The eponymous Chef Takazawa and his Maitre d' wife Akiko continue to produce and serve some of the most artistic, creative and consistently delicious food available anywhere in Tokyo.
The nine course menu is priced at 20,000 yen per person; which when you tag on the amuse bouche and petit fours, is more than enough food for anyone to wade through - even if you have skipped lunch in anticipation. If you want to mix it up a bit, there are shorter and longer combinations available; have a chat with Akiko.
A word to the wise here. This restaurant only seats 10 people, and keeps only a small selection of 150 bottles in the cellar in the restaurant, so if you're bringing a thirsty bunch and don't want to be thwarted with 'last bottle syndrome' let the owners know in advance, as they have a large selection of wines just off site and can probably meet your needs. They also have a large selection of Japanese wines from which to choose.
Amuse Bouche
Prosciutto and Melon, which is served in the form of a soup. A slightly gelatinous prosciutto stock is mixed with a melon soup and the perfect hint of mint. On the side is an oyster leaf (all the rage two years ago in fine dining and still making the occasional appearance, this time more for its actual flavour rather than "wow' factor) topped with a blob of tartare sauce sprinkled with the crunchiest of breadcrumbs. The leaf, along with its toppings Akiko advises us is a down in one; delicious crunchy oyster with tartare sauce. (8/10).
With suitably amused bouches we set about our dinner properly.
First to arrive is warm bread laced with edomame beans served with a small corked glass beaker of the creamiest rillette de porc you could ever hope to taste. (8/10)
N.B. The dishes here are followed by quasi-vintages to denote the calendar year in which they were first served at the restaurant.
Ratatouille (2005)
This dish is served on a spoon and looks like slice of a vegetable terrine wrapped in a red cabbage leaf with a jewel of crystallized salt at the side. Each of the constituent vegetables is cooked, steamed, vinegared, sliced, pared and seasoned to perfection. It must take hours of painstaking work to produce and assemble, and guess what? It's another down in one. It tastes wonderful. (8.5/10)
Carpenter's Salad (New)
A refreshing selection of red tuna, vegetables and leaves is served up with assorted "carpenter's paraphernalia". A screw, a spanner and a nut (the kind that goes with a bolt rather than a squirrel) all formed from anchovy and olive tapenade, and a spring fashioned from daikon. Very tasty and cute, but perhaps lacking the panache one expects of Aronia. (6.5/10).
Summer Beans Soup (New)
A perfectly formed poached egg is surrounded by pea shoots, edible flowers and shaved green asparagus. It is subsequently covered in a cold, creamy (but not overly chilled) soup of fava beans and green asparagus. The egg has the most extraordinarily orange yolk I have ever seen; I'm told this is because the free range hens are fed with just the right amount of paprika and turmeric in their diets; how about that for attention to detail! This is my favourite dish of the evening so far. The flavours combine wonderfully and are seasoned to perfection. My bliss soon swings to despair as I find myself unable to access the final drops of the soup which lurk mockingly in the corner of the pretty but ergonomically challenging bowl.
Luckily I spy a piece of bread and the residue is swiftly dispatched. (9/10).
Carbonara (New)
Nothing is quite what it seems at Aronia, and so our carbonara consists of spaghetti made from white asparagus strands, topped with a smoked quail's egg, perfectly soft scrambled eggs and Hokkaido uni (sea urchin) which is always at it's most delicious in the summer months of the northern hemisphere.
On the side are two white asparagus tips blanched and then finished in a beurre noisette. This is a truly wonderful dish, and one that I can hardly bear to finish. (8.5/10).
Kincho (2009)
Another sensual treat here, as we are served a succulent slice of guinea fowl breast, with perfectly crispy skin. Alongside is a mock Baygon mosquito coil fashioned from guinea fowl liver served with a splodge of rich tomato jam in the centre of the coil and a raisin or two tastefully arranged around the plate. The senses are given an extra treat as the whole dish is given a dose of hay smoke before it's brought to the table. This dish really does tick all the boxes; a tricky piece of poultry cooked to perfection, marvellous invention and presentation. Superb. (8/10).
Herbal Forest (2010)
Let's cut to the chase; this was my least favourite element of tonight's dinner. It wasn't unpleasant, it was just rather pedestrian by the high standards of this establishment. Tokizake is a rather grand form of ocean caught salmon. For my taste, it was perhaps a fraction overcooked, and certainly underinspired. The fish was topped with a huge amount of herbs, hence the allusion to a forest. Time to press on; dinner's not over yet... (5/10).
Dinner in the Forest -WAGYU (2009)
Let me start by saying that my heart often sinks when I'm about to be served wagyu beef because I find the really fatty meats like Kobe beef overwhelmingly rich. But I can honestly say this is one of the most delicious cuts of Japanese beef I have ever been served. Three small and perfectly cooked pieces sit next to a husk of baby corn, and two pieces of soft and yielding burdock, which is a root I usually find inedible. Again a sense of the forest is evoked by burning fern before serving. A well balanced dish, with an ingredient that, if poorly chosen, can so easily overwhelm the diner in the latter stages of a large meal. (7.5/10).
Campari Orange (New)
Another delicious and very clever course here. A shot glass is partially filled with Campari granite, and then topped with what resembles the shape and consistency of an egg yolk, but lo and behold, the egg yolk is filled with orange juice. Clever, fun and deliciously refreshing. (8/10).
Déjà Vu (New)
As the name implies, this dish looks like something we've already eaten. It turns out to be a dessert facsimile of the Carbonara. It's a delicious pudding of shaved pineapple, grated frozen apple and coconut ice cream.
Again, very clever, surprisingly light and quite delicious. (8/10).
Petit Fours
We are served a tiny green tea muffin, a coconut meringue finger, a tiny spoon with a blob of strawberry sorbet surrounded by condensed milk and a saffron and orange marshmallow. All quite tasty, especially the sorbet. (6.5/10)
For those with the stomach capacity, coffee and a large range of teas, herbal and otherwise await.
An extraordinary dining experience, with wonderfully imaginative food, and a great welcome from the wonderfully welcoming Akiko, who incidentally speaks excellent English.
Worthy of at least one and more likely two Michelin stars. The good news is, the proprietors don't seem to want them, which is good for those of us who want to eat here, as it's hard enough to get a table even without any extra hype.
Yet again, Bravo!
Email well in advance, and Akiko will help you to arrange your evening in English.
2F Sanyo Akasaka Bldg
3-5-2 Akasaka
Minato-ku
Tokyo
〒 107-0052
Tel :03-3505-5052
