ESqUISSE, Tokyo (2*)

by kytran40

1 Comment

  1. kytran40

    36,000 yen tasting that included a glass of champagne. Very good meal overall. Service was top notch. The restaurant director who was French and spoke perfect English served us about 90% of the time and gave very detailed descriptions of each dish. He was very accommodating throughout the meal. He briefly went over the nights menu and check if everything on the menu was ok. Although they missed the clam allergy I noted in my reservation, they were quickly able to make adjustments. Table beside us had some picky eaters and the director was willing to bring out new courses. I would definitely dine here again.

    Horse mackerel-had celery, onion, ginger in side. Interesting that they added olive oil to an already oily fish.

    Shrimp- shrimp was really good with the fermented shiso. Didn’t care for the beet/rose liquid which was bland

    Bread- this was the biggest surprise to me. Sourdough and a black garlic walnut. I’m not a big fan of sourdough but this was really good. The smell was incredible, the crust crispy, not too hard or chewy and the bread wasn’t too tangy. They make their own flour each day from French wheat and let the dough ferment 2 days. Was served warm

    Butternut squash- this was good. Verbena foam was fragrant.

    Clam- first time having this clam. Very meaty and paired well with the mushroom and truffle. Maitake clam Broth was bland.

    Squid- they replaced the clam with squid and paired it with a Maitake sauce

    Long tooth grouper- this dish was fantastic. Fish was rich and skin was incredibly savory. The condiment dollop was made of sake kasu, cottage cheese and yuzu. It was similar to yuzu koshu but not nearly as spicy. Butter sauce made with clam and roe.

    Hokkaido uni- another fantastic dish. Had lemon and Kombu slices underneath

    Pigeon- perfectly cooked, nice portion size, cooked better than the pigeon dishes I had in Paris.

    Cheese- the most complex flavor profile of cheese I’ve had. Layers of Kombu marinated in sake, mascarpone, Comte, truffle. Sea salt on the side, optional but greatly enhanced flavor in my opinion. Flavors were very strong. Wish I had a few baguette slices.

    Predessert – very good, missing some acid. Parsnip cream, pear slices, coconut ice cream, meringue coconut cardamom powder. Although very different, it reminded me of the palate cleanser/ pre dessert at Atomix

    Dessert- hazelnut olive oil cake, chantilly, black currant jelly, mascerated black currant. Very little cake ratio. Black currant was extremely acidic. My tongue is still burnt 2 days later. Did not enjoy it, wife loved it.

    Orange chocolate hazelnut financier to go- very good, strong orange flavor

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