France-born, New York-based super-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has some two dozen restaurants, spread over six countries on three continents. Now he's added Japan to that impressive list.
Jean-Georges Tokyo opened in March in the compact premises near Roppongi Hills formerly occupied by Le Chocolat de H. It's as sleek as you'd expect for the location, with plush designer-casual tables upstairs and counter seats on the ground floor.
The man in charge of the open kitchen is Fumio Yonezawa. The chef, who spent several years at the New York main restaurant, executes the light Asian accents of the Jean-Georges signature dishes with considerable aplomb.
The classic amuse-bouche appetizer is the Egg Toast: a whole golden yolk, still warm and runny, served between thin slices of crisped bread, topped with a large scoop of truffle shavings.
The other trademark starter, Egg Caviar, is replaced in summer by a lighter, zestier dish: Lemon Gelee topped with a generous scoop of caviar. Refreshingly decadent.
These are the opening gambits in the impressive five-course ¥13,000 dinner menu, which culminates with a sizable slab of teppan-fried Hida beef and a suitably rich, satisfying chocolate dessert.
Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka-dori, 6-12-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5412-7115
Open daily 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (LO) and 5:30-10 p.m. (LO).
Nearest station Roppongi
No smoking
Lunch from ¥4,800, dinner from ¥13,000
Major cards OK; Japanese/English menu; English spoken.
Robbie Swinnerton blogs at www.tokyofoodfile.com.
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