It's a beautiful Spring day in Tokyo as my three friends and I are welcomed at Quintessence, a small restaurant tucked away in a side street off Platina Dori in Shiroganedai. We have been waiting almost three months for a table at this establishment, opened by Chef Shuzo Kishida in March 2006. Mr. Kishida had formerly worked as Sous Chef to Pascal Barbot at the Michelin 3 star L'Astrance in Paris.
In 2007, aged just 33, Kishida joined the ranks of the culinary aristocracy with an award of 3 Michelin stars, so with keen appetites and high expectations we take our seats for lunch.
The dining room is comfortable, understated and elegant; we are handed a printed sheet outlining the Menu Carte Blanche. The menu comprises 7 courses of seasonal ingredients of the Chef's choosing. The Maitre d' asks if any of us have any allergies; we do not, but we suspect he might as he repeatedly clears his nose with an alarming snort at the end of every sentence; it's hay fever season so we politely try our best to ignore it.
Three of us order champagne, but the fourth is slightly hungover and orders a Bloody Mary; this is where the wheels come off. He's told that there is no tomato juice. Not today; not ever; amazing in a 3* establishment. He asks instead for a vodka and tonic only to be told there is no tonic water either. Not today; not ever. Feeling the ginger ale he's offered is a poor substitute, he opts for a glass of water and requests the wine list. First black mark, and we haven't eaten a bite yet.
After a short wait we are served an amuse bouche of Kochi fruits tomato with Japanese plum and basil jelly which is pleasant enough, though the delicate flavour of plum is overpowered by the metallic basil. (6/10)
The next course is announced as one of the Chef's signature dishes; a Kyoto Goatsmilk Bavarois with Macadamia Nut and Sliced Lily Bulb. It is served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. The combination of tastes and textures is very pleasant, but it's not getting anyone excited. (7/10)
The next course is a Pie of Thinly Sliced Raw Scallops, Yam Potato and Beetroot Sauce with a Salad of Shaved Fennel, Apple, Marjoram and Aniseed Liqueur. All of us agreed that this dish didn't work at all. The beetroot sauce was by turns both sweet and acidic, and overpowered the delicate flavour of the scallops; a tiny layer of bland yam potato brought little in the way of taste or texture to the dish. The delicious sounding fennel and apple salad was marred by too much marjoram; a rather disappointing dish. (4/10)
With our first three courses we have chosen a bottle of Chablis Premier Cru "La Forest" 2005 Vincent Dauvissat priced at 12,600 yen.
For our next courses we switch to Saint-Aubin Premier Cru en Remilly 2004 Michel Coutoux priced at 14,700 yen.
The next course to be served is Gurnard Confit with Sauce of Cherry Leaf Foam and Komatsuna. The gurnard fillet is soft, delicious and cooked to perfection. The cherry leaf foam is well seasoned and an excellent compliment to the fish. Komatsuna is a seasonal green vegetable from Hokkaido which in appearance is somewhere between spinach and choi sum; it is bursting with freshness, flavour and crunch. Finally, an exciting plate of food. (8/10)
The dining room is comfortable, understated and elegant; we are handed a printed sheet outlining the Menu Carte Blanche. The menu comprises 7 courses of seasonal ingredients of the Chef's choosing. The Maitre d' asks if any of us have any allergies; we do not, but we suspect he might as he repeatedly clears his nose with an alarming snort at the end of every sentence; it's hay fever season so we politely try our best to ignore it.
Three of us order champagne, but the fourth is slightly hungover and orders a Bloody Mary; this is where the wheels come off. He's told that there is no tomato juice. Not today; not ever; amazing in a 3* establishment. He asks instead for a vodka and tonic only to be told there is no tonic water either. Not today; not ever. Feeling the ginger ale he's offered is a poor substitute, he opts for a glass of water and requests the wine list. First black mark, and we haven't eaten a bite yet.
After a short wait we are served an amuse bouche of Kochi fruits tomato with Japanese plum and basil jelly which is pleasant enough, though the delicate flavour of plum is overpowered by the metallic basil. (6/10)
The next course is announced as one of the Chef's signature dishes; a Kyoto Goatsmilk Bavarois with Macadamia Nut and Sliced Lily Bulb. It is served with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. The combination of tastes and textures is very pleasant, but it's not getting anyone excited. (7/10)
The next course is a Pie of Thinly Sliced Raw Scallops, Yam Potato and Beetroot Sauce with a Salad of Shaved Fennel, Apple, Marjoram and Aniseed Liqueur. All of us agreed that this dish didn't work at all. The beetroot sauce was by turns both sweet and acidic, and overpowered the delicate flavour of the scallops; a tiny layer of bland yam potato brought little in the way of taste or texture to the dish. The delicious sounding fennel and apple salad was marred by too much marjoram; a rather disappointing dish. (4/10)
With our first three courses we have chosen a bottle of Chablis Premier Cru "La Forest" 2005 Vincent Dauvissat priced at 12,600 yen.
For our next courses we switch to Saint-Aubin Premier Cru en Remilly 2004 Michel Coutoux priced at 14,700 yen.
The next course to be served is Gurnard Confit with Sauce of Cherry Leaf Foam and Komatsuna. The gurnard fillet is soft, delicious and cooked to perfection. The cherry leaf foam is well seasoned and an excellent compliment to the fish. Komatsuna is a seasonal green vegetable from Hokkaido which in appearance is somewhere between spinach and choi sum; it is bursting with freshness, flavour and crunch. Finally, an exciting plate of food. (8/10)
For our main course we will be served pork; we ask the sommelier to recommend a red wine from the list and he selects a Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Noirots 2004 Domaine Arlaud priced at 21,000 yen.
