Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Our last reservation at Beige dating back to 2005 didn't exactly work out well for us. We arrived about an hour late for our lunch (a little after 2pm) and were abruptly stopped at the elevator by the staff before being told that the kitchen had already closed for lunch service. And that was the end of our interest in Beige.

Little that we knew it would take nearly 7 years before we decided to come back here again.

 

Located on the top floor of the Chanel Tower, Beige is one of the most sought-after French restaurants in Ginza. I was told it's especially popular among the ladies since it's such a convenient stop after a hardworking day of shopping in the neighborhood.




Amuse bouche, 3.5/10
Our amuse bouche comprised of two small nibbles. The first one had a thin slice of parma ham sitting on a piece of focaccia bread. That wasn't overly impressive. And neither was the second nibble.

Au gratin pumpkin, slow cooked lobster, cockscomb and mushroom, 7/10
Lunch finally got off to a flying start with this slow-cooked lobster that was served with cockscomb, pumpkin gratin and mushroom. It was one of the few times that I have seen cockscomb featured in a French dish but surprisingly it meshed fairly well with the rest of the dish. I particularly enjoyed the pumpkin velouté which was silky smooth. 



Lightly smoked duck breast, foie gras, fig-grape-walnut marmalade, 5/10
After the first starter, the remainder of the meal began to drop off significantly. First up was a lightly smoked duck breast that did not taste as if it's been smoked at all but thankfully I did enjoy the pan seared foie gras with fig, grape and walnut.



Pan-seared cod, tender fennel cooked with bouillabaisse broth, 5/10
Pan seared cod fish was served with fennel and other season vegetables. Unfortunately, the texture of the cod wasn't particularly impressive and the bouillabaisse broth was just too overpowering for the sweetness of the fish.



Baked suzuki, bayaldi of vegetables and lemon, cooking jus, 5/10
The baked suzuki looked almost identical to the previous dish. The seasoning was slightly more mild but again it wasn't especially exciting.



Grilled spare rib, orange, onion and potato cooked in cocotte, 5/10
The grilled spare rib was soft and tender although the meat itself was lacking flavors. As a result, all the flavors seemed to be coming from the sauce.



Chicken stuffed with fresh herbs, autumn garnish, 4.5/10
A little less impressive was the chicken stuffed with fresh herbs. The chicken meat was more on the hard side and there wasn't much of a fragrance coming from the fresh herbs.



Chocolate-praline Chanel square, 6/10
Dessert was probably the lone bright spot on the afternoon. Their signature chocolate-praline Chanel square is a definite must.




Baba with rum, 5.5/10
The classic rum baba was also a decent choice although it had a tad too much rum for my liking. 



Petite four was a collection of tasty macarons.



Other than the very first dish (Au gratin pumpkin, slow cooked lobster, cockscomb and mushroom), nothing inspiring has come out of the kitchen for us. That's a bit sad for a Michelin-star restaurant.

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: Chanel Ginza Building 10F, 3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Closest Metro Station: Ginza Itchome
Website: www.beige-tokyo.com