Just in time for the festive season, Tokyo has been given a timely infusion of fine dining. And it has everything going for it: plush designer decor, one of the best locations in the city center (overlooking the Imperial Palace moat) and modern Italian cuisine from one of Europe's top chefs.

German-born, but based in Rome for two decades, Heinz Beck may not be a household name among Japanese gourmets but he is the only chef in the Eternal City to hold three Michelin stars, at La Pergola. He also oversees half a dozen restaurants around Europe and the Middle East. Now he has touched down in Japan with a splash, opening in early November with a double-decker operation.

At the top of an imposing flight of stairs inside the shiny new Nissay Marunouchi Garden Tower, Beck's eponymous high-end dining room is chic and elegant with a heavyweight wine cellar and waiters in two-tone beige-and-black uniforms. The quiet, restful ambience is perfect for extended meals, such as the nine-course tasting menu (¥19,000 lunch or dinner), which is much the same as at La Pergola.