by Sheree Hsu

On a beautiful, cool Sunday night, I was looking for a good meal to finish off the week, but not one that would break the bank. Wandering through my neighborhood, Blue Point was recommended by a good friend as having amazing pizzas. Too lazy to hop on the subway, my boyfriend and I ventured over to this little restaurant in Hiroo.

Blue Point Hiroo is one of three existing restaurants of the same name. The Hiroo outlet opened just two months ago and was bustling when we arrived. The entire restaurant was full by the time our food was tabled. Two small tables are outside the corner restaurant and inside seats about 20 with a partitioned area for a private party of up to eight or nine. The décor is pleasant, clean, and homey with autumn browns, oranges and reds all to make the setting warm and welcoming.

We decided to sample the range of the menu. The wine list was extensive for a neighborhood restaurant, but only four bottles are offered by the glass. We ordered two appetizers, a pizza and pasta. Disappointingly, our pizza came out first, before the appetizers were ready. The pizza menu was extensive with 15 different varieties to choose from. Our pizza of choice was the Bismark, with mozzarella cheese, bacon, mushroom, and half-baked egg. The pizza was excellent, hot and tasty with lots of cheese and toppings.

Next to arrive was our hot appetizer, baked eggplant with mozzarella cheese. This was the favorite of the meal for my boyfriend. The eggplant was baked just right and the mozzarella perfectly melted.

The cold appetizer, a cheese plate, arrived third to the table and was average at best. The cheese portions were tiny and the crackers were bland and dry. I would not order this again.

The last to arrive was the pasta and that was excellent, my personal favorite dish of the meal. The pasta was a perfect al dente, the white sauce was creamy, the ham was nicely salty and the mushrooms made the dish complete.

All in all, a great evening with good food and warm atmosphere, there was a dad and his son in the table next to us, as well as a young couple, on seemingly their first date. The private area was booked out with what sounded like a lively birthday party. A great little neighborhood restaurant if you live in the area and are looking for something quick and tasty, not a must try.

Blue Point Hiroo, 1F Shichiseisya Bldg. 5-1-20 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku. Tel. 03-5423-0208. Open 11:30am–2am.