Rating: 4.25/5
A delightful lunch at Ete by Chef Natsuko Shoji who was named Asia’s Best Female Chef and Asia's Best Pastry Chef in recent years! While she rose to fame for her stunning fruit-topped cakes inspired by fashion, it doesn’t mean that Natsuko only excels in desserts - quite the contrary, her savory dishes were equally impressive as well. It's not surprising given that she had trained at 2* Florilege with Chef Hiroyasu Kawate. With just one table per service, it’s one of the most exclusive reservation in Tokyo and dining at Ete feels more like eating at a friend’s house than a restaurant - what a special experience!
Our meal started with a vintage Tattinger champagne - the chef loves champagne and her choice of wines matched very well with our dishes.
Sea Urchin Cracker with salted egg yolk and Gruyère cheese - a delicious bite that went perfectly with the champagne.
One of the most impressive courses was this gorgeous Meyer Lemon with sea bream aged for 10 days, guacamole, gazpacho and caviar from Shizuoka - a work of art just like Natsuko's cakes! The dish is inspired by the chef’s recent travels to Mexico and discovery of Japanese caviar. Each pulp of the meyer lemon (a hybrid between a lemon and mandarin orange) is painstakingly removed and arranged with a tweezer - just the imagine the amount of time and care that went into this dish! Video of how to eat this dish is here.
The signature freshly-baked Brioche Bread that’s timed to our arrival is not to be missed! I’ve seen the brioche on social media before (video) and it tasted way better than what I’d imagined with a perfectly crunchy crust and very fluffy center. Paired perfectly with the smoked butter on the side.
Hairy Crab with pan-fried turnip and shimonita negi - another stellar hairy crab dish I’ve had this time in Tokyo! The crunchiness of the turnips provided a nice textural contrast to the hairy crab sauce.
Matsutake Mushroom Risotto with Koshihikari rice - another work of art! The intricate layout of the mushrooms was almost too pretty to eat.
Ravioli with Matsuba crab, bisque sauce and Alba white truffle - a wonderful combination of the best seasonal ingredients.
Sanma Pie with liver sauce and balsamic vinegar - the perfectly crispy puff pastry with the sanma filling was simple sublime!
A very refreshing Strawberry Sorbet served as our palate cleanser.
And then finally another signature not to be missed - the mango cake! Served with an abundance of yellow roses, the romantic presentation is just perfect for a special occasion!
Ete〒151-0066 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Nishihara, 3 Chome−23−1
Tel: +03 090 6191 4812
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