China Blue - A Slice of Chinese Heaven

It's been some time, gentle Reader, since we last shared thoughts epicurean on these pages. What with my beloved Mater passing on, two of the Cost Centers being wed within eight days of each other, Your Humble Correspondent's forced exile in Yokohama, and The Once and Future Blonde being variously abroad, absent or otherwise occupied - it has been slightly frantic to say the least. Not conducive to bacchanalia at all, really.

It would be silly to suggest one hasn't dined sumptuously in the interim, but we have relied on various favorites like Trattoria Tornavento, Restaurant J, Tanger, Le Recamier, and Le garcon among others. Not content to rest on any ill-deserved laurels, we've tried some new (to YHC) venues like Restaurants Davis and Frick (Reviews coming soon). And our eyes are on some new places like Aux Chats Qui Peche in Hiroo, which opened its doors in October.

But while digression is always the better part of valor, the purpose at hand is to sing the praises of China Blue in the Conrad Tokyo [Map] at Shiodome. Awarded a Michelin star for the last three years in a row, this is a very good restaurant where Chef Albert Tse (originally of Jiang-Na Chun in Singapore) crafts elegant yet wonderfully contemporary Chinese food with a flair and élan that leaves Your Humble Correspondent begging for more. Combine this with the superb views over Hama Rikkyu park, and one might just imagine that one is part-way to Heaven … or Elysium at least!

The recent “Jasmine” lunch set that The Banker and YHC enjoyed was at once full of whimsy and weft, with peeks into many corners of the Chinese cooking genre. We started with Singapore Rice Cake, and after the mutual rapture (see Heaven, above), we immediately agreed that we were in for something special. The delicious slow-roasted pork with bread is a highly original take on both Char Siew and the soft Chinese dumpling. The Seafood Noodles combines lovingly-crafted and toothsome noodles with a veritable aquarium of seafood in a broth that brings to mind the best Tom Yum Goong. The dessert plate included sweetened sesame-ed fried noodles and an elysian elixir of passionfruit soup – a sure way to YHC’s heart!

Speaking of Michelin stars, our fair borough recently reinforced its standing as the most-starred city with 3 new restaurants at the highest level to move to 14 three-starred establishments, 54 with 2 stars, and a huge 198 one-star hostelries. To be fair, the Guide included Yokohama (2 two-stars and 14 one-stars) and Kamakura (10 one-stars) this year for a massive total of 266 venues. Nothing for it but to start at the start, and end once the doctor discovers … maybe 100 restaurants in!

In any event, do yourself an enormous favor and find an excuse to visit China Blue in the near future. It’s certainly more deserving of a star than Gordon’s co-located and eponymous place next door, and you will impress any and all punters with your choice of venue.

And if you’re one person short of a full table, a quick e-mail should be enough to have YHC present himself in all his full fat-boy glory!

Pip, pip!

China Blue [Map]: Conrad Tokyo, 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo. t: 03-6388-8000
Rating: Food: 8/10; Jasmine Tea: 8/10; Service: 8/10; Heavenliness: 8/10; Price-Performance: 8/10. Total: 40/50

A fistful of stars - Joel Robuchon

Gentle Reader, this may sound like heresy but is the Michelin guide a reasonable standard by which to judge chefs?

With the release of the Hong Kong/Macau guide recently, Joel Robuchon has opened up a substantial lead on his erstwhile colleagues - with 24 stars around the world compared to Alain Ducasse on 16, dear old Gordon on 12, and Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per Se etc) on 7.

But if one works some alchemy with the math to derive my proprietary "star index", it very much looks like ubiquity (being everywhere) is not a substitute for quality (concentrating on the food). Keller, with 5 locations and 7 stars , tops the list. Robuchon (16 locations) stays in the black, but Ducasse (19) and Ramsay (21) seem more like businesses than chefs. While Zagat represents brutish democracy and should be shunned, one feels that Michelin needs to somehow get into the global village and provide we humble diners with a more "international" view.

It's a matter of some personal shame that I haven't eaten at one of Chef Keller's establishments, although I threatened to do so last year until - ever your intrepid aviator - I was shot down by the Red (Ink) Baron. We also stood a small chance of having him visit Tokyo last year, but that horse fell at the final jump. Still, I look forward to the day when we can see all of the top 4 chefs battling for wallet share in Japan.

M. Robuchon is an enigmatic character: he learned to love cooking while in boarding school. That strikes me as a rather rum piece of hagiography - when has boarding school food ever been known to excite passion? More than that, Gentle Reader ... having got his 3rd star in Paris he just up and closed his restaurant in 1996. All rather too much, he confessed.

Today, a mere handful of times around the sun later, he's the primus inter pares of the world's chefs with a much simpler approach to elegance and sophistication. His restaurants range from L'Atelier (workshop) to La Table (Table) to La Cuisine (Kitchen). And his empire extends even further than Alexander's or Octavian's - with locations in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Macau, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, New York, Paris, London and perhaps Tel Aviv, he must have more frequent flyer miles than Condeleeza Rice.

