🍽️ 2023/Q4 Le Bouchon Ogasawara - bistro with authentic French food in large portions in Tokyo Shibuya

Published:
  Lastmod: 2024-08-14
French Cuisine
by Ernest Chiang

(Illustration: Photo taken at Le Bouchon Ogasawara, Shibuya, Tokyo. Image source: Ernest)

About

Walking about five minutes southwest from the newly opened Dogenzaka Street, IHG Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya, you’ll arrive at Le Bouchon Ogasawara, a French bistro tucked away in the alleys of Tokyo’s Shibuya, when you spot the eye-catching yellow awning. It’s also very close to the nearest station, “Shinsen Station”. The restaurant itself doesn’t have a parking lot, but there are three or four nearby hourly parking lots.

  • “Le Bouchon” is French, meaning “small tavern” or “small restaurant”, a small eatery serving traditional French cuisine.
  • “Ogasawara” is the romanization of the Japanese surname “小笠原”.

Le Bouchon Ogasawara has only about 30 seats, featuring an open kitchen with about 20 bar seats facing the chefs, and an additional seating area suitable for groups of about 10. This French restaurant puts great effort into its dishes. Upon careful observation, you can see the chef’s thoughtfulness in ingredient selection, with generous portions and a wide selection of wines. No wonder it has scored 3.59 on Tabelog.

Strolling to the French Bistro

(Tokyo is a city perfect for walking, taking photos, and enjoying good food. Every alley seems to have a story, a picture. That afternoon, I arrived at Haneda with light luggage, taking less than 20 minutes from exiting the cabin to boarding the Keikyu train. After dropping off my luggage at IHG Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya, I immediately went out to find food and adjust to the time difference(?!))

(On the way to Le Bouchon Ogasawara, I passed through a quiet little alley where another Japanese creative bistro, “Sta. Shibuya”, was hidden behind an inconspicuous door.)

(Japanese creative bistro “Sta. Shibuya”)

(A few more steps and I arrived at Le Bouchon Ogasawara, which I wanted to visit this time!)

(You’ll know you’re there when you see the yellow awning and various beautiful potted plants.)

(Le Bouchon Ogasawara, with its open kitchen, doesn’t have many seats. I was lucky to get a bar seat as a walk-in.)

(The by-the-glass wine list is concise, listing red, rosé, and (on the next page) white wines. If you choose the slow-roasted steak, you might want to try the third Pinot Noir on the red wine list. There’s also a dessert wine list and a bottle wine list (which includes Rhône selections).)

(Recommended dishes! I chose the Iwami pork this time and was quite satisfied!)

(Various appetizers, great for trying many dishes if you’re in a group. I only ordered the safe choice of liver mousse, but during the meal, I saw the chef preparing soft-boiled eggs, house-dried tomatoes, and carrot salad, which I also wanted to taste. (Later, when organizing photos, I realized that tomatoes and carrots appeared in my salad, ha))

(Salad and à la carte main dishes. Next time, I’d like to try the red wine-braised beef cheeks and steak. The steak is slow-cooked, suitable for pre-ordering when making a reservation.)

Table Setting

(I happened to capture the table setting just as the guests next to me finished their meal.)

(Wine and wine glasses behind the seats.)

(A cute restaurant sign. This logo is also printed on the glass at the restaurant entrance. (Is it a pig?! So I went ahead and ordered pork…))

Kitchen Preparation

(Sitting in the middle of the bar gave me an excellent view! As I watched, I kept thinking I should have invited more friends to come and check it out with me :p)

(I guess this might be the appetizer carrot salad. Later, comparing with photos, I found it also appeared in the salad I ordered, happy!)

(This portion!! Is it a whole 🥕!!)

(The item on the menu that requires a torch should be the crème brûlée.)

(There’s another chef’s workstation at the other end. It’s further away, so I couldn’t tell which main dish it was.)

(The two chefs never stopped to rest. They occasionally hydrated themselves. They were quite particular about cleanliness and hygiene.)

(The chefs’ pre-prepared ingredients are all stored in the refrigerator below.)

(Super generous (assari) thick cuts! Is this the style for all Lyon-style cuisine? (Meant as a compliment :p))

(I wonder what this piece is? Comparing with the menu, it might be chicken liver?)

