ESqUISSE Tokyo : Sweets Selection by Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2017

Some people are good at studying but they may not be good at teaching. Some chefs may be good at doing plated desserts but not petit entremets. I haven't try the plated desserts by Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2017 Chef Narita of 2-Michelin star Esquisse Cinq, but I must say that the individual sweets are underwhelming.

Housed in the ultra posh Tokyu Plaza Ginza, ESquiSSE is an atas French restaurant that has a takeaway booth for its petit cakes and breads. Dine-in is only strictly for plated desserts so takeaway can be troublesome. But fortunately Ginza 6 is smart at playing the marketing game. Shoppers can "dabao" food and enjoy them with a panoramic view of Ginza on the Kiriko Lounge 6F.

We deliberated amongst the small and expensive cakes before settling on 5. Papillote (\800) has the most unique design as it is shaped like a gift made of chocolate. It was difficult to "untie" the present (maybe it wasn't meant to be untied) and the Tiramisu cake hidden inside was mediocre. The Mont Blanc looked promising but the meringue was too hard to crack. The Fraisier was pretty but boring and too sweet. Armagnac caught my interest as very few chefs would openly sit a mousse dome on a mixed nut base in this manner. The bitter caramel mousse pairs beautifully with the orange creameux but I would love the base to be slightly crunchier.

My favorite, turned out to be the dark horse--Riz Au Lait (\650) which is an oriental spin from the classic rice pudding with dust of Matcha. It was the least sweetest of all and I always have a weakness for things with a pleasant, light milky aroma. But for an award winning chef, I would be expecting for creative and bold creations. Currently these lean on the conservative side and I would gladly invest elsewhere.

Tokyu Plaza Ginza 4F
5-2-1 Ginza  Chuo-ku
Tokyo
http://www.esquissetokyo.com

Mont Blanc

 

Armagnac

Riz Au Lait

Papillote

Fraisier

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Ginza Johan Limited 限定: Visual Sandwiches

The Ginza outlet is the only one that sells sandwiches that once used to be categorized as "visual k" sandwiches because of the colorful cross section. But with so many competitors like Potasta, King George or Wa Sandwich, they are no longer as special. For an average of 350-400 yen, I find the portion small and expensive. Better head to convenience store or just stick to their regular selection of bread. 

http://www.johan.co.jp/fair/20140201.html

たまごegg Y346

アボカドとエビのブロッコリーY454

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Ginza Hanatare 地きんめ鯛専門 銀座はなたれ: Kinmedai Specialty Fish Restaurant

 Kinmedai aka red snapper is a deep seawater fish that is commonly harvested from the waters off Izu Peninsula, Chiba or Shikoku in Japan. And Ginza Hanatare is probably one of the few Japanese restaurants that specializes in this fish. In general, Kinmedai is grouped into 3 category and the most priced category is the "Ji-Kinmedai" due to its rich fat content.  I was lucky to drop by in end May as May-June, as well as Dec-Feb, are the two seasons when the fish is at their most tip-top "fattiest" condition.

Hanatare uses only Ji-Kinmedai and those with at least 10% fat is sub-categorizes as Toro-Ji-Kinmedai here. We truly felt the fatty power of Toro-Ji-Kinmedai when we had the Kinmedai wrapped with Uni and Ikura. It's cost a bomb at 1000 yen/2 servings but so best to be savoured s.l.o.w.l.y. Shhh....just don't talk for a minute and enjoy.

The best way to enjoy fresh fish is none other than steam. And here it is done with sake apart from salt grilled, deep-fried, and boil. We chose the most popular boiled style in which the fish is cooked in a delicious  dark sauce. The meat was unbeatably fresh, sweet and tender. Perfect with rice or even just on its own.

The Ji-Kinme Meshi Teishoku Set (3000 yen) is another hot seller here that comes with not 1 but 3 egg yolks--just enough to mix with the rice that's concealed by the Kinmedai sashimi. It was quite interesting to learn that the sashimi is meant to be dipped into the Goma dressing and not shoyu. But for those who want to taste the sweetness of the fish, I guess the best condiment is still shoyu. The set is served with a kettle of dashi (for savouring the rice in an ocha-zuke style), pickles, salad and a very tasty bowl of Kinmedai fish soup.

