of fresh vegetables (string beans, broccoli, carrots, and potato with cheese), this made for a delectable platter.  The steak was tender and flavorful, and although I did enjoy the sauce, I think I would have preferred to savor the succulent beef flavor by itself.  Still, I was not dissatisfied at all.

牛ともバラ肉のステーキをさっぱりヴィネグレットソースで

My wife fancied the three varieties of fish platter as her entrée, which came with shimeji mushrooms and snow peas smothered in a creamy sauce.  She loved the fish and commented on its tenderness.

3種のお魚料理

The serving sizes of all the dishes in both of our courses were more than adequate, and we were absolutely full when we were reminded that dessert was on its way.

We ganbare-ed and took to our 別腹!  The standard lunch course came with the Chef’s selection of desserts.  Luckily for my wife, this was quite bountiful!  Her dessert plate came with pudding, Fuji apple tart, grapefruit cake, and black sesame ice cream.

おまかせデザート

According to my spouse, the pudding was pudding; nothing special, but not bad.  And the black sesame ice cream was unique, but in a good way!

While she was devouring her savory sweets, I was shown the dessert wagon cart with six different treats to choose from.  There was no ice cream available but the three other desserts that were on my wife’s platter were also offered, along with strawberry cake, tiramisu, and cheesecake.

デザート６種類

I was under the impression that I could choose whatever individual dessert I wanted, but no, this was not the case.  I was told by the kind waitress that I could choose ALL the desserts, if I so desired!  Since my stomach was already bursting, I asked for small samples of the strawberry cake, the grapefruit cake, and the Fuji apple tart (I’m not a big fan of tiramisu nor cheesecake, and my wife had already stated that the pudding was just pudding).

The apple tart was fantastic!  And both the cakes were soft, sweet, and scrumptious.  I wish I would have been able to eat larger portions of the desserts, but I was too stuffed.

Grapefruit Cake, Strawberry Cake, and Fuji Apple Tart

As this outstanding feast was coming to a close, we sipped on the rich coffee and admired the amazing view of Izumi through the windows of this hilltop restaurant:  What a perfect ending to this wonderful meal!

I’m posting Juan-Les-Pains (JLP) in my Recommended section, but I’m sure that after another visit or two that I will upgrade this fabulous restaurant to my Favorites!  The menu changes from month-to-month, as JLP offers only what is in season in order to provide the freshest, tastiest cuisine, so don’t be surprised if what I’ve written about is no longer available, but I’m sure whatever appears on the new menu will delight you.

This is a small restaurant with about nine parking spaces available, so I highly recommend that you make reservations ahead of time.  

My significant other and I are thinking of a romantic dinner visit to Juan-Les-Pains, as viewing the moonlight over Izumi while dining on the incredible flavors they provide seems oh-so enticing!

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Weekly Update: November 22, 2012

Again, no weight gain despite the recent, massive, pigging-out.  I’ll post about four recent and exceptional meals.

First, my late birthday dinner at Pastime in Nagamachi.  I again went with the beef boiled in red wine and, again, it was amazing.  Unfortunately, again, it was the petite serving and not a super-sized version.  

The large, fifteen different vegetables, green salad (700 yen) tasted fresh and, compared to the size of the beef platter, was quite generous.  The dressing was tangy and tasty.

15種野菜のグリーンサラダ

But back to the beef:  The mouthwatering, microscopic meat morsels.  Delicious but dainty.  The accompanying veggies were cooked to perfection and with the red wine sauce this was truly magnificent.  If this had been a satisfactory sized serving, Pastime would make my Favorites list in a heartbeat.  On flavor alone, it does deserve this recognition, but due to its proportions I just can’t upgrade it.

Beef Boiled in Red Wine

My wife ordered a fish platter and kept saying 「おいしいいいいいいいい！」after almost every bite.  

Fish of the Day

After easily devouring the beef, I ordered a Margherita pizza to satisfy my hunger.  But to my disappointment I discovered that pizza is not Pastime’s strong point.  Though edible and quite enjoyable, it does not compare to the authentic offerings of Amo La Pizza.  I would have been better off ordering a second meat entrée for just a few yen more.

