Carmen Azabudai Hills (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

When I first heard of Spanish Chef Jérôme Quilbeuf, it was about his incredibly fluffy basque cheesecake. In fact, I was so fascinated by the online news that I actually went to his Ginza boutique at Ginza Sweets March for a closer look in August but was left saddened that the cheesecakes were all sold out. And then the boutique closed down in late August. That was the last I heard about the chef.

But later when I was doing my research for this Christmas trip, he re-surfaced with his latest venture, a cutting-edge Spanish gastrobar at the brand-new Azabudai Hills called Carmen. As it turns out, the chef was more than just a pastry chef. He honed his skills at Restaurant Sant Pau's flagship back in Sant Pol de Mar, a small fisherman town in the center of Catalunya north of Barcelona and became the sous chef at the Tokyo outpost when they opened in 2004.

The four of us were offered seats at the counter table. Mom and little nugget would much prefer to dine at a normal table but it was just fine with me as I always love to see the chefs in action.

Croquette – Freshly fried cheese croquette with runny Manchego was served with shaved Manchego on top. I must say, the thin and super crispy batter was real nice mouthfeel.

Bikini – This came with cheese, black truffle and shaved ham in the middle. Not bad.

Scallop ceviche – The sweetness of the scallops was matched up nicely with some acidity from the purple onions, tomatoes (there were different kinds) and sour cream. To offset the extra acidity, there were various textures of beetroot there for a nice balancing act.

Squid and zucchini noodles – I like the crunch of the squid and zucchini noodles mixing up well with the potato purée and bean sprout while the light pesto sauce tied everything together. Not sure if the squid and zucchini were intended to be served lukewarm (or just left in the kitchen for too long?).

Pork – I got mixed reviews on the roasted pork from Chiba. Some claimed that they were a little chewy but I thought they were reasonably good. The spicy kick from the romesco sauce added another dimension to the dish that also included seasonal vegetables like maitake mushroom, yam, radish and bok choy. 

Chef Jérôme's signature Basque cheesecake – I won't say I came here solely for this but it was the perfect icing on the cake. My original plan was to have this in August when we visited Tokyo and Osaka on the same trip but I was more than happy to finally taste it after 4 months.

Now I understand why people are head over heels in love with this cheesecake. To me, this was just perfect. The crustless cheesecake seemed to have an extra soft centre of runny cheese in the middle. The slightly contrasting texture and richness were so addictive.

Mom said she's already sick of tasting menus (on our second day!?) but I was glad we came here for dinner tonight. The cheesecake was certainly worth the visit and the new Azabudai Hills provided some instagrammable moments for all of us. I just hope we get another crack at this place before we leave Tokyo in about a week's time.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3/F Azabudai Hills Tower Plaza, 1-3-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Kamiyacho

Tel: +81 3-6277-8240

Website: www.jeromequilbeuf.jp

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 11:00pm daily