Restaurant Forest, Minami Aoyama レストラン・フォレスト 南青山

My dining partner almost successfully made me promise that I wouldn't share the secret of Restaurant Forest at Minami Aoyama. However out of loyalty to my readers (and the constant need for material) I had to politely decline. This gem of a restaurant is tucked away in a paved lane not far from the Cassina furniture store in the Unimat building, and is a haven from the hustle and bustle of Aoyama Dori.

On a recent visit for dinner we sampled the basic Forest menu which includes an amuse, entree, main and dessert. My dining partner insisted that we add another course which was a delightful sea urchin, consomme jelly and cream cocktail which really made the meal sing.

The courses started with a moreish amuse of raw tuna on a crouton. This was followed by a white fish carpaccio, which went nicely with the bottle of French white we were sampling. This was followed by the aforementioned sea urchin cocktail and then by a beautifully mushroomy mushroom soup.

My main was lamb, and from the moment it hit the table the fragrance of the pistou, rosemary and the meat itself filled me with delight. The tender meat and its accompaniments tasted as good as it smelt. My dining partner's fish was, by all accounts, delicious but for once I didn't feel like I'd ordered the wrong thing! Dessert was a pudding with passion fruit ice-cream, fruits of the forest and a yummy bit of fig.

This feast was very nicely topped off with coffee and cognac. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Restaurant Forest. I think it's quite appropriate for business or pleasure and the standard of cooking and service is very high. Another terrific example of thoughtful but unpretentious Tokyo dining.

http://www.r-forest.com/

Tel: 03-5786-1531