French Cuisine, a la Tokyo, in Torrance Mall

French-Japanese cuisine, even in Japan, where the style originated, still has limited acceptance. The Tokyo restaurant scene--crammed with more than 100 French restaurants alone--is monopolized by conservatives, clients who would much rather dine on duckling or sauce bearnaise than on sea urchin or a ginger-garlic cream. That’s why so many of the radicals have settled here in Los Angeles.

But the pendulum is beginning to swing back. Toshihiko Takahashi, a 27-year-old Tokyo-trained chef (in Hiramatsu-tei, a bastion of French cuisine in one of the more Europeanized sections of Tokyo), has opened Les Joues Hioux, a French restaurant in a Pacific Coast Highway shopping mall. Takahashi never worked in France, yet oddly his cuisine is more French than most other Japanese chefs working in this area, the majority of whom have had extensive experience in France.

Appetizers like assiette de poissons crus aux herbes (raw marinated slices of salmon in extra virgin olive oil with sweet basil) are delightful. Saute of duck foie gras can be ordered with salad, or generously truffled, and is fresh and adroitly crisped around the edges. A saffron-rich soupe de poissons is crammed full of mussels, langoustines, clams and turbot. Mousse of red bell pepper in a tomato coulis is pureed with a heartbreaking amount of cream and may be faulted for an embarrassment of riches, but not for a paucity of flavor. Takahashi is clearly a promising new talent.

The problem, I think, is that most people aren’t going to pay Westside prices to eat in a modest South Bay neighborhood--unless the chef has achieved the superstar status of a John Sedlar. Entrees can get pricey, mostly because Takahashi uses costly French ingredients. Roasted squab is served with sauteed foie gras and fresh morels, and foie gras also flanks the duckling, served with the breast elegantly rose-petaled and the leg crisped and sizzling. Roasted Maine lobster, superb in a butter sauce with a bit of spinach to offset the richness, is yet another luxury item far from home. Although these dishes are well conceived, they make Les Joues Hioux into a somewhat expensive proposition. But Takahashi can easily cook up a storm with primary products that cost far less.

Poulet a la vapeur et poireaux , steamed chicken with leeks, is roasted first, then sliced, giving it an engaging texture and wonderful moisture. It is also the least expensive of the entrees. And a simple filet of beef couldn’t have been better.

Besides, basics are better suited to the environment. The dining room is little more than a converted storefront, full of understated grays and pinks. Pull out the tables, unhook the overhead lighting, and it passes for a retail outlet.

But Takahashi and his English-speaking wife, Kyoko, have clearly put their heart and soul into this operation. Little Spanish olives wait to be nibbled on; complimentary cheeses and cracked walnuts grace the tables after meals; service is gentle and deferential. It’s hard to have an unpleasant evening here.

And if you avoid the more expensive a la carte entrees and order one of the many fixed-price dinners, Les Joues Hioux’s prices become quite reasonable. For $27, you get three courses plus dessert and coffee. Thirty-seven dollars brings you an extra hors d’oeuvre course and an extra dessert.

There are bargains on the rather small wine list as well, but you have to find them. The least expensive champagne here, Gloria Ferrer, a relatively new California champagne produced by Freixenet of Spain, far outdistances some of its more expensive competitors. I’m expecting that Takahashi will eventually do the same.

Les Joues Hioux, 2529 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, (213) 325-1871. Open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Beer and wine only. Parking in lot. Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club. Dinner for two, food only, $60-$120.

Selected dishes: Soupe de poissons $8.80; cold consomme with lobster and caviar, $14.40; sauteed turbot in beurre blanc, $14; roasted lamb with truffles, $20.50; menu gourmand, $47.