グット ド レザン

This is a cute little French restaurant in that cute area of Shinjuku that has lots of little restaurants and shops. I had high hopes for this place, the reviews are pretty good, the venue looked decent, and in Tokyo there is no shortage of chefs who can do decent European food. However, having trie...d the restaurant, I would never go back. I admit, part of the problem may have been my lack of attention. I thought I had made a reservation for Sunday evening, but when we arrived the chef greeted us and stated that our reservation was actually for Tueseday – my bad. The restaurant is very small, but there was only one other table of two people in the restaurant so the chef accommodated us despite our mistake. The ambiance is cute, small, but cute – however I quickly noticed that aside from the chef there was no other staff in the restaurant. We sat down and began looking at the menu, and after choosing items, we were informed that the restaurant’s “system” is that everyone has to order the same thing (in fact we had to clarify this point a few times because it was rather confusing). Basically, because there is only one chef in the kitchen we all had to order the same appetizers and same main. This was disappointing. I quickly also realized that this was going to be a loooooong dinner (it ended up being 2.5 hours). We ordered an assortment of 3 appetizers that the chef made a portion for each person at our table. In the meantime, a woman showed up (they may be a married couple), and she began to take over serving us. She kindly brought us an amuse bouche and as she set the food down she said it was complimentary because the food was going to take long. We eventually got our appetizers of salmon and avocado, lamb, and a little bit later basically what can only be described as fish and vegetable tempura. Everything was good, although my husband’s lamb was way fattier than the rest of ours and really didn’t have much meat on it. The avocado and salmon was totally fine, as was the tempura, but nothing really creative. We also ordered salads, that came in a parfait style, while the vegetables were fresh I didn’t care much for the dressing, and overall regretted ordering it. Our main course of veal eventually came, the sauce and the flavor was good, but while most of the pieces were tender some of them were really hard to cut with a butter knife (they didn’t provide steak knives). Overall, I wanted to like this place, and perhaps we messed up the system by not paying attention to what day we actually made the reservation for, but I also think the chef’s system is a bit impractical. And while the presentation was great, the flavors were average and I was not that impressed. If you want to try this place, definitely make a reservation so the restaurant knows how many ingredients they are going to need. Service was overall very good, although they really need one more staff member, it appears from other reviews sometimes there is a waiter – but there was no waiter there the night we went. I feel bad not being able to give the restaurant a stellar review, as they were nice people and service was generally pretty good – however, there are just too many quicks about this place which prevent me from talking the restaurant up.

November 2023に訪問

We didn’t know what to expect when descending the small stair case to Goutte do Raisin. We found a cosy little restaurant with a relaxed but professional atmosphere. There was very much a language barrier on our part, but the team were very patient and helpful. Had a deliciously crisp Sauvignon bla...nc followed by a starter of chargrilled venison, the chef came out with the dishes and explained that the deer was from the town he comes from and the accompanying vegetables were grown by a friend of his. We then had a wagyu beef risotto, again the chef came to the table to explain that the beef was sourced from Youron island and told a little bit about it. The chef/owner is passionate about his ingredients and this is abundantly clear in how delicious his food is. We came to this restaurant by chance (although my husband is suspicious and believes I planned it) and couldn’t have asked for a happier accident. Seriously considering returning again tomorrow.

March 2023に訪問

Busy Saturday night for the tiny restaurant but they found space for a lone foreigner and provided an excellent meal with the freshest ingredients and took the time to explain what was being provided, all very good. Wine choice also excellent. Staff and service very friendly. Highly recommended

December 2016に訪問

This little restaurant is owned by a chef who loves cooking. It is intimate, with maybe seven tables and bar seating for 5 people. I had a wonderful French Pinot Noir, and it was priced as it would be in Canada. In expensive Tokyo, that is quite a feat. For food, I had one of the pasta specials. A...lthough the menu, as usual in Japan, had pictures, as well as English sub titles, the specials of the day were entirely in Japanese. There was a blackboard setting out 6 or so items, and only the price was decipherable. So I shrugged my shoulders to the nice lady behind the bar, and she understood that the chef could make the choice for me. After a while out came a spaghetti made with white crab claws. It had a light tomato - based cream sauce, with spinach mixed in. It was extremely good, and the volume wasn't overwhelming as it can be in Canadian Italian restaurants. Did I mention that a salad was served first? It was made with oil and vinegar, and had a selection of lettuces in red and green with small unknown vegetables thrown in for good luck. Finally there was a coconut creme brûlée that was perfect. There was a slightly burnt taste from the singeing of the crust that is unusual unless the chef really knows what he is doing. Finally, the cafe au lait was spot on, made with the best of coffee beans. The menu had deer meat available, as well as beef dishes. I couldn't recommend this fine small restaurant more.

January 2016に訪問