[Tokyo] est at The Four Seasons Otemachi

Rating: ❤❤❤❤ (4/5)

I'm currently in Japan and just went to check out the brand new Four Seasons Otemachi in Tokyo which opened in September last year! Located in the center of the financial district, the hotel spans across the top 6 floors of a new skyscraper with beautiful views of the Imperial Palace and city skyline. Its signature restaurant is est which offers contemporary French cuisine inspired by seasonal Japanese terroir with Executive Chef Guillaume Bracaval and Pastry Chef Michele Abbat (both previously of 2* Cuisine[s] Michele Troigros in Tokyo) at the helm.

The anticipation for the meal starts from a long hallway leading into the main dining room which is stunning with its high ceiling and expansive views of the city. The decor is chic and elegant with golden beige tones and East-meets-West designs. The highlight is the see-through partition which allows diners to watch the action in the open kitchen.

Hi Chef Guillaume!

I was here for lunch and had the Saison menu with 8 courses (¥12,500). Lunch starts from ¥8,000 and dinner starts from ¥20,000. Our meal started started with a few seasonal appetizers including potato and iwashi (sardine) tartlets plus a beautiful Kristal Caviar served with Jerusalem Artichoke puree.

I also opted for the wine pairing. In addition to traditional wines, the sommelier Yuta Yoshida also features smaller and under the radar labels from France, Italy, New World and Japan. The first pairing was a Japanese Koshu from Yamanashi-ken by 98WINEs - the wine was light and acidic with fruity aromas of banana. 

Followed by the bread course which - instead of butter - came with a lovely hummus dip made from soy.

The Bresaola Bonito with Romaine Lettuce was served with two types of sauce - the green sauce was made with romaine lettuce and the black sauce consisted of truffle and anchovy. The intense flavor of the bonito was well balanced by the romaine lettuce.

Soalheiro Alvarinho 2019

Next was the Hata (grouper fish) with lemon zest, romaine lettuce with seaweed, and a sauce made with miso and citrus. The fish was cooked perfectly with its inherent sweetness accentuated by the lemon zest.

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Vire Clesse 2014

The Zuiwaigani (snow crab) had been roasted with garlic and ginger. It was topped with a ravioli of potato dusted with sorrel powder and finished with a flavorful bisque made with crab.

MGVs K537 GI Yamanashi

The transition from savory to sweets was made with a unique Tofu dish meant to emulate cheese but with no dairy - paired with crispy bread, lemon paste, artichoke honey, fennel seeds, and olive oil. This was one of my favorite dishes of the meal with its delicate sweet and savory flavors.

Folium Sauvignon Blanc 2018

For desserts, we had a series of dishes starting with a pear vinegar cream, followed by an Orange Jelly with mousse of guava, yogurt & mandarin plus vanilla ice cream with chestnut on the side. To finish, a trio of mignardise with apple, chocolate & pecan nuts in the shape of acorn, and my favorite - tartlet with nori and soy caramel!

Thank you chefs for the lovely meal!

*By Invitation

est

1-2-1 Ōtemachi, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
Tel: +81-3-6810-0655
https://www.est-tokyo.com/

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