Margherita Pizza

Secondly, came the fabulously fattening pancake lunch at Pancake & Café 38 Mitsubachi.  On this day I introduced this restaurant to a dear friend of mine and we both waddled out of there stuffed and satisfied.

I went with the lunch special selection of hamburger patty in tomato sauce with salad, drink, dessert, and three buttermilk pancakes (1280 yen).  As a kid who had the rare opportunity to visit an IHOP, I learned right away that hot cakes can turn into cold, unappealing cakes in a blink of an eye, so I dug into the pancakes immediately and found them to be light, fluffy, and delicious.    The hamburger patty was appetizing though, as an American, found it strange that it came on the same plate as the pancakes.

**The following photos from the pancake shop were not taken by me, but were taken by my friend who ... A) has a better camera than I do, or B) has a better photographic eye.   I hate to admit it but I think it's B.

Hamburger / Pancake Lunch Set

The salad was good but nothing special, but I never touched the yogurt dessert that came with the platter.

My friend surprised me by ordering the ten-layer pancake special for 1500 yen.  Yet, I was not surprised when my friend couldn’t even finish half of it.  Though the pancakes are rather small, this mountain of goodness would be good for two very good-eaters, or three normal eaters to share.  Thankfully, the kind staff gave us a doggy bag with the remaining pancakes and informed us that thirty seconds in the microwave would revive them to good as new.

Ten-high Pancake Stack (w/o butter?)

Next, came today’s company lunch at La Gita.  The staff was so impressed with our previous visit that we felt it was necessary to acquaint the absentee associates from our last luncheon to this shining star in Shiogama.

I had my heart set on the ham with ricola pizza, but unfortunately, the pizza of the day was octopus.  I switched to the non-tomato sauced based, sliced bologna with fresh tomato and arugula pizza.  The bologna, when tasted by itself, was very delicious, yet seemed to lose its identity when combined with the pizza crust, perhaps due to the bologna's thinness.

モルタデッラ:  Bologna w/o Tomato Sauce. Oops, took a slice too soon.

Still, it was very good and everyone seemed to agree that La Gita offers a first-rate pizza and the best in Shiogama.

メランシャーネ: with Eggplant

But let me backtrack to the salad for a moment.  This time I did notice that the dressing on the salad was merely olive oil and that, true to my friend’s suggestion, pepper should have been added.

And lastly, this evening’s fantastic fare at Bistro Ampoule.  Tonight, I tried something new and went with the a la carte fried chicken, but this definitely wasn’t your neighborhood KFC recipe.

The outer skin was thin, crispy, and peppery.  The chicken meat was soft and delectable.  What amazed me was that each individual vegetable, from the potato, to the eggplant, and even the sweet potato, seemed to be cooked in separate seasonings.  I really don’t believe that they were prepared separately, and it was probably due to the fact that each veggie carried its own flavor stamp, yet it still seemed that the seasoning on each vegetable was unique, which made for a wonderful dining experience.

プール・ソワール Chicken

My wife ordered “A” set dinner special and chose the fish carpaccio for the appetizer and shrimp pasta with tomato sauce as the entrée.   She loved it all!  The carpaccio was quite plentiful so I indulged in the salad portion of it and found the tangy dressing to be terrific.    My wife loved it all and praised the chef over and over again for the amazing meal.

Carpaccio Appetizer

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Pasta

Oh, I forgot. Last weekend we ordered take-out from Amo La Pizza for the second time within a month, both times with the lovely miso dressed Genki Salad.   Of course, Amo treated us exceptionally well and I expect we'll be taking out again the next time the weather is weary. 

I’ll try and post about a new restaurant soon, but until then hopefully this update will lead you to some great restaurants that I’ve reviewed before.  

Have a great holiday weekend!

Weekly Update: November 2, 2012

I thought I put on the pounds (or kicked up the kilograms) after two great lunches this week, but luckily for me the damage wasn’t so bad.

First off, due to a change in my schedule, I had a very rare (actually first time) midweek lunch at Amo La Pizza, where the benefits of writing this blog are paying off, or, they have decided to reward their frequent customers.   Either way, I’m getting extra stuff!!!

