Ocean Grill Tokyo (2007-08-03)
Takashimaya (
) Department Store in Shinjuku (
) just underwent
a renovation that cost a buttload of money. I don't recall the
exact amount, but I remember reading about an astronomical figure in a
news report once, anyhoo, what I'm trying to say is Takashimaya is now
even more posh and more sophisticated-looking. The first floor
saw the most changes with classy decor and bowing staff in crisp
uniform at every corner greeting shoppers.The restaurant floors also have had new flooring, different
lightings and stylish furniture installed. Ocean Grill Tokyo (OGT) on
the 13th floor is amongst several restaurants that moved into the new
and
improved building that cooks most of their food by chargrilling, aka
TABIBITO-APPROVED METHOD! There's a big glass wall on the front
of OGT through which one can clearly see their chefs grilling away.
KL and I went there for lunch to try their set meal. There's a
1800Yen (US$14.5) appetizer/pasta/dessert/coffee or tea set or a
2800Yen ($22) appetizer/pasta/fish/dessert/coffee or tea set.
There's also a meat choice for people who don't want fish. KL
went for the meat set and I the fish.
Service is attentive and efficient in that while we were sitting in
a chair in the queue, the manager came around and handed everyone a
glass of iced non-sweetened peach tea and the menu ( attentive).
After a while, he came back and started taking orders from everybody
(efficient)! Just before our table was ready, another staff took
our glasses and led us to a four-person table. Since we lucked
out by scoring a four-seater, it felt roomy and comfortable.
As soon as we were seated, a lady carrying a bread basket offered us
miniature hot rolls. These rolls were so tiny you could really
finish it in one or two bite, but of course I killed it in four, just
to be lady-like. Before we even finished the bread, those
people wasted no time and brought us the appetizer which consisted of
two teeny weensy mouthfuls of marinated grilled veggies and a cold
seafood salady thing. Both tasted good but where's the rest?
For pasta, we both chose the Prosciutto and Arugula Pasta
Pepperocino Style (I made up this name) from a list of five. They
used angel hair pasta in this dish and there's a definite kick from the
red pepper flakes
and the generous amount of garlic and extra virgin olive oil added a
lot of flavor. But the arugula was blanched and not raw like the
picture on the menu whose lost peppery property (from the blanching
process) was lacking to
balance out the strong salty flavor of the prosciutto. Overall,
it's not a bad dish, but I wish I had gotten more than the few
mouthfuls they served in that huge bowl.
The entree/main was neatly plated and everything on the plate was
fresh and tasty. My salmon had very moist meat and crispy skin
but tasted a tad fishy. However the generous amount of herbs and
the tangy sauce rectified the problem easily. KL's chicken was
very
under-seasoned although the meat was flavorful.
Dessert was cheesecake and cassis sorbet which KL happily devoured. Upon leaving the restaurant, I was satisfied enough but also had that "I could have more" feeling. The portion is small--almost too small-- but then there's always a huge selection of food and sweets in the basement level for some post meal snacks.
Back to top