This restaurant also offers a long list of matcha beverages and of course, shochu and sake. But for me, fish ehem...kinmedai will do.

Ginza Hanatare 地きんめ鯛専門　銀座はなたれ
11am-11pm
Tokyu Plaza Ginza
Chuo-ku Ginza 5-2-1 Tokyo 104-0061
https://www.facebook.com/ginzahanatare/

Broccolli with Kani Miso

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Hayashiya Shinbei Ginza 銀座林屋新兵衛 : Zunda Amazake Kakigori and More

There's a sense of ecstasy when food turns out much better than expected. And this was the case for the Amazake Cream Zunda Kakigori, the monthly flavor of Kakigori at Hayashiya Shin Beiei. This is a cafe-bar concept by Kyo Hayashiya serving classic Japanese desserts and drinks. I could smell the sweet aroma of Amazake when it arrived and the center sunk in once the unsweetened matcha syrup was poured in. The Amazake was stronger than the one I had at Shimura and the Genmai Cha rice pops buried beneath was a sheer delight.



We decided to order Hayashiya's special anmitsu because many other customers ordered it and it looked SO GOOD. Indeed, the Warabi mochi was one of the best I've had, possibly even softer than Kisshokaryo. My friend was shocked by the size of the red bean paste but don't worry, it wasn't overly sweet as it was meant to pair with soft chewy Dangos and kanten jelly. Service was excellent and we left as very happy, satisfied customers

daily 11.30am-9.30pm
東京都中央区銀座7-4-5
銀座745ビル1階
http://www.kyo-hayashiya.com/shop/hayashiya-shinbei/

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Bistro Marx by Thierry Marx : Probably the Most Expensive French Toast in Japan

Tokyo isn't short of Michelin-star restaurants and it isn't surprise to find overseas Michelin-star chefs venturing into the local market. One good example is Bistro Marx by chef-owner Thierry Marx of 2-star Sur Mesure in Paris. For the price and the location in glitzy Ginza, Bistro Marx is more like a upscale fine-dining restaurant than anything else. 

I haven't read much about his legacy but I know he started his training as a baker and pastry chef before moving on to the culinary cooking. He even established bread school back in 2013. I wondered why he chose to open a restaurant instead of a bakery. Nonetheless, his signature Brioche Feuilettine (only limited to 30 per day), besides his Pain Perdu and Marx Burger, was one of the items highlighted by local media.

My visit was an unplanned one on a Sunday afternoon, during which the afternoon tea menu was only limited to desserts and tea. As a French Toast lover, I instantly picked his Pain Perdu which came in the option of half size (1 cube) for ¥900 and full size (2 cubes) for ¥1800.

The Pain Perdu was soft and custardy, but not as creamy or pudding-like as the ones from Grain Traders, which perhaps makes it more qualified to be called a French toast to the french toast purists. It was served with both maple syrup and caramel syrup, of which the latter' burnt bitter taste might be a little strange with bread. The vanilla ice cream was too sweet, but just right when you mopped them with the pain Perdu. This is no doubt delicious, but hardly superior than the ones from Mercer Brunch so I felt it was overpriced.

The Marquise Chocolat was a trio of moist, fudgy baked chocolate cake with a slightly crisp edge. But that's only a part of the story. It's actually hollow within, filled with generous amount of chocolate ganache which was concealed from the eye with a paper-thin chocolate sable.


Paired with the tangy raspberry coulis, this is rich dessert for serious chocoholics only. I loved this more than the Pain Perdu and probably more worth the splurge because it's chocolate.

My friend who visited the place for dinner commented that the food was good. With a "million-dollar" sky view overlooking the crowded streets of Ginza, this might be a

[BISTRO] 11:00–23:00 daily
[BAR] 23:00–26:00 / Closed Sun/PH
7F GINZA PLACE 5-8-1 GINZA CHUO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN

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Handels Vagen : Upcoming Michelin-star of Gelato in Tokyo?