Although there are only three pizza options listed on the lunch menu, the lovely assistant, Ms. Honami Suzuki, remembering that I prefer meat-like toppings, asked if I would like some grilled chicken added to a margherita pizza.   She also recalled that I don’t like pottage soups very much and mentioned that that the soup of the day was pumpkin pottage, and would that be all right with me?  Pumpkin pottage sounded much better than the spinach soup they usually offer so I told her I’d give it a go.  

Pumpkin Pottage

The fresh vegetable salad (with all veggies grown in Miyagi) topped with the wonderful miso dressing was delectable, as usual.  The pumpkin pottage was a very pleasant surprise:  a definite pumpkin taste without being overbearing.  The pizza … awesome!

Fresh Veggie Salad w/Miso Dressing

Margherita Pizza w/Bonus Grilled Chicken

The orange tart cake for an extra 200 yen was well worth it as it topped off a perfect meal.  Oh, and I forgot the coffee, that was my choice for the drink, which was included in the lunch.  Still, only a 1200 yen lunch.  

Orange Tart Cake

Get a load of the super small sugar spoon

A little more on reaping the benefits: the kind staff has rewarded us recently with extras on our dessert orders and free, quite generous, refills on my wife’s wine glasses, saying they appreciate our business and promotions.   Thanks Amo la Pizza!!!  You sure know how to take care of your customers!

Later in the week I introduced my friend to the fantastic flavors of another Favorite of mine, Bistro Beouf d’ Or.   We both ordered the pork fillet with balsamic sauce from the 1000 yen “A” lunch set, which came with rice or bread, dessert, and coffee, along with the soup of the day (mushroom pottage) for an additional 350 yen.  

伊豆沼産霜ふり赤豚温野菜添え

Because of my faith in Bistro Beouf d’Or, I decided to go with its mushroom offering, despite not being big on mushrooms nor a promoter of pottage (as mentioned above).  Like a good pottage should be, it was quite creamy (did I forget to mention I’m not crazy about creamy, either).  Yet despite all these strikes against it, I still liked it.  In fact, I ate the whole thing!  My friend, upon tasting the first spoonful, exclaimed, “すごくおいしい！”  and then proceeded to devour the bowl.

Mushroom Pottage

Because we were both rather engaged and focused on our conversation, we really didn’t pay much attention to the flavors we were ingesting, but from time to time we’d stop and say something like, “This is really good!”   Then continue on with our heart-to-heart.   At one point we were a bit confused by the white orb-like, yet yummy, vegetable on our plate, only to discover that it was a turnip.  Turnips never tasted so good.

The mango jelly dessert was sweet … very sweet, yet scrumptious.  I had chunks of mango in my jelly, while my friend didn’t have such luck.  Haha.  Sorry.

Marvelous Mango Jelly

Oh, I also forgot to mention that my wife and I stuffed ourselves at Bistro Ampoule last Saturday, another Favorite of ours.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera at the time but I ordered my usually steak and fries.  The only difference on this day was with the appetizer, as we selected the pork pâté salad for the first time, which was a nice change of pace.

I don’t know where we’ll be dining this weekend, but I’ll keep you updated so please check back soon.  

Thanks for reading!!!

UPDATE: Bistro Ampoule ビストロ・アンブル 022-743-5785

Website:  http://r.gnavi.co.jp/t267400/

If you haven't read about Bistro Ampoule before, please read my original post at:  Bistro Ampoule.

Bistro Ampoule is now one of my FAVORITES!!!  When I first reported on this fabulous restaurant, I listed it under my Recommended list because just after one visit I couldn’t be sure if its greatness was consistent or if it was a one-hit wonder.  But I’ve been back again and again (and again) and I have confirmed its wonderfulness.  It appears that many others agree with me, as every time I venture in there always seems to be a crowd.  

From the “Evening Lunch” menu (this is different from their Lunch and Dinner menus), the “A” set for 1260 yen that I ordered came with an appetizer and a main dish.  It was tough to decide upon which appetizer to go with, as there were thirteen very different choices to choose from.  I was in a meat-eating mood so I chose the salad with homemade sautéed bacon and spicy mustard as the appetizer.   The two thick slices of bacon were amazingly delicious, with the German mustard complimenting them very well.  The fresh salad had a tangy Italian dressing.  This appetizer was absolutely delicious and I loved it!  With the accompanying toasted bread and zesty balsamic sauce, these alone practically filled me up.  As I mentioned before, the bread came with お代わりservice!  How often does that happen in Japan?

