Today, Adam, one of the FB guest bloggers, and I dropped in on Joli Kobe Midtown for a late lunch. It is unfortunately located in the Invesco building on Peachtree. Being a Saturday, parking was not an issue; however, people who dine here during the week often complain of a lack of available spaces. I am a bit surprised with this as there is a parking deck, though I have never parked in it. As an insiders tip, I eat next door at La Pietra Cucina, about two times a week. There are some available metered spaces on West Peachtree that never seem to get checked by the Blue. I won’t guarantee you will get away with it, but you should know that I always have. While the parking does not affect my feelings on the restaurant, it is certainly worth noting.
We walked in and immediately noticed the Japanese styling. For a Saturday afternoon, the peacefulness was much appreciated. The two women behind the counter were both pleasant and helpful. I have visited the Sandy Springs location and had some of their baked goods; however, this was my first foray into their recently updated cafe menu. The service was pleasant and prompt. Although, the place was empty, so it’s hard to really critique their timeliness.
I elected to go with the grilled ham & cheese sandwich while Adam went for the almond curry chicken. My ham and cheese was pretty good. As I had been warned, it came stacked as a double decker. I have had many a standard sandwich that were larger than this one. I was very pleased by the ingredients to bread (white) ratio. The Béchamel sauce combined with the Gruyere cheese gave the sandwich a nice creamy texture that went well with the sliced ham. I would have appreciated a more savory flavor to the sandwich as a whole. I feel that a salt cured ham and/or some spiced mustard would have been ideal. Nonetheless, it was quite good. I was disappointed with the accompanying potato salad and pickle skewers. Neither was anything to write home about.
Adam said he felt the Curry chicken was solid, though a bit under spiced. He was pretty sure that the curry was canned, and I am not inclined to disagree. He also made an excellent observation regarding the blandness of the dish: Curry is hard to pull off cold. When served cold, it really should have some extra kick to it to compensate for its’ propensity for blandness. I did notice him add a good bit of salt and pepper. He did like the croissant that chicken was served on. I did not inquire about his mixed green side salad.
The prices were a bit high, so that’s a definite detractor; my ham & cheese came in at $8.25. I would have felt it more appropriate in the $6-7 range. Regardless, as first impressions go, this did pretty well. It is certainly worth a return trip, as I would like to sample more items from the menu in order to get a good feel for the place. I think this is a fine place for lunch, though I am not sure I would eat dinner here. As I mentioned previously, I have visited the Sandy Springs location a few times. I found the baked goods to be very good.
Address:1545 Peachtree St, Ste 115, Atlanta, GA 30309 // P:404.870.0640
Website:www.jolikobe.com
Menu: pdf (note: this appears to be slightly different than the menu I saw)
