Romance No More At The Hilltop...

Back in 2006, our very first visit to Hilltop Casita yielded an experience that was literally out of this world. While making reservations, the meticulous staff enquired regarding names of all parties concerned and also the occasion that we might perhaps be celebrating. And upon being shown our table, not only were we pleasantly surprised to find hand-written notes, the stark white napkins also came painstakingly embroidered with our names upon them.

Though the food was not outstanding, the geniality and attentiveness from the staff more than made up for it with the manager himself constantly checking in on us. After dinner, we were escorted up into the cozy loft and no expense was spared to further heighten our celebratory moods. The couch table was strewn with perfumed rose petals and our dessert arrived adorned with brightly lit sparklers with the melody from a musical box tingling softly in the background. As we sat drinking in the festive ambience, we were presented with a framed picture of us taken earlier in the evening. However, this was not to be the last surprise of the evening. When my cappuccino arrived, I was dumbfounded beyond belief as sitting atop the foam was a manga sketch of us!

Fast forward to present. I now bemoan the loss of a romantic haven as Hilltop Casita spirals downwards to obscurity following the departure of its Australian manager. Although it still possesses the same patio-like interior with seating arranged round one half of an aesthetic pool, the touching, loving gestures from the staff to make your special day that bit more memorable is now gone, leaving behind the hollowness of a place that can best be described as superficial beauty.

Not only was the service wanting, the standard of its fare was atrocious. We ordered a total of four dishes and sadly, none lived up to the standard of its heydays. The salad garnishing the beef Carpaccio looked like freshly pulled weeds from someone's neglected garden and the bitterness just added to its woes. And if you think that eggs are simple dishes that just cannot veer too far off-track especially in an upscale restaurant, wait till you have a mouthful of them here. The eggs with truffles came with such a generous sprinkling of salt that my taste buds were momentarily paralysed. The foie gras and lobster though more palatable just reinforced the reason why we should never ever come back.

For an extra charge, we were able to adjourn to the loft for dessert where a luminously lit Tokyo Tower greeted us. As we sat in the stillness of the night, reeling from the disappointment of our evening, nothing seemed more comforting than the familiar sight of Tokyo Tower, steadfast and unwavering.

Hilltop Casita
Address: 1-9-2 Azabu-juban, 8F Unimat-Azabujuban Building, Minato-ku, 106-0045 Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-5545-6877
Michelin: None