A spell upstairs after that gave the feet a welcome respite, and around six-thirty we started making Dinner noises, at which point lunchtime's failure to get in where she'd wanted, along with Hughesy's suggestion we opt for a curry place kicked in big time. Madam had located another French/Italian wine bar sort of place and pointed us in that direction. It wasn't as highly rated as the first one, but that, hopefully, meant it wouldn't be full either. There were two (actually, make that three) major surprises when we arrived on the doorstep. It was another of the basement type eating and drinking establishments, which meant signage above the steps going down.
The first surprise came in the form of the business name. Cheers isn't the first name that springs to mind when you're looking for a French/Italian wine bar sort of place, but maybe the American sitcom never made it to Japan. They probably serve beer, but given the quality of the wine I sampled there I don't think I'd be bothering.
Surprise #1 had a significant addendum, since Cheers seems to be aimed pretty solidly at the female market. That mightn't be quite accurate, but it's hard to avoid the conclusion based on signage and a Girls set section of the menu.
Surprise #2 kicked in when we walked inside to find the place was practically deserted. Maybe Monday nights are quiet, maybe the crowds arrive later, but when we walked in there were two tables occupied. one emptied while we were there, and no one else came in. Strange.
Because the food and wine quotients there were rather good. We did the sharing a variety of small plates thing, and everything was very good, from the oyster and shallot gratin that arrived with the salad to the pizza that finished the main courses side of things. Madam finished with a chocolate mousse that was very tasty and had me wishing I'd done the same. Full marks on that front.
Even better was the wine selection. There were other by the glass options that didn't appear in the actual by the glass section of the menu, but I limited myself to the official version, and the results were very satisfactory.
There was a Prosecco that might have been a tad on the sweet side but worked nicely as an aperitif, a Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine that was obviously SB and obviously in the mould the Kiwi exponents of the variety are looking towards, a Chardonnay from Burgundy that would have received ticks of approval from the New Wave Oz Chardy crew and an Italian Primitivo (a.k.a. Zinfandel) that wrapped things up nicely. Madam limited herself to the SB while I had the other three, but there were glasses passed back and forth, and if she'd weakened I'm sure the result would have been another interesting wine and an excuse for Hughesy to go one more beyond that.
All in all, a very pleasant little evening, and the perfect prelude to a good night's sleep before an early start in the morning.