L’Osier – when France seduces Japan.
L’Osier was my first three star dining experience. It is located in Shiseido’s main building in the Ginza district. It is said to employ 40 staff for the 40 seats of the restaurant.
Upon entering the building we were greeted by the very friendly head waiter – the only English speaking waiter at the restaurant. It seemed we were the only English speaking guests as well. He made us feel really comfortable and was informative and quite witty throughout the meal
Here’s what we had:
Tuna tatar with avocado mousse
Crab bisque
Ravioli
Courgettes
Celery and beet root
Pork belly
The pre dessert was impressive in terms of volume and consisted of
Yoghurt
A mini crème brûlée
Meringue with raspberry
French macaroons
Lollipops
Then came the desserts
Lemon meringue
Chocolate
And after the desserts in came the petit four trolley. Unfortunately I was full at that point and only tried a few.
L’Osier was a thoroughly pleasant experience in a very formal setting. I’d label the cooking seductive.
The combination of French cooking technique and Japanese care for each ingredient was a perfect match. Every component of a dish came with a story; for instance our informative waiter took the time to tell the tale of how the pigs on our plate had been fed with white wine somewhere in the Japanese countryside to make the meat perfectly succulent and flavorful. Good ingredients are available to most chefs, but being able to elevate the ingredients through the cooking to tell a story is an extraordinary gift for a chef to posses. Eating at L’Osier was like experiencing an amazing marriage of two nations’ love and care for food on a plate.
Kitchen
The icing on the cake: We were given a gift box consisting of an assortment of sweets when settling the bill.
Estimated price: 8000 yen
Visited: July 2008
L’Osier
