La Soeur aux Bacchanales: Very Reasonable French Fare

This is one restaurant I keep coming back to for a leisurely lunch when dining alone. Although busy, it has a nice, relaxing atmosphere, with comfortable plush seats, jazz music playing lightly over the speakers and all of the sounds are muffled by the low ceiling and carpeting.

Interior

Another reason I like this place is for the reasonable lunches (¥1000) that sometimes use ingredients or cooking techniques that are a bit different than you may normally see. There is always a choice of 3 lunches, a meat, fish, and other dish. Today’s specials included a grilled pork tenderloin, salmon saute with couscous, or a deer meat tartine. I had to go with the tartine because I rarely get to eat deer, and because what better place to order a tartine at a French bistro style restaurant.

The meal started with a salad that was lightly dressed with a simple vinaigrette. It also came with 2 slices of baguette (I had to ask for it because the server didn't bring it, perhaps because my meal included toasted bread). The tartine looked much like the salad, using the same types of greens. It  was a toasted slice of boule bread with a sour cream spread, a sunny lettuce and watercress topping, finished with an onsen tamago (much like a poached egg). I found the slices of bread to be charred a bit too much leading to a very bitter overpowering taste. Good thing I asked for the baguette! The entire dish was not seasoned very much but I think that’s because the deer meat was prepared like bacon providing the dishes’ seasoning. The deer meet was the best part, not too salty and with streaks of fat running through it giving the well cooked meat some juiciness, while retaining its gamey flavour.

Starter salad (top left) and deer tartine (centre)

On a different occasion, the main was a very tender and rare roast beef.

Area: Midland Square, on the east side of Nagoya Station ミッドランドスクエア（名古屋駅）
Restaurant: La Soeur aux Bacchanales ラスールオーバカナル
Website and Map: https://lasoeurauxbacchanales.dino.vc/wf/shop/17142839
Hours: 8am-10pm