Normandie

A short step off Kawaramachi-dori brings you to Normandie, an unpretentious Mediterranean restaurant centered around fresh seafood and wine. The kitchen presents an enticing mix of chilled starters, hearty stews, and creative pasta combinations, available either à la carte or through a build-your-own special course.

The oysters shipped directly from Toba are an ideal place to start. Served raw with a brisk red wine vinegar dressing, they can also be ordered warm, baked under a crust of melted cheese or garlic-infused breadcrumbs. Starters like escargots swimming in fragrant garlic-parsley butter and octopus marinated in garlic oil leave plenty of flavorful sauce behind to soak up with bread.

Main courses and pasta dishes showcase intense broths and rich seasonings. The signature bouillabaisse, made with half a Japanese spiny lobster, white fish, and shellfish, yields a deeply concentrated stock that naturally calls for another pour of wine. Other standouts include slender fedelini tossed in a velvety raw sea urchin cream sauce and tender Japanese beef shoulder braised in red wine until it falls apart at the touch of a fork.

Outfitted with both counter and table seating, the dining room is an easygoing setting for an intimate dinner or a leisurely evening spent exploring the wine cellar. Plates are assembled with care, making it well worth slowing down with a bottle of wine or a digestif as the meal unfolds.