AI94
【Revisit】I made a reservation in advance and visited this café to have a meal after a long time. It was a little past 1:15 pm on a weekday, and the interior of the café was almost full. Once seated, a staff member brought a menu written on a large blackboard. The menu was as follows:
■ Today's Main Dish (with baguette)
- Chiba Prefecture Crossbred Beef Momo Meat Red Wine Stew 2,420 yen
- Pan-seared Fresh Fish with Tapenade Cream Sauce 2,420 yen
- Kagoshima Prefecture Southern Sweet Pork Loin Roast Salad 2,200 yen
- Salad Harp Size 1,320 yen
■ A La Carte
- Beef Sirloin Steak with French Fries 3,850 yen
- Baguette Retrodor 220 yen
- French Échiré Butter 550 yen
- French Fry Potatoes 770 yen
- Today's Soup 990 yen
- Onion Gratin Soup 1,540 yen
- Homemade Chicken Liver Mousse 1,100 yen
- Salmon Marinade 1,320 yen
- Squid Fritters Salad with Anchovy Dressing 1,320 yen
- Assorted Homemade Ham Pate Rillettes 1,320 yen
- Assorted Vegetables 1,100 yen
- French Basque Pierre Oteiza's Prosciutto Salad 1,320 yen
- French Loire White Asparagus Fritters with Hollandaise Sauce 1,100 yen
- French Brittany Veal and Riedvoix Foie Gras Terrine 1,320 yen
I had tried the salad before, and this time I decided to go with the Pan-seared Fresh Fish with Tapenade Cream Sauce. A few minutes later, a basket of baguettes was brought to the table. As a lover of hard bread like baguettes, just the sight of the Retrodor made me excited! Although you can have a little bit of the bread in advance, I patiently waited until the main dish arrived. Ten minutes later, the dish arrived:
Pan-seared Fresh Fish with Tapenade Cream Sauce: The dish featured red snapper in the front, monkfish in the back, topped with a slightly green tapenade sauce and potato fries. Both the red snapper and monkfish had crispy skin and tender flesh. The tapenade sauce, with a hint of olive bitterness, saltiness, vinegar acidity, and creamy richness, complemented the white fish perfectly. The accompanying vegetables included baby corn, Moroccan green beans, and zucchini, with the zucchini standing out with its delicious crunchiness. The potato fries on top were also flavorful.
Baguette Retrodor: Two pieces were served per person. The crust was crispy and crunchy, with a delightful aroma. The crumb was soft and chewy, with a rich wheaty flavor and sweetness. The combination of the delicious main dish and the high-quality baguette elevated the overall dining experience. The pan-seared white fish with crispy skin and tender flesh, paired with the tapenade sauce, was truly delicious. The Baguette Retrodor was the pinnacle of baguette perfection, bringing pure bliss! As a bread lover, I was personally thrilled to enjoy such a high-quality baguette after a long time. The menu was a bit limited with only mains and bread, but I was able to enjoy a high-quality lunch in a stylish atmosphere. The café mainly attracted female customers. In the past, you could usually get a seat without much wait if it wasn't peak hours, but now they have a board outside where you write your name and number of people. They don't offer a service where they contact you when your table is ready, so I recommend making a reservation in advance if you want to enter the café on time. I will definitely visit again when I want to enjoy a slightly fancy lunch.