Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

My little nugget is off to his skiing lesson early this morning so his old man finally gets his much-deserved off-day on this trip. A number of French restaurants came to mind when I was planning today's itinerary a few months ago. But at the end of the day, I decided to make a return visit to ANA Intercontinental for the sake of nostaglia.



Perched on the 36th floor of ANA Intercontinental Tokyo, Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo has been one of the stalwarts in the city's fine dining scene since its opening in March 2010. Executive Chef Yosuke Akasaka has worked under the legendary Pierre Gagnaire since the age of 23 (in Paris). In 2010, Chef Akasaka returned to Japan to lead the opening team of Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo and under his guidance, the restaurant has consistently kept its 2-Michelin star rating, now in its ten consecutive year.



Service was excellent right from the start. As a solo diner, I was looking for a bit of privacy and without even asking, they have penciled me in for a table at a quiet corner with spectacular views of the Tokyo skyline.



A few weeks before this trip, I made a small mistake when I was filling in the online reservation form at the restaurant's official website. Instead of making a simple booking for my table, I mistakenly ordered a tasting menu as well (they call it "online booking exclusive course menu"). For me, that's always a no no since I would rather see the menu first before pulling the trigger but damage was already done. But this turned out to be blessing in disguise. For one, I didn't have to go through the trouble of looking at their menus again. Secondly and most importantly, that tasting menu I ordered, turned out to be a brilliant choice.

First up was my beautifully presented "winter forest" themed amuse bouche. It comprised of three crispy bread sticks (sesame, pesto and something like apricot) and a few small nibbles which I forgot to jot down the details of.



The amuse was accompanied by some homemade bread and Chef Gagnaire's signature butter. The milk bun was a pretty good one; less enjoyable were the toasted bread with nuts and dried fruits, and French sourdough bread.



This was followed by Chef Gagnaire's "Cocktail de Poche", which composed of 5 small appetizers. It was an inspiration drawn from the celebrated French chef's unforgettable kaiseki experience when he visited Japan back in 1982.



The first appetizer was clementine sorbet with Hennessy Cognac, served on a bed of red currant jelly. This is a bit like the Sakizuke (first course) from a traditional kaiseki meal, something that's pickled or infused with sake to whet the diners’ appetite for the courses to follow. A nice, refreshing dish to kick off the meal.



Slices of hobo fish (or houbou) marinated with calamansi vinegar and white beer was next.



Hidden underneath the slice of poached kohlrabi was the incredibly sweet hobo sashimi. The crunchy texture caught me a little by surprise.



Lotus root with Espelette pepper was served on creamy Mont d'Or cheese and parsley oil. There was a combination of intense flavors in the mix, both overwhelmingly rich (cheesy) and savory at the same time.



It was one of the coldest day of our stay (around zero degree) so a bowl of soul-warming sweet potato velouté was exactly what I was looking for. Interestingly, this tasted a bit like Jerusalem artichoke soup at first (without the sweetness of sweet potato) but once I mixed in the coconut milk emulsion, the flavors were elevated to a totally different level. My favorite starter without question.



Lastly, it was a dish with braised pork feet and octopus, finished off nicely with a powerful diablo sauce. This came with a fairly strong spicy kick.



My fish course was next and to my pleasant surprise, it wasn't really fish that was coming but French lobster from Brittany. It was served on a bed of tender jasmine rice which has been beautifully cooked with saffron.



On top of the lobster was a collection of winter vegetables such as carrot and purple potato. The dish was finished off wonderfully with dabs of carrot purée and seaweed powder from the Italian seaside.



Finally, my meat course was superbly cooked Nanatani chicken (七谷地鶏) supreme coated with Parmesan cream.



The Nanatani chicken was a breed of free-range chicken from Kameoka, Kyoto, prized for its tender white flesh and rich flavor. The chicken fillet was really as tender and delicate as advertised. The squid, mushrooms, green and purple cabbage and crispy cheese tuile added a nice balance between intense and refreshing flavors.



The parade of desserts came at the same time.



First, there was the pear cooked in yuzu and passion fruit sauce. This came with way too much acidity in it.



The pear was followed by a glass of silky hazelnut cream.



Wrapping things up was frozen pistachio parfait with black bean purée, dried apricots and chrysanthemum.



Obviously, there's a reason why the restaurant manager asked me to have the pistachio parfait last. To finish the meal on a sweet note!



While they served up my Earl Grey tea, a last sweet treat of praline and chocolate cream arrived along with it. I could never say no to chocolate and perhaps never will. The addition of roasted almonds here made this simple dessert very tempting. 



ANA Intercontinental Hotel will always have a very special place in my heart because Jelloman used to stay here all the time on her business trips and I have joined her on those trips more than a few times. Yes, the hotel is a little dated now but walking down memory lane today had a very special feeling attached to it. And I don't have to think twice about coming back again sometime next year (a visit to both ANA and Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo).






Food Rating: 8/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥
Address: 1-12-33 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Roppongi Itchome
Tel: +81 3-3505-9505
Website: https://anaintercontinental-tokyo.jp/pierre_gagnaire/
Opening Hours: 11:30am - 1:30pm, 6:00pm - 8:30pm (Tue - Sun)