Just in case you can't see how exceptionally delicious that galette at Maison Bretonne looks (at The Japan Times online), here it is in a rather larger version.
There are two elements that are essential for making a great galette. First (obviously) is the pancake itself. Those at Maison Bretonne are exactly the way they should be: even thickness, crisp on the outside, still moist inside. They're made from a mix of Japanese buckwheat (flavorful but too light in colour) and Canadian (adding that nut brown hue). David Moreul says he'd love to use buckwheat grown in Brittany but at present it's just too hard to import.
The second element (equally obviously) is the quality of the ingredients used to fill the galette. In the photo above, that's jambon cru (Basque-style dry-cured Bayonne ham) draped over the salad greens. In the simpler galette complète, a different kind of ham is used, a wet-cured style known as jambon de Paris, which David makes himself. This (below) was the one I had there the other night:
Not to labour the point but... another Tokyo galetterie (newer and supposedly "authentic") that I visited recently uses spam-type processed pink mystery meat wrapped up inside its pancakes.
Back to Maison Bretonne: there are plenty of other things on the menu that are not to be missed. Such as the pâté d'agneau au thym (lamb pate nicely seasoned with thyme):
...and the cider vinegar pickles — pictured here with a glass of the kir Breton (that's farmhouse cider with a splosh of cassis):
But what I like best about Maison Bretonne is the immediate sense that it's a neighbourhood restaurant, a place you can feel comfortable dropping into at any time whether it's for a meal, a snack or just a drink.
And that's entirely a reflection of the friendly, welcoming personalities of owner-chefs David and Eiko Moreul.
The Maison Bretonne web site is in French/Japanese.
For more info in English (and better photos too), it is now featured on eat-pia.com.
And here is a direct map link...
To close, here are a few more images...
