French Country style hidden away in Shibuya
Tucked away in the basement of a building somewhere between NHK’s headquarters and the immigration office in Shibuya the “Au Temps Jadis” restaurant is not the kind of place you just “happen” to stumble into. It is the kind of place you hear about “through the grapevine.” Or, read about in the Tokyo Journal.
Do not expect to find the usual fare of French food, since “Au Temps Jadis” specializes in crepe and galette. For the still uninitiated, galette is the adult version of crepe which basically is a buckwheat pancake without all the unhealthy (but yummy!) stuff. Instead galette comes in many healthier varieties filled with ham, potatoes, vegetables and cheese.
Although the restaurant is located in the basement, it features a small outdoor garden with a tiny water foun-tain. The interior is in authentic French country style, and for once it looks like the real thing – without mixing in too much Japanese style. The only thing missing are rude French waiters. Instead you get smiling Japanese faces. Hope you can live with that.
For ¥2,200 you get a course which includes a salad, a cup of cider, galette, dessert and choice of coffee or tea. You can also choose from 10-15 galettes on the extensive menu which includes a wide variety of delicious crepes for dessert. I have been to “Au Temps Jadis” a number of times and have tried a good part of what is on the menu, but my favorite galette remains “La Popeye,” a galette with spinach,
ham and cheese (¥1,200).
Let’s not forget about the dessert crepes, you can choose from a delicious variety which includes apricot, apple and strawberry (¥600-700). Fortunately, it is nothing like the crepe you buy at corner crepe stalls around Tokyo. At “Au Temps Jadis” they know how to make a real crepe.
“Au Temps Jadis” is the place to go if you want to spoil yourself, or need to recover from the struggle at the near-by immigration office. Or if you–like me–just happen to love crepe and galette. Take the map with you, or you will never find it–and that would truly be a shame.
Au Temps Jadis
Royal Palace Harajuku
102 1-5-4 Jinnan
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 3770-2458
Open 11am to 8.pm (Closed Wednesday)
How to get there (see map)
Situated 10-15 min. walk from Shibuya Station. Take the road leading from Hachiko Exit running to Yoyogi Park/Harajuku past Seibu Department Store and Tower Records. Just before the road goes under the tracks of the Yamanote line, turn left and walk for another 100 meters past the fire station. Turn left before the Immigration Office, continue up the hill about 50 meters. Go 20 meters down a narrow alley and you will find the restaurant on your left hand side. |
