When you see the beautiful plates, it is not surprising to learn that Asahina was a beloved apprentice of the late Robuchon, complete with his skillful techniques and incredibly original sensibility. The surprise and intense pleasure experienced by the eyes continue on your palate. The chef simultaneously places great value on an item’s origins and the present. He takes classic dishes and beautifully expresses them in a style that feels relevant now. The ingredients determine the dishes as Chef Asahina takes inspiration from the incredible produce delivered each day, slowly changing the menu over a one- to two-month period.

The dinner course of nine dishes begins with an amuse bouche, so stunning guests hesitate to sink their teeth in. The trio of amuse is served for two to share and may include beet meringue with bottarga, a super sweet Aiko Tomato with a carrot veil, and shrimp cannelloni made with luxury blue shrimp from New Caledonia. The three appetizer dishes to follow may include bluefin tuna smoked with whisky oak and made into a garum fermented fish sauce, topped with avocado and caviar and served with a smoked paprika sauce. Or perhaps you will be treated to black abalone prepared sous vide with large black shimeji mushrooms, snap peas and firefly squid, accompanied by two sauces – abalone liver sauce and sherry vinegar sauce. It is a dish that sings spring.

Likewise, a spring fish course may feature Japanese ingredients like isaki grunt fish and bamboo shoots, with a prosciutto duxelles and savoy cabbage pavé and a reduced jus, all topped with the dried leaf of urui – a plant in the Hosta family that emerges in spring and is prized in Japanese cuisine. Sumptuous roasted duck is served with rolled eggplant and a red wine, butter and duck stock sauce in a dish featuring Kyoto Nanatani Kurowaze duck parts prepared with different techniques. Or perhaps for your meat course, you will be treated to the chef’s specialty, Poulet En Vessie. Only available at certain times, the dish entails stuffing a pig’s bladder with chicken and other ingredients in a technique requiring the highest level of culinary skill. The process traps umami and aroma within, making this a classic dish that excites all five senses, with added entertainment as it is shared tableside among guests. It is an unmistakable favorite among regular guests.

The very sight of the words “pre-dessert” on a menu is enough to win over guests with a sweet tooth. This is followed by the main dessert, perhaps a stunning rose dish featuring ruby cacao in chocolat noir rich in the aroma of rose with incredibly delicate candy work. And then the mignardises small sweet bites! During those last bites, a wagon arrives, offering guests an appetizing array of cheeses for those who still have room to indulge a little more.

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients like duck, chicken, foie gras, and lobster are primarily procured from France. These are complemented by premium seasonal Japanese produce, like Bluefin tuna from Shiokama Port in Miyagi Prefecture, Kyoto Nanatani duck, and Kyoto Tanba Hon-shimeji mushrooms.