Loiseau de France serves excellent French regional cuisine in a casual setting. They are part of the Bernard Loiseau group, which runs a handful of luxury hotels and bistrots in Burgundy. This Tokyo outpost opened in the summer of 2024 in a modern new building (by architect Sou Fujimoto) on the woodsy campus of the French Institute in Iidabashi.

The menu is traditional French rather than anything Japanese-influenced, and it features luxurious main dishes like Lobster Thermidor, Beef Bourguignon and Tournedos Rossini beef with foie gras. Starters include a beautifully constructed Pate en Crout Alexandre Dumaine, based on a 400-year-old recipe.

The dessert cart is laid out with sumptuous pastries like Opera cake (L'Opera biscuit Joconde) and hazelnut tarts (Paris-Brest). There's a good selection of French wines by the glass or carafe, plus a roster of after-dinner brandies and liqueurs.

All the food we've had here has been fantastic. The dining room is elegant, and service is professional but also friendly and personal. Overall the atmosphere is relaxing and not at all stuffy. The beautiful setting really helps establish the mood - the French Institute is only a few minutes from Iidabashi station but surrounded by trees, with lots of open space.

Budget around Y10,000-12,000 per person at dinnertime for food and drink - very good value for this level of food and service. (Dinner prix-fixe menus are nominally Y6,000 and Y8,500, with add-ons for several of the dishes.) There's also a Y3,500 prix-fixe option at lunchtime.