Beige Alain Ducasse (Tokyo)

February 2011

Chanel Building 10F,
3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +813 5159 5500
www.beige-tokyo.com

Beige is a 1-Michelin star french restaurant on the top floor of the Chanel main store in Ginza, Tokyo. The discreet entrance can be found along the sidestreet from the main Ginza street on which the Chanel building is located. As this was a collaboration between Chanel and Ducasse (who has not had a great track record opening up restaurants outside UK/Europe), we were worried that this would be a snooty style-over-substance establishment which would charge a bomb to give you the opportunity to be seen. Fortunately, this would turn out not to be case.

We were welcomed and led up an elevator to the 10th floor, where our jackets were taken and we were seated ot a table next to the window overlooking the main Ginza street below. The dining room is very tastefully done, with a high ceiling, a smattering of artworks on the wall and seats made out of the instantly recognisable Chanel signature tweed beige comb fabric.

After we were seated, we were served with champagne and very familiar looking cheese puffs. Ducasse still does the best cheese puffs.

We went with the Menu de Chef, which was 5 course lunch set, starting with an amuse bouche of garden vegetables sitting in a cup of tomato jelly and broccoli foam, with a mayonnaise dip for the raw vegetables.

The next dish was the lobster bisque with lobster chunks and vegetables, which was very good.

The baked seabass was next, and this was also excellently cooked, with a classical butter sauce.

Finally, the main course was the roast chicken which tasted not unlike the Chinese-style crispy chicken, except that instead of the usual salt complement, the red wine sauce gave it the savoury taste. The chicken was cooked to perfection and was tender and juicy.

Pre-dessert was a tray of macarons; chocolate and pistachio flavours. For desserts, my wife had the Napoleon with vanilla from Tahiti (vanilla millefeuille) and I chose the signature carre-Chanel chocolate-praline with hazelnut ice-cream. The Chanel chocolate dessert was superb, and tasted as good as it looked.

This restaurant oozes style (as can be expected as this is a Chanel co-owned restaurant in the Chanel store). Even the petit four chocolates had Chanel logos imprinted on them. However, to its credit, it did not lack substance as well, as the food was consistently good and service impeccable. The main courses reminded us very much of the food at Ducasse in London (see earlier review: Alain Ducasse at Dorchester) in its execution.

Food: Very good in the classical style
Wines: Did not see the wine list, ordered wines by the glass
Ambience: Very chic and stylish, yet did not feel stuffy
Service: Professional service by young and good looking waiters dressed in Chanel

Camera: Sony NEX5 16m f/2.8