Tag Archives: French food in Tokyo

Azzure 45

by Bianca

This is not the first time I’ve dined at Azzure 45, the cosy French fine-dining restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Midtown, but it is my first lunch there. Lets just call it a post birthday lunch with my husband. I’ve always loved the food there and yesterday it was bright enough for me to take nice pictures. The view is always spectacular from the 45th floor and this restaurants has a perfect view of the Tokyo tower.

Mid-day bubblies

Azzure 45 has a 10.000 yen 7 course tasting menu lunch or you have choices of 3,4 and 5 course menus starting at 4.ooo yen. My husband chose the 5 course menu, I chose the 3 course menu and here is what we had :

Burdock soup. Crispy Burdock, autumn truffles and chestnuts

Zuwai crab. Crustacean essence, turnip mile-feuille

 

Fresh foie gras. Pan fried, autumn fruits, citrus marmalade

Japanese beef fillet. sautéed, mushroom puree, root vegetables with three wine sauce.

Lamb. Roasted, Butter squash puree, hazelnut butter, coffee flavored Lamb Jus

And for dessert :

A lovely chocolate mousse

A petite strawberry miele-feuille

With a lovely cup of coffee to end things.

It was a wonderful lunch. Being a truffle fan, I particularly loved the burdock soup. Everything else was delicious as well but the portions were kind of small, so if you’re hungry, opt for the larger courses.

Price : $$$

Azzure 45
Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku
03-3423-8000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TATERU YOSHINO GINZA

by Bianca

This is another French restaurant with a Japanese touch worth trying. There are a few Tateru Yoshino restaurants in Tokyo but the Ginza branch has the grandest decor. Three of Tateru Yoshino’s restaurants in Tokyo received Michelin stars last year, the Ginza branch received one star. It is located on the 12th floor of the Pias Ginza building, just behind the Mitsukoshi Department store in Ginza. The restaurant manager speaks good english which is very helpful since you will be guessing the menu unless you speak French.

I will let the aesthetically pleasing and carefully prepared dishes speak for themselves through these pictures …

Langoustine with caviar

Tomato stuffed with green pepper jelly and caviar

Slightly smoked beef with grilled mushrooms in morel cream

Roasted turbot and crayfish

Grilled steak with mustard cream

Compote a la rose dessert

To summon things up, I thought the food was deliciously light and fresh. The beef was the most memorable part of the meal for me, perfectly done with just the right amount of crispness on the outer parts and delicate softness inside. It was also the perfect size. Tateru Yoshino Ginza is definitely worth a try.

Price : $$$

Pias Ginza 12F. 4-8-10 Ginza. Tel : 03-3563-1511.

 

 

 

Joel Robuchon Tokyo : Hail to one of the best French restaurants in the world.

by Bianca

Housed inside a French style mansion in the middle of Ebisu with Swarovski crystals neatly adorning its white walls, Joel Robuchon is one upscale french restaurant in Tokyo that never fails. Everything from the moment you enter its French doors greeted by their waiters in crisp black suits until you sit down at their black tables and gulp down their exquisite food, is perfection. It doesn’t matter what season the menu is celebrating, whether its truffle, summer, autumn, winter or spring, sitting in their dining room on the 2nd floor and relishing their impeccably prepared meals is always a treat.

A few days ago we celebrated my husbands birthday and sampled their wonderfully assembled summer menu, here is what we had :

Amuse-Bouche Le Mais : Fresh corn chilled veloute with sea urchin

Le Crabe : Crab meat and caviar with an advocado fondant

La Langoustine : Dublin Bay Prawn with a lemongrass emulsion and stewed leeks

La Foie Gras de Canard : Sauteed Duck Liver with caramelized pineapple, vanilla, rum and coconut meringue

Le Turbot de Breatgne : Gratinated Brittany Halibut with seaweed crust accompanied with tarragon scented broad beans

L’Epaule d’Agneau : Braised Lamb shoulder with buttered turnip and tomato basil juice

Dessert was La Tarte au Chocolat : Chocolate Tart filled with raspberry served with coffee and milk ice cream

And of course my most favorite part of the whole meal :

The dessert tray

Needless to say, every single bite was pure perfection.

Another reason I love this restaurant is that even though it is a 3 michelin star French restaurant, the atmosphere is far from stuffy. The waiters are friendly and cheerful and unlike a lot of Japanese restaurants who frown when you take out your camera or simply forbid you to take pictures, they actually look proud if you frantically take pictures of their food.

Also note that Joel Robuchon has three establishments in Tokyo. Two are housed in Ebisu which is this restaurant and La Table de Joel Robuchon which is sort of the third line, cheaper version of Joel Robuchon and housed on the first floor. Their second line is the L’atelier de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi Hills.

Of course this impeccable feast comes at a steep price, but it is definitely worth a visit especially if you have something majestic to celebrate.

I’ve been around, tried many French restaurants around the world and I have to admit that a touch of Japanese makes this the best French restaurant in the world.

Price : $$$

JOEL ROBOUCHON : 1-13-1 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Phone : 03-5424-1347

 

Les Creations de Narisawa

by Bianca

This has got to be one of the most creative French-Japanese restaurants in town. Chef Narisawa always awes me with his many creations, inspired by nature. Dining here is always a treat.

This time, we had the summer menu with its many gifts.

As always, we are presented with the bread dough which looks like a mousse like dish. I almost ate it raw on my first visit. Lucky the waiter stopped me.

The bread dough

And this is how they bake the bread dough, in a forest of leaves.

The dough is then placed in a hot stone bowl and left to bake..

Until it becomes this most delicious bread ever.

And check out their butter. Simply love this.

Butter made to look like a plant

All this was happening while we were being served our first courses which consists of water with tastes of wood, some fried fish and fried onions that actually looked like dark stones placed on a leaf.

The wood tasting water

The fish

The fried onions

The fish and fried onions were absolutely delicious. The water I thought tasted rather strange. Then came the monkfish course which consisted of some soup and fried monkfish.

wild vegetable soup

Fried Monkfish

Some white asparagus came to follow with a delicious hollandaise sauce. Heavenly.

White asparagus slightly baked with hollandaise sauce

Next course : Oysters with onions. Absolutely delectable.

Followed by another fish course.

Tha Garupa

And the last part of the main course the Hida beef.

The hida beef

To clean your palate before dessert, a delicious grapefruit sorbet-like juice is served.

The grapefruit juice

Dessert is chocolate fondant.

Chocolate fondant

I’m not one to finish my dessert during dinner but here, I just could not help myself. We are nowhere near finished with the sweets just yet. You have your pick of sweet delights from their dessert tray. I suggest you pick one of each.

The dessert tray

Nope, not done yet. You still have a choice of mini macaroons to bite on with your tea or coffee.

Mini macaroons

As always, we had a wonderful time. Narisawa’s meals are definitely a work of art, not only a feast for the eyes and taste buds, but also a feast for the soul.

Price : $$$$

LES CREATION DE NARISAWA

2-6-15 Minami Aoyama
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Japan
Phone: +81 (3) 5785 0799