実家製ベーコンのソテー粒マスタード添え

Toasted Bread with Balsamic Sauce ... and a touch of house wine.

For the main entrée on this evening I went with the black peppered pork roast with lemon and vegetables, which costs an additional 300 yen.  The veggies consisted of eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, sweet potato, and a carrot purée, all being served at room temperature making them, as a whole, seem more like ratatouille.  The pork steak was soft, tender, and peppery, with a thin crusty layer on top that added a textural delight to the senses.  This was truly scrumptious!  Although the pork came with the same spicy mustard that accompanies the beef steak they serve, it didn’t go as well with the pork as it did with the beef.  But the pork didn’t need any additional accoutrements to aid in its appreciation, it stood alone.

ロース肉の黒胡椒ステーキ　レモン添え

My wife’s bouillabaisse, with spinach, potatoes, eggplant and 鰈 fish (flounder), along with the  金目鯛  fish platter (1410 yen) appeared too much for her to eat.  Yet she happily obliged and stated that everything tasted just grand.

Seafood Galore!

On yet another outing to Bistro Ampoule we were served a sampling of carrot pottage on the house, which was very delightful.

Carrot pottage

My better half just loved her shrimp pasta and its creamy tomato sauce while I enjoyed the dinner variation of the steak and fries.  The dinner variation, unlike the lunch variation, came with a balsamic sauce topping that was very pleasing.  However, in my opinion, the tanginess of the balsamic topping did not mix well with the spiciness of the German mustard, so I kept those two apart.

Shrimp Pasta

Dinner Steak & Fries with Balsamic Sauce

The masterful chef, だいぞー,conjures up amazing dishes and a plethora of options with ingredients from local farmers.  My wife and I love Bistro Ampoule, and we think you’d love it, too.  

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Bistro Ampoule ビストロ・アンプル 022-743-5785

UPDATE:  Bistro Ampoule has been upgraded to my Favorites listing.  Please read my updated post here: Update-Bistro Ampoule.

Website:  http://r.gnavi.co.jp/t267400/

Address:  宮城県仙台市太白区泉崎１－３３－１０　富沢公園パークマンション１０２.   Located about a three-minute walk from the Sendai Gymnasium or a five-minute walk from Tomizawa Subway Station.  

Lunch:  11:30 am – 2:00 pm. 　　　Dinner:  6:00 pm – 10:30 pm.

Closed Wednesdays.

While flipping the channels this morning we happened upon a local TV program called あらあらかしこ which was currently showcasing businesses near Tomizawa Subway Station.  One of the eateries highlighted was Bistro Ampoule, and the show’s reporters were just raving about the exquisite food.  

We live within walking distance to this restaurant and have driven past it countless times, but it never seemed to catch our attention.  In fact, it’s kind of difficult to tell that there’s a restaurant at that location.  This seemed to reaffirm a theory that I proposed to my wife:  The truly great restaurants in Sendai seem to do the least in attracting attention to themselves, while restaurants with more, shall we say, common fare, tend to go overboard in their displays of “Look at me!  I’m a restaurant!  I have bright colors, big banners, and plaster the side of the building with photos of the food and the prices!  Eat here!  Please!”  びっくりドンキー is an example of this “I’m over here!” type of restaurant.  I actually enjoy driving by Bikkuri Donkeys because each restaurant has a different motif on the outside of the building.  You can spot a Bikkuri Donkey a mile away.  I have nothing against びっくりドンキー.  I’ve eaten there and it was good.  But it was also nothing special.  Conversely, Bistro Ampoule seems to follow the concept taken by such greats as Café de Mieux and Bistro Boeuf d’Or, which almost seem to hide their existence.  Rather than focus on being seen, these restaurants focus on quality.

