Fish Bank (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

We have passed by the entrance of Fish Bank a zillion times but like most restaurants with a scenic view in Tokyo, it's impossible to get a table without advanced booking. Fortunately, we got it right this time by calling the restaurant a few weeks in advance.

Billed as a contemporary French restaurant on the 41st floor of the Shiodome City Center, Fish Bank features a skyscraping view of Shiodome district with a stunning view to the Rainbow Bridge.



Similar to its cuisine, the interior décor of Fish Bank is also largely contemporary. The main dining room is considerably big with a few tables extending to the upper floor.



We were slightly disappointed with the view. Despite getting a nice table by the window, the Rainbow Bridge was nowhere to be found.



Fish Bank serves a number of prix-fixe menus ranging from ¥2,500 to ¥5,800. The set menu prices differed depending on the number of courses and the main course chosen.

Starting off lunch was a fresh oyster for every one (5/10).



This was not Fish Bank's signature sea urchin flan but it's close. Fresh sea urchin in its shell (6/10).



But after the sea urchin, every thing started going downhill.

Prawn and squid salad with pesto sauce (3/10).

Tomato with cous cous - refreshing but nothing spectacular there (4/10).

Tartare of assorted fish. Nice presentation but again uninspiring (3.5/10).

Pumpkin Soup was silky smooth and delicate (5/10).



Grilled prawns with baby greens - the first disappointing dish of the day (2/10). At this point, we still haven't seen a great deal of cooking techniques in any one of these dishes.



The menu was in Japanese but I recalled this was a trout fish that was again not up to par (3/10).



Penne tossed in a rich tomato sauce (5/10).



Veal was a bit on the dry side (3/10).

Beef tenderloin was slightly better than the veal but still not as good as the seafood courses (4/10).

Apple Crumble with cinnamon and ice cream (4/10).



Fruit sorbet with blueberry sauce (3/10).

Their Mont Blanc was arguably the best of the three desserts (5/10). 

 

We were a little disappointed with the view but very disappointed with the food. There was not much technique nor creativity involved in most of these dishes. Although billed as a French restaurant, the French flair has been sorely missing.


Food Rating: 3.5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shiodome City Center 41/F, Higashi-Shinbashi 1-5-2, Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +03 3569-7171
Closest Metro Station: Shinbashi 

Website: www.fish-bank-tokyo.jp



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