Ramsay, or "Chef", is also busier than a ram on shearing day ... no, wait, I'm confusing work and play. But with the Gordon Ramsay Group extending into pubs and bars and even airline food, you've got to wonder how he fits it all in. Ducasse's dedication I respect, although the Benoit deal here in Tokyo was perhaps a bridge too far.

Note: Twenty One, closed down in unfortunate circumstances, has re-opened at the Shinjuku Hilton as La Pergolese Tokyo. Your Humble Correspondent will toddle along shortly, so stay tuned.

Moony-Eyed at La Lune

It is rare indeed, Gentle Reader, that your Humble Correspondent feels perplexed. Or confused. But I was both when I visited La Lune. Hadn't I been here before? No ... but ... yes. I quickly e-mailed my good friend Richard Cohen at Village Cellars, who reminded me that we had visited these premises when it was called Oishi (大石) back in 2000(?). Dilemma resolved! [Update: Actually, Chef Nagata was the chef at Oishi back then. To my mind, he's got a lot better!]

La Lune is a small yet comfortable suburban restaurant, with no pretensions to anything more than serving good-to-great food to grateful customers. Of which NHK-7 and I are now 2. We settled on Menu Option B (2 entrees, 1 main, and dessert) and aside from a brief mention of how fond we were of meat, we left the rest up to Chef.

Our 2006 Sancerre la Croix du Roy (L. Crochet) arrived with appropriate speed at a reasonable price. My companion was presented with an uni and pumpkin sherbet in a consomme jelly to match my zuwai-gani salad. Both were excellent, and stood us in good stead for the next course. For her, this was a seasonal mushroom salad with duck "ham". I settled into a well-prepared Fois Gras terrine. By now we were convinced that we had happened onto a little "discovery" in our own backyard, and were eager to push on to the main course.

Oh dear! Suckling boar with a raspberry vinegar sauce for your Humble Correspondent, and roast partridge for NHK-7. We matched this with a 2003 Gevrey-Chambertin Champs-Chenys, again reasonably priced and good to the last drop. The food was delightful - simple, yet elegant and well-plated to satisfy the eye as well as the mouth.

Desserts are a high point at La Lune, and my Apple Creme Brulee with burnt caramel ice-cream was the star although well tussled with by Melanie's cheesecake souffle.

Visit La Lune with friends and lovers, for a relaxing and sophisticated meal at an excellent suburban restaurant. Which gives me pause to wonder if there's room for a guide book on these little gems. Suggestions?

La Lune: 2-26-16 Higashi Azabu, Minato Ward. t: 03-3589-2005
Rating: Food: 7; Wine: 7; Service: 7; Ambiance: 7; Price: 7 ($$). Total 35/50

An Eater's View - Michelin Tokyo 2009

As you have probably noticed, Gentle Reader, I have been buried deep in the 2009 Guide. There are surprises, to be sure, as well as omissions and exaggerations. What can we humble diners learn from the "book"?

Suffer me to get the trivial out of the way early. Yes, the Tokyo guide is the only one in the world with a symbol to inform we namban that our shoes will need to be removed. And, yes, it is also the only one with a symbol indicating a "interesting sake list". For clarity's sake: the 2009 Guide ratings were compiled by a "home-grown" specialist team which is overwhelmingly Japanese. There is only 1 foreigner - so the shrieks of sarcastic pooh-poohing that accompanied last year's Guide (how could foreigners judge Japanese restaurants?) are no longer even worth noting.

Your Humble Correspondent was delighted to see more "new" restaurants than "classic" Tokyo fine dining establishments. Why? Above all, I believe that the classics have monopolized the Tokyo dining scene for far too long and have grown fat and lazy. Chez Matsuo is probably the only one that still excites and satisfies, but the others seem more focused on kata than cuisine.

But just as importantly, it signifies that the rating team is not overwhelmed by reputation and rightly focused on performance. Some observations:

• Recognizing Monna Lisa in Ebisu is appropriate and measured.
• Gordon Ramsay is probably relieved, and perhaps lucky.
• Edition Koji Shimomura must have been having a good night (or series of nights actually) because it was only worth 1 star the night Your Humble Correspondent fell into good company there.
• Joel Robuchon now has 7 stars in Tokyo, which may mean he is casting too bright a light.
• La Bourguignon is destined for higher things, although I fear that may mean new premises.
• Piatto Suzuki maintained its single star, which is good news for people looking for reservations ... another star, though thoroughly deserved, would have meant much more difficulty.
• Twenty One at the Tokyo Shinjuku Hilton - closed under unfortunate circumstances and therefore losing its stars - has re-opened as La Pergolese inspired by Stefan Gaborieau. Look for a starry future.
• The omission of Chikara Yamada is inexplicable.
• Alain Ducasse must have been devastated when Benoit closed after a real estate debacle, but his other restaurants fared well.
• Tatsuji Aso seems to be roaring ahead with 2 stars for Ristorante Aso and another 2 for Argento Aso. Pity it's all bound up in the 6 star Hiramatsu Group! Which, with everything from 2 stars to Cafe des pres, seems a little confused.
• The Mandarin Oriental has 3 restaurants each with 1 star - Tapas Molecular Bar, Sense, and Signature. Guess where I'll be staying if I ever need a hotel!

