ab restaurant

⭐⭐⭐

🇫🇷 French / 📍 Ichigaya

📓 Visits: 1

ab restaurant had been on my list for a while.  Originally it was open for dinner only and they couldn't seem to settle on course menus.  In 2022 they started a lunch service.  I'm not going to list out all the course menu options because by the time I get round to posting this they'll probably have all changed but on my visit I had the JPY 5,500 course.

First up vegetable broth and pork rillette.  The broth tasted unpleasant (4.5/10) but the rillette was refined and delicious; it was probably so good because it was so sweet but anyway, 10/10.  Next sturgeon croquette with aioli and a cracker made from the skin: no complaints - 8/10.  Next satsumaimo soup.  This was the dish of the day: thick, huge depth of flavour, hot, served in a hot bowl.  I could eat this every day - 9.5/10.  Fish course today was kuromutsu with spinach and celeraic.  This had a refreshing quality and was a generous portion but the plate needed to be hot.  The main course was straw-smoked, roast duck with negi and celeriac.  The meat had great flavour but the dish was a bit basic - 8/10.  Dessert was chocolate mousse, vanilla cream mousse, strawberry, hot strawberry sauce, yomogi crumb.  Unfortunately the chocolate killed the flavour of everything else - 6.5, 7.5 without the chocolate.  Finally hojicha and a really bitter Campari mousse.  If the mousse had been served as a palate cleanser before the duck or something I might have got it but as it was it was an unexpected slap in the face rather than a soothing cuddle at the end of the meal.  Bread was replenished without want but I'd score it a max of 6.

All seats were table seating.  Although the main dining area can seat up to 20 only two tables were in use on my visit and it's not a huge area.  There was no conversation from staff until the end of the meal.  One of the staff could speak a little English.

I could see this restaurant getting a Michelin Star in the future and, given the commitment to sustainability, a Green Star to go along with it but right now I get the feeling the food is still evolving here and if I went again every dish would be different.  But today the best dish was the simplest one.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130904/13238733/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.7

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  Same-day dinner bookings are possible.  Book via Tabelog or phone.  Bookings for one only taken by phone.  Some English spoken.

📍 Location:

2-19 Ichigaya Honmura-cho.  6 mins walk from Ichigaya or Yotsuya stations.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.
Map data ©2022 Google

📅 Visit March 2022

Vegetable broth, pork rillette
Sturgeon croquette, aioli; sturgeon skin, jelly
Satsumaimo soup, burrata
Kuromutsu
Straw-smoked roast kamo, negi
Chocolate mousse, vanilla cream mousse, strawberry, hot strawberry sauce, yomogi crumb.
Campari mousse

💴 Damage: 6,500 (5500 + 1 drink @650 + 10%?)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h20m