(Carefully covering with plastic wrap. They do a great job with hygiene details!)

Dishes

Rosé Wine (JPY 950, pre-tax)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

The wine list is simple, and so am I. When I see rosé, I usually choose it - simple and versatile. Later, it proved to be a good choice.

(Sipping rosé wine while watching the chef take out various ingredients from the refrigerator to prepare various dishes.)

(Bread can be refilled continuously. It’s served hot and toasted.)

(Toasted bread paired with appetizers, but don’t be too greedy and fill up your stomach at this point :p)

Liver Mousse (JPY 650, pre-tax)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

For me, this is definitely a portion for two or more people. The seasoning is just right, and paired with toasted bread, I could keep eating it.

(Liver mousse served.)

(A different angle close-up of the liver mousse.)

(Cross-section photo of the liver mousse.)

Rich Fish Soup with Salad (JPY 1580, pre-tax)

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

When traveling, I try to consume more vegetables, but I can’t resist a hot soup. Luckily, they had a combination option here. The rich fish soup is also delicious with bread. The most memorable item in the salad was probably the sun-dried tomatoes. Next time, maybe I’ll ask the owner if I can take some back to my room :p

(Thick soup and salad served together.)

(A vertical shot as well.)

(Sun-dried tomatoes with a moderate flavor, very suitable for the salad.)

Roasted Iwami Pork (JPY 2980, pre-tax)

⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Among the well-known Japanese pork, there’s Okinawa Agu pork and Kagoshima black pork. Today, I’m tasting “Iwami pork” from Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan, which is gradually gaining popularity. It might have been prepared using a slow-roasting method, as the waiting time was quite long. For a relaxed traveler enjoying the moment, it’s not an issue - for good food, I can wait :)

Most restaurants that put effort into their dishes can achieve tenderness and ease of eating. But the portion size of this dish and the accompanying ingredients instantly reminded me of a honeymoon dinner scene and taste in Prague, Czech Republic. The fruit flavors, combined with spices and meat juices, plus a sip of rosé wine, were just perfect.

When this large plate was first served, the scene was like a small performance stage suddenly filled with performers. The Iwami pork as the lead singer, strawberry slices, peppercorns, roasted citrus, lotus root, beans, jam, meat juice, salt, etc., as gentle accompaniments. It seemed chaotic and a bit rustic, but they balanced each other perfectly. Before you know it, when you look at the last photo, only the stage remains :p This must be the hidden power of Tokyo’s small restaurant chefs.

(Roasted Iwami pork just served.)

(“Maggie” Simpson says… Oh my, I’m already so full! Oh my, such a large portion! But I want to eat everything!)

(A close-up of the meat.)

(The souls of this dish!)

(Strawberry!)

(Meat!)

(The combination of Iwami pork and its souls!)

(Cleared the plate with rosé wine! Too full to order dessert and the finale espresso…)

Bottom line

((950+650+1580+2980)+600 = 6,760 JPY. Used the HSBC Travel Card, overseas spending NT 10 = 1 mile, miles can be transferred to Japan Airlines.)

For this price range, enjoying such thoughtful cuisine, I should bring family and friends for a revisit next time.

Although the menu doesn’t seem to have many items, it’s actually easy to create your own preferred combinations, and the wine list is very rich, with by-the-glass options that aren’t too burdensome. Next time, I plan to try the soft-boiled egg, oysters, chicken liver salad, and maybe make a reservation for the slow-roasted steak paired with Pinot Noir. Oh, I can’t imagine anymore, suddenly feeling food-satisfied XDD

Next time you pass by Shibuya, consider Le Bouchon Ogasawara. It seems they’re open for both lunch and dinner.

(The appearance of Le Bouchon Ogasawara restaurant at night.)

(A vibe quite suitable for solitude or chatting.)

(The restaurant’s potted plants and bar are very photogenic.)

(Recording the restaurant’s mascot. Do you think it’s a dog or a pig?! Or some other animal?)

(After eating and drinking, walking back.)

(Passing by the railway tunnel near Shinsen Station on the way back. Saw a few more interesting shops in the alleys. Now… my stomach is calling for food again XDD)

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