It's the post-holiday syndrome, the back-at-work midweek slump. You feel like eating out, but you don't want to get dressed up. You need to avoid straining the credit card. And you're certainly not in the mood for elaborate delicacies or rare vintages by candlelight.

All that's needed is a quiet night out; French food that's simple and affordable; and, most of all, it has to be somewhere that feels a long, long way from the bustle and grind. An impossible conundrum? Not if you live anywhere within striking distance of the wonderful Cou Cou.

The idea of the bargain-basement French bistro is certainly not new or unique. These days the concept has permeated into virtually every neighborhood of the city. Few other places in Tokyo, however, can match Cou Cou in offering satisfying three-course dinners for a mere 2,500 yen. And nowhere else at all has a setting to compare.