Just as I thought I've already uncovered enough top-notched gelato/ice cream shops which I can always go back for more, here comes Handels Vagen, a premium gelato shop from Kyoto directed by Chef Masaki Imamura, a trained chef of traditional Japanese cuisine.
 
Based on the concept of "Kyoto premium", Handels Vagen sought to "create a lasting impression on consumers' tastebuds" by experimenting with the "base" of the ice cream, equivalent to "dashi", the fundamental of Japanese cuisine. Of course the same old story goes for the use of seasonal and the best quality ingredients. 

However, I think they sure have the rights to brag about their ice cream because it's almost the perfect gelato; smooth, velvety and delicious. Some say that it's so good that you might be singing Handel's Messiah after that. 

The flavours are classified into "Premium Flavors" and "Flavors", with prices starting from 420 yen for a single flavor ice cream in cup. I opted for the sundae combo that came with 2 financiers and nuts toppings since the price is actually cheaper than ordering them in ala carte. But do note that it is limited to only 20 servings per day. 

The Matcha resonated with its smooth bitterness without being too sharp. I usually do not like sherbets or fruit-based ice cream but this Kyoto Grape Sherbet totally caught me off the hooks. It's sweet in a pleasant way that makes you feel as if you are eating the real fruits. Yet the texture is not icy but as silky soft as a standard ice cream. Amazing.

I prefer this to Gelataria Acquolina (rated the best gelato in Tokyo). Perhaps the only barrier that stops me from trying again is the skyhigh price. But it's one of those things that you ought to try once in your life. Once you have a taste of it, you'll go mm mmmm.......

Handels Vagen
Tokyu Plaza Ginza B2, 5-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; 
Open daily 11am-11pm
www.handelsvagen.com

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Mercer Brunch @ Ginza Terrace : The Famous Brioche French Toast and Brunch

Mercer Brunch is one of the longest standing western brunch spots that is famous for that French Toast. Like it or not, you can't escape from the toasts because every brunch dish is served with French toasts. Each one from Sets A-J on the one-page brunch menu features a savoury main course such as grilled chicken, sirloin steak, tomato stew etc., alongside 2 pieces of French toasts-plain without honey or whipped cream. 

I did feel the pinch when I realize that each set costs 1700 yen. However, we felt convinced by the quality as the food, especially the French toast definitely lived up to the hype and reputation as one of the to-go brunch spots in the city. 

The toasts were crispy-tanned and square, soft pillowy but not to the extent of being too custardy inside. It has some light hints of sweetness but I still prefer it if they can serve it with honey and whip cream. How can a French Toast be called a French Toast without honey??? Do note that they don't give you honey and cream unless you open your mouth to ask. Honey is free but cream costs 300 yen.

The Baked Salmon & Spinach Gratin answered the calls of our growling bellies with its generous chunks of salmon swimming in the creamy milk bath. I wished there was more spinach but I liked the lightly crisp brown crust that added texture to the dish. And that's when the brioche toast comes in handy to mop up the sauce. 
Meanwhile, the scrambled omelette took us by surprise with its uniformly golden-orange hue and soft on the verge texture. Minimally seasoned to complement the marinated smoked salmon of exceedingly fresh quality. 

This Ginza outlet is pretty crowded on weekends and holidays so Roppongi outlet may be a better choice to avoid long queues. Dinner menu starts from 5pm. 

Mercer Brunch @ Ginza Terrace
東京都中央区銀座1-8-19 キラリトギンザ 4F
Chuo-ku Ginza 1-8-19, Kirarito Ginza 4F
LUNCH 10:00～17:00 (LO 16：30)
DINNER 17:00～23:00 (LO 22：00)　
Access: 1 min walk from Ginza station / 3min walk from Yurakucho Station/ 1 min walk from Ginza Ichome station / 5 min walk from Higashi-Ginza station / 3-min walk from Kyobashi station
http://www.merceroffice.com

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