Contemporary French cuisine made in Japan is always fascinating as I love to see how the chef incorporates local ingredients. The menu at est at the Four Seasons Tokyo at Otemachi includes a map of Japan referencing where produce, meat, milk, cheese, honey, and more come from. Even the tableware artisans are included on the map. Sommelier Yoichi Ooka has a cellar of domestic wines that pair well with the cuisine.

In the kitchen chef Guillaume Bracaval @guillaumebracavalchef has an impressive resume. Honing his skills in Paris at reputable restaurants Hotel de Crillon, Arpège with Alain Passard, Ledoyen with Christian le Squer, and LÁmbroisie with Bernard Pacaud. Chef Bracaval, from Lille in northern France, has been in Japan for 12 years at Troisgros in Shinjuku and now at est since the hotel opened three and a half years ago.

Chef speaks fluent Japanese and eloquently spoke of the ingredients and of Japan’s diverse terroir. I was with my Japanese cousin so our conversation with chef was in Japanese. The menu at est is composed of 95% Japanese ingredients.

Chef includes many Japanese touches including housemade yuzu kosho which was dotted over monkfish adding citrusy notes to the meaty fish. Hirame flounder is cured in kombu kelp and wrapped in a thin slice of kohlrabi. My cousin said it tasted like Japan. Powdered moromi is served with soybean hummus, two more nods to Japan. Roasted maitake mushrooms are accented with pickled celery. In each dish I was impressed with chef’s mastering of balance – acidity, bitterness, and umami.

Italian pastry chef Michele Abbatemarco ends the meal with ethereal sweets including a cloudy meringue with fig compote and a flight of honey mignardises.

Service is exquisite. Our seats overlooked the financial district with Tokyo Sky Tree off in the distance.

est 

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi, 39th floor

Chiyoda-ku, Otemachi 1-2-1