Strange though it is to relate, I forbear from debate on the Japanese restaurants. That would bring out the more xenophobic comments (like the criticism of the 2008 Guide). But I would point out that Japanese restaurants make up about 60% of the stars, which is only fitting.

The surprise, Gentle Reader, is that the remaining 40% represents a western food tradition in Japan of only a little more than 100 years, and that so many contemporary western restaurants made the grade. All of which bodes well for we Tokyo (or Tokyo-bound) foodies.

Mystery a la Carte

Just a quick note, Gentle Reader, to remind that the Tyler Foundation event "Mystery a la Carte" is on 26 September at the Hilton Hotel, Shinjuku. This will be a wonderful combination of food, wine and entertainment for a great cause. Only the bubonic plague will stop your Humble Correspondent being there!

When you wish upon a star ...

I am sure you are familiar, Gentle Reader, with the boisterous image Gordon Ramsay presents on his various television shows. More beeps to the minute than even naughty-boy Anthony Bourdain, and an obvious passion for perfection that translates into 10 (count 'em!) Michelin stars spread around the planet.

So it was with high expectations that the Child Bride and I ventured into Shiodome with friends from the Tyler Foundation to the eponymous Gordon Ramsay at the Conrad Tokyo [Map] for the British Chamber of Commerce event featuring none other than "Chef!" himself.

Truth be told, I had been surprised that GR did not rate a star in the first edition of the Michelin guide for Tokyo, and I was determined to find out why. Part of the reason could be the venue - the Conrad feels a little out of place among the Dentsu towers and on the Sunday we were visiting the surrounds were empty and folorn. The hotel itself is a delight, and the restaurant divine.

Surrounded as we were by the glitterati of expat Tokyo, it was hard to stop craning one's neck to see who had arrived after the Miss Universe Tokyo team or Bobby Valentine. The Asparagus Soup Amuse arrived to put all thoughts of company firmly to one side while we began our adventure into the mind of a Michelin 3-star chef. People often expect too much of an Amuse, forgetting that it is meant to be whimsical and flirtatious while setting the tone for what's to come. Chef certainly achieved this goal - by virtue of this simple yet finely crafted dish, we were assured that the other courses coming our way would be a delicate balance of flavour and imagination.

The next course was a triumph - ballotine of foie gras with confit chicken - that gave fibre and form to the Ramsay legend, and shouldered aside any fears that Chef may not have been able to force his will on GR in Tokyo. It was teamed by Sommelier with a Pinot Gris: in my view, not worthy of the food nor the attention it was being given.

Some of us, Gentle Reader, are forced to trials and tribulations in the service of our fellow humans. That was entirely my attitude - thinking only of you, I rushed headlong into next course of pan-fried scallop with a millefeuille of potato, parmesan veloute and truffle smarties. This dish also features in Gordon's recent book 3-Star Chef, and it was delightful. Perhaps the truffles available in Tokyo in April lack something, but I felt ours were a little tired and distracted one from the otherwise superb St Jacques. This was served with a Chardonnay from Chile that surprised, and for the ABC (Anything but Chardonnay) drinkers among us helped remind one of what a New World chardonnay can achieve. Believe me, Mr Ramsay can cook and he deserves all ten (so far) of his stars.

The star of the evening was roasted fillet of beef with a truffle and vegetable infusion. A perfect pairing, and a celebration of the best of British food traditions while staying above the commonplace and mundane. Served with a Cote de Rhone which was a little sharp, this dish alone is reason for all of us to mark a place in the diary for GR whenever we have something to celebrate or guests to impress and entertain.

For mine, the Tarte Tatin seemed a paradox - the apples exploded with flavour and a delicate sense of discovery, but the caramelised pastry fell apart a little too easily. Of course, the problem could have just as easily been the diner rather than the dinner! This is one of Gordon Ramsay's signature dishes and the ice cream that accompanied it was heavenly. As befits a 3-star Chef, the attention to detail is impressive.

So should Gordon Ramsay get a star in 2008? No doubt in my mind, but I think a lot will depend on Chef being able to stamp his personality on the GR team. If Gordon can spend a little more time in Tokyo working the front of house crew a little harder - and urging the kitchen team on to his own passion for perfection - there is no doubt that Gordon Ramsay Tokyo will be recognized as another jewel in the starry galaxy that is Tokyo dining. I, for one, am glad that Chef Ramsay has decided to dazzle Tokyo, and I urge you to try GR for that special evening with friends and lovers!

Rating: Food: 9/10; Wine:8/10; Ambiance: 9/10; Service: 8/10; Price ($$$$): 8/10. Total: 42/50
Gordon Ramsay: [Map] 1-9-1, Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-Ku. Tel: 81-3-6388 8000