The other day on one of my jogs I stumbled upon an interesting looking french brasserie. Brasserie Perle is in a bright yellow house with a cute front patio and is the only commercial building on the entire street. It is in the middle of the block and three turns from the nearest main street. I have no idea how anyone ever finds this place. But once they do, I guarantee you they keep going back. And we know why.
After spending the day with my kanji translator (and failing that, asking my boss) and a copy of the menu I'd swiped, I already had my mouth watering over the beef cheeks, duck confit, lamb and market fresh salmon to come. When we arrived, we also found a chalkboard full of daily specials and a very friendly trilingual french waiter at the ready. Ryan opted for the 5-course chef's menu, whereas I had my eye on two things off the a la carte menu. Here was Ryan's first course, a small cube of pork something and a sea snail, which he said was quite tasty.
After that, he had a ham and cheese quiche with green salad and a cold pumpkin soup that he said was subtle and creamy and, well...as good as it all sounded, I stopped paying attention to what he was saying when my foie gras arrived. I mean, look at this thing! It was huge and perfectly cooked, with some root vegetables underneath and a wine reduction on top. I usually like foie to have a sweet element and was worried with all the savory that arrived, but the tang of the sauce combined with the ever so slight crunch from the sear were just perfect. Then Ryan had some very tender beef atop veggies and I had the duck confit with a mustard sauce. Once again I was bowled over. How could this small restaurant on a sleepy street in the quietest district in Tokyo have such a great chef turning out such amazing food? It boggles the mind. Even the coffee was good! For dessert I went with the chocolate cake and Ryan had creme brulee. Both delicious. Can't wait to go back!
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