A note on the words: kanpachi is greater amberjack, a firm white fish served raw as carpaccio, honbinosu is the hard clam (quahog), a plump bivalve, here in what looked like sakamushi, steamed with sake, hotaru-ika is firefly squid, a small squid with an intense savory salinity, and hamburg steak is a seasoned patty of ground meat served on a plate rather than in a bun.
Teikoku Shokudo on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Deep in Nishi-azabu, near Butagumi I suppose, sits a French bistro called “Teikoku Shokudo,” which is where I visited this time. It sits right between two narrow alleys, and arriving at night, I got lost for a moment wondering, “Wait, where is it?” ha. But once you come out on the alley on the other side, the shop is in an easy-to-spot location.
Chef’s daily sharing course with all-you-can-drink red and white wine — 11,000 yen
To my surprise, there is an 11,000-yen course that includes all-you-can-drink wine!
Well, having that in mind was part of the reason I chose this place to begin with.
And so, the course began.
Right off the bat, something stylish arrived: almonds in the shell.
Come to think of it, that was the first time I had ever seen almonds still in their shells, ha — they are rather like pistachios.
Starting with white wine, they made the perfect snack to go with it.
Then came the first dish: carpaccio.
The plump, tender fish is delicious. This exquisite acidity pairs wonderfully with wine!
A dish of grilled white asparagus topped with house-made tartare sauce.
The house-made tartare is delicious, of course, but the aroma and flavor of the white asparagus are truly wonderful.
Around here I switched to red wine!
Something like sakamushi (steamed in sake)! The honbinosu clam (quahog) is delightfully plump and delicious.
I always find myself thinking they really ought to give honbinosu a different name, ha — even though it has become quite well-known lately.
Hotaru-ika (firefly squid) and potatoes. The salty savor of the firefly squid makes it an ideal drinking snack.
A hamburg steak draped in plenty of melted cheese.
This was for four people, so we split it in half to share. Hearty, meaty, and delicious.
So, being a sharing course, the dishes — including the number of courses — are fundamentally on the modest side. It definitely feels as though the all-you-can-drink wine is the main focus. I feel like having bread or something might help fill you up, but since it is essentially a course designed to provide nibbles alongside all-you-can-drink wine, if you are looking for a proper, hearty dinner, choosing a different course might be the better bet!
Teikoku Shokudo (Bistro / Nogizaka Station, Roppongi Station, Omotesando Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.3
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
