Florilège

I've heard they specialize in meat dishes, and just looking at them is exciting. Beyond the meat, the other appetizers are also meticulously prepared. From the roasted sweet potatoes to the steamed buns made with rice wine lees, every dish on the menu is exciting. The eggplant, in my opinion, is the most delicious. It's a fusion of flavors and textures, with the fluffy texture of the eggplant, the ethnic seasoning, and the refreshing taste of the whitebait.

This restaurant offers high-end French cuisine with a Japanese twist – no surprise, it has two Michelin stars. The dinner menu consists of 11 small courses. The flavors of shiitake mushrooms, cheese, truffle shavings, beef and ayu fish stand out. The whole course is well-balanced. The waiter recommends the wine pairing, which is priced at 13,000 yen, as it includes some high-end wines such as L. Boillot Nuits Saint Georges, Comte d’angerville Meursault, and a great sake, as well as an excellent Sauvignon blanc from Nagano. The restaurant itself is very comfortable, with seating at tables surrounding the open kitchen in the center.

We went to Florilege for lunch during our short stay in Tokyo (the Hyatt Regency Ginza, where we were staying, managed to get two seats for us, which is a credit). Everything was so well thought out, from the decor, the tableware, the food presentation, the food taste, to the wine and drinks. It was a fascinating experience to watch the open kitchen in action. The food was just amazing. Thumbs up. No wonder it's one of the top 50 restaurants in Asia! My friend said we should have ordered the 11-course lunch instead of the 7-course lunch. I said, "Let's do that next time!" Will definitely go back!

I really enjoyed my seat around the open kitchen. The wait staff was very nice and every dish was delicious even if I wasn't used to the taste of some of the dishes. Not sure if this is the case with all fine dining restaurants in Japan but I didn't want to join the drink line and no one invited me for cocktails or anything. Not the best restaurant I've been to but worth a try if you like gourmet culinary restaurants.