Tendre

( Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ⁴⁄₁₀)
Tendre (pronounced «tan-​do-​re») is a quaint French/​European style café located about twelve minutes walk from the north exit of JR Kichijoji station. It is part of a small family of restaurants that feature Nepalese/​Indian home cooking, and they are all decorated in similar manner. The menu here is seasonal, fresh, provincial French though.
Quick summary:
* Atmosphere/​interior décor: FIVE stars — cozy, bright, antique furnishings with lots of aged wood. The BGM (background music) is a nice mix of classical
* Menu: FOUR-​plus stars — three regular items; two or more seasonal items. VERY nice home-​made desserts; coffees, teas, wines available
* Service: FIVE stars — I rate high for sincere smiles and high levels of customer attentativeness
* Location: THREE-​plus stars — yeah, it’s a walk from the station — use the Unilocal app/​map to find your way (the distance keeps the less determined patrons away, I suspect)
* Experience: FIVE stars — this is the tipping point for Reviews. Ask a few questions and see where the topics go.
Longer story:
Tendre maintains the same warm, hospitable spirit as the other restaurants in the same family of establishments. The interiors are modern artsy retro — very bare minimum with nice accents of lighting, furnishings, and the meals themselves. The colors of the food and ambiance of the staff seem enhanced because of the minimalist background setting — nice touch!
As expected, the meal I ordered (quiche lunch set) had an excellent balance of fresh ingredients, and the emphasis on seasonal, organic vegetables showed through in the careful attention given to preparation and presentation. Quantity was reasonable considering the overall set that included dessert and beverage.
Today’s dessert was a thick slice of «nama» (fresh) chocolat, accented with powder sugar (see photo). The chocolate was rich, smooth and aromatic. This is no Snickers bar for sure. You take a dab, let it slowly melt and fill your senses with cocoa goodness, then sip your aromatic European coffee like a real dilettante. Repeat until done. Magnifique! Don’t worry, it’s not a race — take 30 minutes for this.
This establishment has been open for less than a year, and because of distance from the station and prices that put it way above the «one coin» (¥500/​meal) budget of the nearby university students, you’ll probably have no problem with seating. However, popular menu items run out early, so be aware that if you’re looking for the prized meat dish, it might be a good idea to call (use Unilocal) just in case. With a place like this, you almost wish it were more popular just because it’s so good. Then again, it’s a nice hideaway that will make the walk worthwhile if you’re determined.
Will definitely be back — I’m eyeing the dessert menu next time!