There's a lot to like about Bistro Nemot, especially in its details. The Parisian-esque signage. The way the menu is carefully written out by hand in vintage French school exercise books. The massive glass jar of fermenting sauerkraut that dominates the counter in front of chef Norihito Nemoto’s compact kitchen.
But these are all secondary considerations. It’s the food Nemoto puts together that makes his little, laid-back, counter-style restaurant one of the highlights of the still new and vibrant Eat Play Works complex in Hiroo. All his dishes are takes on the standards of French bourgeois cuisine — charcuterie, omelettes, roast meats and the like — but he elevates them well above basic bistro level.
Look no further than his superb pate en croute, which he prepares from wild venison supplied by Nozomi Onodera, a noted hunter on Miyagi Prefecture’s forested Oshika Peninsula. Flecked with raisins and pistachio, then baked in a classic pie crust, the meat holds just enough jelly to keep it beautifully moist.