I have never encounter such poor photo hosting site, keep in mind that I use Imgur for work. Perhaps it's time to switch entirely to Imgur, but I feel like being kidnapped with all my past photos stored with Photobucket, damn you.
Anyways, back to happier thought with Michel Troisgros. If, fingers crossed, only if these delicious food images can be shown correctly on my blog.
Well, besides technical issues, coming to Michel Troisgros was also a headache for me and my mom. But that's my fault.
We were "kind of" lost at Shinjuku station, which was only about 10 minutes walking distance to Hyatt Regency, where Michel Troisgros located at. Perhaps overwhelmed by waves of crowds on a late weekend afternoon. At first, I thought walking over to the restaurant should be a piece of cake.
Apparently not. Our reservation time is approaching, forget about walking, the right thing to do is to dump into a cab and quickly rush over. Only if catching a ride is possible during such peak hours.
Fine, metro it is. So we went up and down inside this almost maze-like station. Finally we managed to arrive at the restaurant 10 minutes after our reservation time.
Time to take a breath. Days feel longer in summer, that's a good thing. We still got a moment to enjoy some greens outside the window.
With a drink to cool down of course (do not drink and drive, you know how we got there already).
Finger foods -
From right to left, daikon/rhubarb/ginger; green peas; scallops/nori.
Start from the very left, with a refreshing sourish opening, presented in a sakura-like flower cup made with daikon.
Then moved on to the middle one with creamy filling that bursts out with only a slight pressure -
Lastly stronger tasting tart with scallops, garnished with nori/dried seaweed powder -
Awesome brioche -
I added "awesome" myself, but it was possibly the best brioche I've ever had. Layers upon layers of paper-thin crusts that can be elastic yet filled with dense buttery aroma at the same time. Meanwhile, still maintaining rustic scent from wheat.
The very outer layer was flaky but not easily crumbling apart on the table, these crusty buttery layers were held together by stretchy and gently chewy dough underneath. Imagine what would it taste like with extra spread of French butter. Out of this world.
Duck -
Escargot/squid ink -
Second round of bread -
Earlier brioche was already buttery and awesome on its own. Not saying this one is not as good, but I've managed to use up all the butter here, nothing goes to waste.
Bresaola of tuna, eggplant and celery -
Tender tuna and eggplant, but with the help of that thinly sliced celery hidden in between, which added a clean crunch and a brush of anise-like aroma.
Delicate as it is, some might think it's too light, but for ones who had many simple but carefully crafted food, they'll understand this is the dish that all the ingredients truly shined and fully expressed their own characters. Really enjoyed this one here.
Beautiful Mediterranean flavor (that's what it wrote on the menu) -
Nicely cooked fish with potato on the bottom, paired with bouillon, mainly dominated by saffron.
Fish was plump and juicy, and the sauce tasted almost like crustacean stock, it's that aromatic. Overall pungent and strong, but in a well-rounded way, all the edges have been smoothed out.
Pigeon ruddy lips -
Put the ravioli aside. The main piece of meat laid there like a sound asleep baby, with an orange bell pepper blanket softly covering the pigeon.
Also served with bell pepper sauce on the side.
The texture of the pigeon was so fascinating. It's like liver being sifted numerous times then reconstructed. Yet it's not dry at all, more so tender and juicy. The flavor somewhat like condensed dark meat, with a hint of sweetness in the end.
It was so great, I even ate half of my mom's share. She couldn't finish all the food anyway.
Pre-dessert -
Almond ice cream, coconut, pineapple jelly, and fresh thinly sliced pineapple. That touch of acidity washed away any lingering taste from previous savory courses. But, I still want to hang on that pigeon dish a little bit longer, it was too great to let go.
Small desserts -
From left to right, hazelnut/shiitake; raspberry/white chocolate; lychee macaron.
The incorporation of shiitake was a fun twist. Paired with hazelnut, both added a non-intruding earthy tone to a rather sweet and savory type of dessert.
Then move on to the center raspberry and white chocolate mini tart.
Followed by the sweetest and most aromatic lychee macaron.
Black and white -
While in Japan, these dishes also got some inspiration by local ingredients. Black sesame represents black and rice echoes the white element.
The most interesting twist was the use of ginger slices. Not overly spicy but rather provided another layer of refreshing scent to end the entire course. It also highlighted the sweet taste, which wasn't that obvious in this mild dessert.
Then we ended our meal with Shizuoka black tea and minty herbal tea. It's already late after all, tried to avoid strong caffeine -
Overall the courses were delicate. Not the heavy type that gives you a punch, but the aroma and fine technique lingered even longer, in one's heart and mind too.
Cuisine[s] Michel Troisgros Japan/Tokyo currently holds 2 Michelin star status.
Cuisine[s] Michel Troisgros Japan/Tokyo
Hyatt Regency Tokyo 1st floor 2-7-2 Nishi-Shinjuku,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 160-0023
+81 03 3348 1234
Official website: http://www.troisgros.jp/en/cmt/
Hyatt Regency website: Hyatt Regency
Opening hours:
Lunch from 12:00 noon ~ 1:30 p.m.
Dinner from 6:00 p.m. ~ 8:00 p.m.
Close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays except national holidays
Extended reading:
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