We strolled over to Bistro Ampoule and at first were turned away due to them hosting a full house (the place only holds about twenty people).  We thought that perhaps others in the neighborhood had seen the same program, as well.  But we gave them our cell phone number and they gave us a call ten minutes later saying they had an opening.  

My wife and I both ordered the “A” set lunch that came with an appetizer, a main dish selection, bread or rice, a drink, and dessert for 1000 yen.  For an additional 500 yen, I went with the steak and fries, the mouthwatering platter they showed on the TV program, while my wife ordered the fish selection, but more on these later.

「牛ロース肉」ステーキフリットビストロ風

First came the focaccia bread and the ratatouille appetizer.  The ratatouille consisted of eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, mizuna, and zucchini while topped with a light dressing.  This was very good!  The focaccia was light with a slightly crunchy crust that complimented the ratatouille very nicely.

Focaccia

ラタトゥイユ

My wife stated that the fish was tender and delicious, and that the vegetables were fabulous!  The accompanying veggies were as follows:  Chinese cabbage, sweet potatoes, radish, spinach, yellow bell peppers, onion, carrots, eggplant, and green onions.  She said that it seemed to be topped with a delightful a carrot sauce!

舌平目

I’m always a bit concerned when ordering steak in Japan, as I don’t like to see the meat red.  Back in the States I order my steaks medium (or medium rare for prime rib), but in Japan I have to ask for well done just so that it won’t be red in the center.  But this time I forgot to request how I wanted my steak prepared when ordering .   Luckily for me, it was grilled to a perfect medium setting, and like my wife’s fish, this was also tender and delicious, and much to my delight, appeared to be just a bit bigger than what I saw on TV that morning.

We were seated at the counter where I could see the chef preparing our food from our vantage point.   I’m no cook, so I don’t know if this is standard practice or not but it was the first time I had seen this:  the chef held the uncooked steak in one hand away from the stove and sprinkled the salt over it, then the pepper, before he placed it on the grill.  It looked … different, but it also gave me the impression that he was sweating over the details and that he was really putting in a fair amount of effort into our food preparations.  I liked that!

The fries were just the way I like them:  crispy and salted to perfection.  A nice added touch was the spicy mustard on the platter that went well with both the steak and fries.

For dessert, we were brought a wonderful serving of vanilla ice cream to top off the meal, or so I thought.   By the end of our meal, we were the only ones in the joint.   The waitress, having noticed me writing my notes and taking umpteen flash photos asked me, “Do you write a blog?”    I told her I did.  She then brought out the regular menu (we had only seen the lunch menu up until then) and told us a little about the restaurant.  They’ve been open for business for three years now and are proud of their wine lists and their food preparation.  She says that sometimes the menu changes as they set the day’s menu according to the availability of the freshest ingredients.  We noticed that they offer a wine nomihoudai, which is something I’ve never seen advertised before.   

Vanilla Ice Cream

Perhaps they were trying to buy my loyalties as the waitress served us some cherries.  She said that the chef had just returned from his hometown in Yamagata and wanted to share his omiyage with us.   It worked.

Bistro Ampoule does not offer a stamp card but they did give us two 100 Euro tickets, which is good for a 100 yen discount each off our next lunch.  Click on the クーポン tab on the gnavi site for the same discount ahead of time.  Another coupon choice is the 1050 yen two hour house wine nomihoudai.  The website states that they have six parking spaces available.  Since it’s a small establishment you might want to call ahead and make a reservation.

I’m listing Bisro Ampoule in my Recommend listings for the time being, but I have a feeling that after a couple of more visits this restaurant will be moving up to my Favorites.

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Pastime パスタイム 022-352-9502

Website:  http://www.mapion.co.jp/phonebook/M01008/04104/G0223529502-001/

Address:  仙台市太白区長町5-1-16みつはビル２F.  On the 2^nd floor across the street from the Taihaku Library.  Very close to both Nagamachi Subway and JR Stations.  On the same side of the street as the JR station.

Map:  Scroll down to the bottom.

Open:  Lunch 11:30 am – 2:30 pm.                                                                   Tea Time  1:00 pm – 3:30 pm.                                                                             Dinner  6:00 pm – 9:30 pm. Closed Mondays.

