The site–billed as “Tokyo’s Guide to All Things Wine”–offers information of Tokyo wine events of all kinds, classes, Tokyo wine bars and restaurants and more. Members can post reviews of wine bars, wines and events, as well as add their own listings of shops and restaurants they know and love. Content is only available in English at the moment, but we are planning to roll out a Japanese version by this Summer.

The fare is standard-issue 定食 (set menu) Japanese, but the quality is a cut above the rest. The miso soup (or tonjiru, depending on the day) is always flavorful and piping hot, and the rice cooked to fluffy perfection. The lunch menu consists of four choices: hamburger steak, 生姜焼き (ginger pork), and then a fish item and a “honoji special” that change every 3-4 days each. Everything is good, all the time.

If there has been any staff turnover in the time I’ve been going I haven’t noticed it, and this surely one of the reasons why they do such a great job. The staff is friendly, attentive and professional. If you’re in the area here for lunch one day and looking for great 日本食 you should definitely give this place a try. (Menus and communication in Japanese only.)

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The wine dinner Wednesday evening at Le Petit Tonneau’s Azabu-juban location was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended (and perhaps especially by yours truly). I go to a lot of these wine dinners, and this one was hands-down the best value-for-money of any I’ve joined.

For a surprisingly-low 8,000 yen we enjoyed five great wines from the Roussillon region of France, each paired perfectly with a dish conceived by Petit Tonneau chef Philippe Batton. (Full menu details.) Each wine was served in the “correct” glass for the grape and refilled as necessary throughout each course by the attentive and professional Petit Tonneau staff.

My favorite of the evening was the exceptional Domaine Seguela Planete, a sumptuous and refined wine made from equal parts Syrah and Carignan. The food, of course, was superb, and made all the better by the wonderful wines with which it was paired.

Panfried Seabass filet with almond topping served with dried fruit couscous
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The next one will likely be held in June, and if you’re interested in joining please drop me a line and I’ll let you know how to get on the list. The wines from this week’s dinner can all be purchased online at the Petit Tonneau online wine boutique.

Now, to be honest, the lunches were pretty dodgy at first. They looked pretty but lacked a certain depth. And flavor. And attention to detail. I mentioned this to 矢野さん the manager one day, reminding him that a mediocre lunch can spell death for a place in this neighborhood, and it seems like he took it to heart. I came back after a bit of a hiatus to find that the food had taken a turn for the better. Now I’m never disappointed with the food there, as it’s always creative, well-prepared, nice-looking and priced to please.

What else? Free WiFi. Free PCs. Funky, creative Shibuya-types. A great staff with very low turnover. Good wine list. How often do you run across a place like that? For me, it’s about once or twice a week.

Recommended!