The main course is Three Hour Roasted Pork with Roasted Inca Potatoes, Gyoja Niniku and Mashed Endive with Raspberry Vinegar. The slightly pink pork from Saga prefecture in the north of Kyushu is juicy, moist and packed with flavour; the fat is seared and crispy on the outside and melting on the inside. The Inca potatoes - a kind of sweet potato - have a golden colour and a rich creamy texture. The gyoja ninikku - again from Hokkaido - is a type of fragrant wild garlic. The raspberry vinegar on the mashed endive has a wonderfully astringent sharpness which perfectly cuts through the richness of the fat in the slow roasted pork. Now the food's getting a lot better. (8.5/10)
To accompany pudding the sommelier recommends a Cuilleron Rousilliere (Chenin Blanc) at 1,470 yen per glass.
Next comes an avant dessert of Coconut Mousse with Pistaccio Oil and Espresso. The balance is just so, with the powerful coffee harmonizing perfectly with the other ingredients. (7/10) One of my dining companions doesn't like coffee, and is offered an alternative of Almond Sponge Cake with Coconut Cream; an almond cake is baked once, powdered then re-constituted into a second cake. The cake has a fudgy, moist texture yet somehow retains an almond crunch, it is served with a rich coconut cream.(7.5/10)
We close our meal with another signature dish of Meringue Ice Cream, packed with the sweet flavour of mashed up meringue. The dish is served with a few drops of sea water, which combines cleverly with the sugary ice cream. It is a pleasure to eat. (8/10)
This restaurant serves extremely good espresso.
The seven course lunch with drinks came to a total of 99,000 yen. Not unreasonable given the amount of food we were served.
There is no doubting that Shuzo Kishida is a talented Chef, producing some impressive food, but based upon the experience of this meal alone I am unconvinced that Quintessence warrants its Michelin 3 star rating. There are many similarities to L'Astrance in the ambition of the service, but the food here falls short of the imagination, complexity and consistency acheived by Pascal Barbot.
The wine list here is extensive with a strong focus on French wine; the sommeliers are knowledgeable and helpful, yet there is no offering of a degustation of wines to accompany the food, which in my opinion is a great pity, and an opportunity missed given the number of dishes served and the variety of tastes. The inability to produce a Bloody Mary or a vodka and tonic as an aperitif is shocking.
I tried to re-book for dinner as we left the restaurant, but was told the only way to get a table is to pray to St. Jude and call the permanently engaged reservation line until you get through. It seems, then that my concerns about this establishment are not widely shared; perhaps I'll make it to dinner after the Michelin hype's died down.
Restaurant Quintessence
Barbizon 25 1F
Shiroganedai 5-4-7
Minato-ku
Tokyo
Tel: 03-5791 3715
The main course is Three Hour Roasted Pork with Roasted Inca Potatoes, Gyoja Niniku and Mashed Endive with Raspberry Vinegar. The slightly pink pork from Saga prefecture in the north of Kyushu is juicy, moist and packed with flavour; the fat is seared and crispy on the outside and melting on the inside. The Inca potatoes - a kind of sweet potato - have a golden colour and a rich creamy texture. The gyoja ninikku - again from Hokkaido - is a type of fragrant wild garlic. The raspberry vinegar on the mashed endive has a wonderfully astringent sharpness which perfectly cuts through the richness of the fat in the slow roasted pork. Now the food's getting a lot better. (8.5/10)
To accompany pudding the sommelier recommends a Cuilleron Rousilliere (Chenin Blanc) at 1,470 yen per glass.
Next comes an avant dessert of Coconut Mousse with Pistaccio Oil and Espresso. The balance is just so, with the powerful coffee harmonizing perfectly with the other ingredients. (7/10) One of my dining companions doesn't like coffee, and is offered an alternative of Almond Sponge Cake with Coconut Cream; an almond cake is baked once, powdered then re-constituted into a second cake. The cake has a fudgy, moist texture yet somehow retains an almond crunch, it is served with a rich coconut cream.(7.5/10)
We close our meal with another signature dish of Meringue Ice Cream, packed with the sweet flavour of mashed up meringue. The dish is served with a few drops of sea water, which combines cleverly with the sugary ice cream. It is a pleasure to eat. (8/10)
This restaurant serves extremely good espresso.
The seven course lunch with drinks came to a total of 99,000 yen. Not unreasonable given the amount of food we were served.
There is no doubting that Shuzo Kishida is a talented Chef, producing some impressive food, but based upon the experience of this meal alone I am unconvinced that Quintessence warrants its Michelin 3 star rating. There are many similarities to L'Astrance in the ambition of the service, but the food here falls short of the imagination, complexity and consistency acheived by Pascal Barbot.
The wine list here is extensive with a strong focus on French wine; the sommeliers are knowledgeable and helpful, yet there is no offering of a degustation of wines to accompany the food, which in my opinion is a great pity, and an opportunity missed given the number of dishes served and the variety of tastes. The inability to produce a Bloody Mary or a vodka and tonic as an aperitif is shocking.
I tried to re-book for dinner as we left the restaurant, but was told the only way to get a table is to pray to St. Jude and call the permanently engaged reservation line until you get through. It seems, then that my concerns about this establishment are not widely shared; perhaps I'll make it to dinner after the Michelin hype's died down.
Restaurant Quintessence
Barbizon 25 1F
Shiroganedai 5-4-7
Minato-ku
Tokyo
Tel: 03-5791 3715
