A note on the words: an omakase course is a set menu left entirely to the chef — you do not choose the dishes. A specialite is a restaurant’s signature dish. Shime-saba is mackerel cured in salt and vinegar rather than cooked, and bo-zushi is a Japanese style in which fish is pressed onto rice in a long bar and then sliced into rounds. May Queen is a variety of potato. Potage is a smooth, thick soup, and confit is meat cooked slowly in its own fat until it falls apart. Petits fours are the small baked sweets served at the end of a meal.
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L’AS on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time, a stylish restaurant tucked away in the back streets of Omotesando: the French bistro L’AS. When I was hunting for somewhere to go and looked at the photos, every single one looked delicious! So off I went — and it turns out to be right about halfway between Gaienmae and Omotesando. Walking from either one is probably about the same. The street is fairly narrow, but a taxi got me there just fine.
When I arrived, the place looked stylish from the outside already.
There is a big window right in front of you, and at first glance it looks like you can go in through it — you cannot, so be careful, ha.
The entrance is at the back on the right-hand side, and that is the way in.
Omakase course: 7,700 yen
The omakase course is 7,700 yen, but on Tabelog it seems the slots — or rather the courses — you can book are set by time of day. The length of the seating differs from one slot to another, so it may be worth booking with that in mind.
Well then, once I sat down — the atmosphere inside is lovely too!
Part of it is done up a little like a terrace. Very stylish!
I was about to order a drink when a wine pairing for 5,500 yen caught my eye.
They pick things that go well with each dish, five glasses or so for 5,500 yen. Five glasses chosen to match the food for 5,500 yen? That will do nicely! So that is what I asked for.
First to arrive was the pre-dinner sparkling!
A single bite of mozzarella laid on a spoon with olive oil.
They said it had been made that morning, and one bite in, the springiness is remarkable! Freshly made, indeed.
(Though is “made” even the right word? Ha.
Whoa! That looks delicious!
So delicious, in fact, that I got carried away and took a bite before photographing it — the house specialite.
A crispy sandwich of foie gras and pistachio. The story goes that it was dreamed up with the Häagen-Dazs Crispy Sandwich in mind. It is not ice cream, but the soft, airy filling gives off a gentle waft of foie gras and it is seriously good!
This is the ultimate thing to drink wine with! It really is.
Next up was bread and mushroom potage, with mascarpone and olive oil served alongside on the right. First I tried the mushroom potage on its own: a deep mushroom flavor, concentrated, delicious. Then the mascarpone. And finally, dipping the bread in. Mm, that is good.
A dish that takes bo-zushi of mackerel as its starting point and turns French by using potato.
The gently cured shime-saba and the sweet potato go together beautifully. Yes, this works.
The sauce carries a real shrimp aroma, perfect against the plump ravioli. Rich and deep.
Duck confit. Not something you can easily make at home, is it.
Meltingly tender and seriously delicious. It goes wonderfully with the mustard sauce served alongside, too.
Across the board the pairing wines are good, and because they have been matched with such care they just slide right down. Impressive.
A properly done herbal tea of some kind. It was delicious.
So, this time it was a French course, and my impression is that while the place is stylish it also has a fairly casual air, which makes it very easy to use. The food really was delicious all the way through and I was thoroughly satisfied. More than anything, ordering the wine pairing means everything finishes at just the right point, and there is nothing better than that. If you eat here, I recommend the pairing!
L’AS (French / Omotesando Station, Gaienmae Station, Nogizaka Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