Sometime back, way before I started this blog, I asked my friend Nozomi if she knew of any good restaurants in the Nagamachi area.   Without hesitation she said “Pastime!”  I heeded her recommendation and lunched here a couple of times, each time walking away satisfied.  

But tonight was the first time dining here for dinner.  And quite frankly, I think their dinner is better than their lunch.  

I was very impressed with their menu, as they offer quite a few selections of salads, hors d’oeuvres, pizzas, pastas, fish, and meat dishes to choose from.  Because of the variety, I had difficulty deciding which viande platter to order, as each one sounded scrumptious.

牛ほほ肉の赤ウィン煮込み

I went with the boiled beef in red wine (1000 円) while my wife ordered the fish of the day (1200 円).  For an additional 400 yen I ordered the “a” set which came with a green salad and bread (or rice).

My wife asked for a glass of red wine, and we were both surprised when she was served a big wine glass with a tiny amount of wine.  I’m really not sure if I’m an optimist or a pessimist, but either way that glass was definitely not half full nor half empty.  It was more ¾ empty and ¼ full.  Apparently, this was a sign of things to come.

The salad was … small, and mostly consisted of plain iceberg lettuce with a few slices of red and yellow bell peppers.  But the salad dressing was wonderful and made up for not having romaine or red leaf lettuce.

Oh, but the bread … the hot, homemade baguette … brilliant!

Our meals arrived and when I first laid eyes upon mine I thought, “Is that it?”   This looked like an appetizer but unfortunately it was my main dish.  My wife’s platter looked a little more filling, but not by much.  The saving grace was the taste … outstanding!  The beef was so soft I only used my fork to cut it (as advertised on the menu!) and it melted in my mouth.  The potato wedges were crisp and salted to perfection.  The cooked carrots sweet, and the red wine sauce delectable.

My wife savored her fish/shrimp platter and raved about the accompanying sauce.  She also enjoyed the taste of the red wine, but wishing it was more than just a sample serving.    

本日のおすすめ魚料理

I recommend Pastime for its flavorful food, which I guess every restaurant should be judged by.   But I know next time I go there for dinner I’ll be ordering a pizza on the side to make it a filling meal.

And just for your info, they do have a stamp card plus a special わっしょい card for use in businesses in the Nagamachi 1-chome area.  For every 10,000円 you spend while presenting this card, you get a 500 円 discount.

There is no free parking nor do they offer vouchers for the parking lots that are nearby, but we only paid 200 円 for the parking.  Also, I noticed a piano in the restaurant, so I suspect that they offer live entertainment, although at the time I went there was none.

I'm definitely looking forward to sampling Pastime's pizzas and other meat dishes!

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UPDATE: Café de Mieux カフェドミゥ 022-712-2455

Website:  http://mieux2000.exblog.jp/

**Please check my previous post on Café de Mieux HERE for more information.

Wow!  What a meal!  Then again, that’s always the case when you eat at Café de Mieux.

My wife and I actually ordered the same thing as I wrote about in my original post of this restaurant, so I didn’t take any photographs of the meal.  But like I mentioned before, the menu often changes here and so it did tonight.   Only one meat option was offered this evening and it was listed as chicken with anchovy sauce.  But since seafood and I don’t go well together I asked if there was anything they could do for me.  They served me the chicken with the mustard sauce that I love and it was fantastic!

As we were dining, a customer at the table next to ours was enjoying a chocolate tart and its wonderful aroma wafted through the air.   It was too tempting to pass up so I ordered it while my wife chose the ミル crepe pie.

But when I received my serving there was no whiff wafting, nor was there any ice cream that I had seen on the other man’s plate.  So I asked, “Where’s the ice cream?”  Apparently, you have to request for the tart to be heated, then they’ll slap on some ice cream.  But the kind proprietress soon returned with what I wanted and it was worth the wait!  It was wonderful!

Chocolate Tart

The deep, rich, flavorful coffee just added the perfect touch, and apparently the chai was aces, too!

You know that feeling when you've just finished an absolutely marvelous meal, well, that's the way we waddled out of there.

Thank you, again, Café de Mieux!

ミル Crepe Pie

Chailicious!

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