Restaurant Ararat

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🇫🇷 French Bistro / 📍 Toranomon

📓 Visits: 1

Restaurant Ararat opened in March 2021 and with zero Tabelog reviews and 'just' 833 Instagram followers is very much operating under the radar. The proposition is an extensive, French, wine list; classic French bistro food and an intimate dining experience.  It's a course menu with lunch priced at JPY 10,000 and dinner at JPY 15,000 plus 10% service.  Additional courses of cheese and/or raw ham were available for an additional charge.  I didn't get a clear answer on the difference between the lunch and dinner menus.  With around 5 tables the restaurant can seat up to 12 but they typically don't take more than two groups per service.  On my weekday lunchtime visit there was one other group of three.  Although we would be served the same food we dined out our own pace.

Today's menu of five courses is listed below.  There's probably nothing here you haven't eaten elsewhere but there aren't too many places that do them as well as this.  The only tiny, tiny fault I'd have with what was served was that the main course of sirloin steak could have been trimmed a little better.  Like I said, tiny.  Dessert was 'pudding' or creme caramel.  It was very much like the pudding at Coffee Nikki (review here), i.e. very good but not as good as the pudding as at Egoiste or Patous (reviews to come).

Most of the cost of ingredients would have been in the steak.  There must have been 250-300g of meat and this was A5 Omi beef.  You could easily pay 10K for that alone.  So while 10K is not cheap for a bistro lunch, overall it's reasonable value, perhaps good.  A bottle of Hildon water was included in the course.  Coffee was charged.  Bread (baguette), replenished without asking, was supplied from Boul'ange, which is a decent chain of bakeries.  There was no pressure to consume wine.  There are fewer options if you drink by the glass.  I had one, excellent, glass of champagne.

Silver cutlery, thick white tablecloths and napkins, scented oshibori on a silver tray.  Everything in the dining room was pristine.  Dining tables were the annoying type with oversized feet in an X-configuration so 'manspreading' is the most comfortable position.  Efficient service was from Restaurant Director Kotaro Miyoshi who could speak decent English.

I'm not entirely sure whether or not I'll go back.  If you look at it as a steak restaurant then compared with an actual steakhouse or, say the Hyatt, then it's cheap.  But the food overall is not particularly memorable.  In particular, you could have dinner at Noura (review here) for half the cost of lunch here and you might leave more satisfied.  But if you are looking for something a bit more exclusive you should enjoy Restaurant Ararat.  It's the kind of place where (with notice) the kitchen could prepare anything for you if you asked and if you're into expensive wine then you have 100s to choose from.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1308/A130802/13256085/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  Phone a day or earlier in advance.  TableCheck bookings no longer available.

📍 Location: 1-2-15 Toranomon.  2-3 mins from Toranomon / Toranomon Hills stations.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.
Map data ©2022 Google

📅 Visit March 2022

Lunch course 10,000:
Périgord truffle on buttered toast
Onion soup, cheese gratin
Pate de campagne, green salad
Sirloin steak
Pudding
Coffee, spiced biscuits 700
Champagne 2800

💴 Damage: 14,850 incl 10% service
⏱️ Time taken: 1h15m