The red-framed doors and purple canopy that mark the front of Le Verre Vole a Tokyo are a cheerful sight at any time of year. In the chill dark dead of winter, their glow is even more welcoming, especially if you¡¯re arriving on foot.

Tokyo¡¯s best new bistro is not hard to find, but it¡¯s set well away from any of the bright-light areas where the city¡¯s mainstream nightlife is concentrated. Instead, it has touched down on a quiet stretch of Meguro-dori populated by interior-design stores and vintage-furniture boutiques.

Which is just as you¡¯d expect from the first overseas offshoot of one the buzziest new-generation Parisian bistro/wine bars. It¡¯s a long way to the Meguro River from the Canal Saint-Martin ¡ª the once-grimy neighborhood in the French capital that the original Verre Vole helped make hip ¡ª but the transition has been seamless.