It’s pretty unlikely that you’d ever stumble across Café Neuf by chance. Perched on the ninth floor of an apartment building by the train tracks in Ebisu, this French-style café hides away its treasures. Despite the location, nearly all nine tables were occupied when we stepped into the café on a rainy Thursday night. And you can tell right away why this place doesn’t need to trumpet itself to get costumers. Used furniture, cushy chairs, old books and movie posters, dried flowers, chandeliers and mellow jazz was filling the small room with a warm, laidback atmosphere. We ordered two appetizers from the elaborate (French/Japanese) menu, ratatouille (¥700) and fricassée de chamignon (¥890), and a main dish of lamb with cous cous (¥1,100). The wine list had a small selection of French bottles ranging from ¥3,600-¥5,800 (champagne costs ¥9,800), but we chose the French beer Kronenbourg (¥840) and a delicious sangria á la maison (¥730). Every dish was fantastic, and we topped it all off with a strawberry tart and a luscious gâteau au chocolat (¥550). This was, all in all, a surprisingly delightful culinary experience. Café Neuf is a place we will be sure to visit again, maybe on a warmer day where we can take advantage of the rooftop terrace overlooking downtown Ebisu.