About food in Japan

Le Bretagne - crepe cafe at Kagurazaka (ル・ブルターニュ クレープ 神楽坂)

Kagurazaka (神楽坂) is a quiete residential area in central Tokyo. It is also known as "French quarter" because of some French educational institutions located in the area. Consequently it is said that authentic French food are available at restaurants in Kagurazaka where French nationals are walking around more than in other places in Japan.

This cafe is not the exception. Cafe Creperie Le Bretagne, as the name shown, provides authentic galette (ガレット buckwheat crepe for meal not for dessert) and crepe (クレープ) both from Bretagne region in France.

The cafe has open terrace when the climature is appropriate. After welcomed by French staff, the interior decoration is lovely with wooden floor and funitures, porcelain displayed from the region. We must feel as if we visit Bretagne not the Asian cosmopolitan. 

The ingredient choices offered as salty galette for lunch or snack is much enough and is hard to select just one or two; tomato, bacon, cheese, mushroom, onion, season's special etc... Crepe as dessert is also what cannot be missed. Galette is a good choice for light lunch or dinner during traveling, when you are tired to be filled up. But here you could not be reliefed in that way. 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cafe creperie is so popular to accommodate guests fully for lunch and dinner time. It might request you to wait for a while until ready to be served, especially lunch hours on weekend. Yes, it is worth waiting and enjoying strolling at Kagurazaka.

 

Restaurant name: Cafe-Creperie Le Bretagne

Address: 4-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.le-bretagne.com

 

 

大きな地図で見る

Yutori no kukan cafe share with Harumi Kurihara (栗原はるみ)

Harumi Kurihara is one of the most well-known cookery writer based in Japan. I could say she is a Japanese version "Martha Stewart", though some people might have different image for them. Otherwise she might be described as the most famouse "housewife" in Japan. She leant her cooking ways from her mother and her dishes attracted many of home party guests brought by her husband in the broadcasting industry. Cooking style and dishes she introduced are throughly "homemade" receipi but ones loved by everyone.  

In Yokohama, at a shopping complex not far from JR Yokohama station, a cafe produced by Harumi Kurihara offers dishes by her receipi.

On one weekend, I had lunch set called "Kamome lunch" (かもめランチ, named after from "seagull", the icon of Yokohama port).

How the lunch set is like is described on this blackboad.

 

I'll show the dishes with photos here...

 

 
One main dish (croquette), farmer's fresh salad, 3 small side dishes, rice and miso soup, pickles.

This is an "ideal" meal at home in Japan.

With more kinds of vegetables in different colors and in different ways of cooking,

it means a good balance in nutritional.

3 side dishes are small but never be just ordinary. Here is the world of Harumi Kurihara.

Gochiso Hiyayakko (ごちそう冷ややっこ), "delicacy cold tofu"

A piece of tofu is very typical and simple side dish.

We put soya sauce and shreded leak normally.

She made it upgraded with a little more effort for the topping!

"delicacy"(ごちそう)

sesami, diced leak, pickles, ginger, garlic and ham mixed with soya sauce and dashi soup.

Uhhnn a good idea, I could make it myselef at home.

This is the way her receip make our life better and the reason why she is so popular among Japanese ladies across generations.

Other dishes are also ones introduced on her recepi books and basically are simple but something special and look much better than typical.

 

Lunch set includes dessert (sesami pudding for today) and Japanese grilled tea (originaly brended) selected from their drink list.

Yutori no kukan (ゆとりの空間) represents "comfortable space" in Japanese. That is what Ms. Kurihara would like to offer you everyone maybe.

 

The cafe provides dinner set menu as well, which is also "an ideal healty dinner" for Japanese and some a la carte dishes. What cannot be missed after a break at the cafe is a boutique attached to the cafe. Food ingredients and table wares used at the cafe are available at the boutique. They are produced or selected by Harumi Kurihara. Let's bring some of them to your home and cook the same plate you like at the cafe.

 

Harumi Kurihara Official site: http://www.yutori.co.jp

Her receipi books are tranlated into English. Below are some examples;

 

Cafe name: yutori no kukan (ゆとりの空間)

Address: Yokohama Bay Quater 3rd floor, 1-10 Kinko-cho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa

 

 

大きな地図で見る