Gastronomy Joël Robuchon, 9/3/2025, Tokyo, Japan (5-Course, ¥33599 incl. Taxes, excl. Gratuity)

There are many Robuchon dining spots in Tokyo, I have always been eager to dine at Gastronomy Joël Robuchon which is the only Michelin 3-star restaurant located in Tokyo in the Robuchon empire. Before Chef Robuchon passes away, he has been awarded 30+ stars. Thru AMEX Platinum Concierge, I was able to secure a reservation and was informed to pre-order the Degustation menu with either of 1, 2 or 3 main courses along with the associated Amuse Bouche, appetizers, cheese and desserts. The selected pre-order can’t be changed once reservation is confirmed. 

Joël Robuchon is located in a large 2-stories building sharing its premises with other Robuchon establishments in this new development in Tokyo, Yebisu Garden Place, very similar to the Hudson Yard project in NYC, USA. In the dining room, staff were stationed in key posts to make sure diners’ needs was attended to. The setting is a luxurious neo-French Chateau, reminiscent of an 18-century palace with a formal atmosphere. The restaurant does require formal dress code.

Once we were seated. I notice there were carts of food being wheeled around, one cart for bread, one cart for cheese before dessert, two carts for desserts to go with the dessert course. It started with Amuse Bouche.

Amuse Bouche

1).Gaufrette/Sea Urchin and shrimp

Gaufrette is a French term meaning “little waffle” that refer to a few different foods, including a crisp, wafer biscuit or Belgian-style waffle. This dish firstly prepared Sea Urchin mousse made of sea urchin, creamy mashed potatoes, white wine and purée shrimp. Mousse sandwiched in between waffles and then deep fried the sandwich in butter. Mousse was fresh and scrumptious; coating was lightly battered and crunchy. I felt like one is not enough. Sea urchin was just tasty enough to open the palette.

2).Caviar Imperiale de Sologne

To make a simple description, it is pâté of crab layered with fennel jelly, then blanketed with caviar. Crabs are Zuwaigani crab, also known as Japanese Snow Crab, that is prized for its succulent, sweet meat and tender texture. It is a popular ingredient in various Japanese dishes.

Caviar, succulent and plump is from La Maison Nordique, renowned for their incomparable quality, caviar have a firm grain, a slightly iodized taste and perfectly balanced curing. Caviar is placed on crab meat which is surrounded by crustacean jelly made from fennel, lobster and shrimp with blobs of cauliflower cream dots and parsley dots on top. Cauliflower dots made of puréed cauliflower, potatoes and cream. This jelly, made of fennel and crustacean broth, was the amazing synthesizer. It made this dish with such a fabulous appearance, indulgent texture and flavors. Although it is served as amuse bouche which is usually in the experimental stage, it has already been recognized as one of the signature dishes. I noticed that the quantity of jelly has been increased in this version from the prior version. I was deeply impressed by all aspects of this dish. It is a miracle to be so perfect. I inquired the Director on how many cauliflowers dots are on each plate. He would not give me a straight answer. Regardless, it is a practice of patience.

Breads

Once the bread cart parked by your table, the attendant automatically gave us their signatures – a small baguette and a slice of rye bread. In addition, the restaurant served olive oil and Froment du Léon butter from Brittany. It is a high-quality dairy product with a very special yellowish luster and smooth and rich diary taste. The varieties of bread include breads with charcoal, anchovies, basil, plain, cheese, corn, sun dried tomatoes, bacon, olive, rosemary, etc. They looked so yummy, but I had to watch how much bread I ate so that I had enough room for the rest of the meal. The real game will start with the cold appetizer and then hot appetizer.

Les Entrées Froides / Cold Appetizers

La Niçoise – Soft Boiled Egg in Modern Style “Niçoise” with Macedonia Vegetables

It was green egg with gold leaf. Never had green egg before. To make dish with such a lush green color, the source has to be natural with multiple color combination and some molecular gastronomic techniques. It required Ukokkei chicken and Tokyo Bekana lettuce to make dark green sphere.

Tokyo bekana is a leafy green vegetable in the celery cabbage family. It has a mild flavor and tender texture, making it an excellent substitute for lettuce.

Ukokkei chickens(烏骨鶏), originally brought to Japan from China, also known as Silkie chicken, is a unique and highly prized breed of chicken in Japan. Renowned for its distinctive black skin, bones, and white fluffy feathers, long been treasured for their rarity and rich nutritional value, has a vibrant and deep orange color yolk. Silkie chickens are known for laying very few highly prized eggs and being very expensive. While a typical chicken lays 280 to 300 eggs annually, a Silkie only lays around 40-80.

Egg was sitting on top of tomato purée which was surrounded by dots of potato purée (one of Robuchon’s signature dishes) and pea purée, a trio appearance. I have had Ukokei chicken (It means dark bone chicken) and am familiar with the taste. In this course, diner could feel the richness of the running yolk in the mouth. Taste of chicken blended well with other ingredients. The highlight of this course was the green chicken egg and the rich taste of the egg yolk.

Le Sauman – Wasabi Smoked Salmon, Delicate Mousse Served with Wasabi Scented Cream

It was wasabi smoked salmon wrapped around salmon mousse and adorned with salmon roe on top, with slightly scented wasabi cream served on the side. Smoked salmon was juicy and fresh. It was with gentle wasabi flavor; some diners probably would prefer a stronger taste of wasabi.

Les Entrées Chaudes / Hot Appetizers

L’Asperge Verete – “Jet Farm” Green Asparagus Creamy Velvety with Ricotta Cheese Raviolis Flavored by Fresh Mint

Baby Ricotta cheese ravioli was very tasty, served with fresh asparagus and other micro vegetable. What made the difference was the creamy, slightly minty sauce.

L’Escargot – Snail Accompanied with Parsley and Garlic Purée Breading  

It was prepared with the “Panure” process. It is a French term for the breadcrumbs or breading used to coat food before cooking, such as fish or chicken, involves dredging food in flour, dipping it in egg, and then coating it with breadcrumbs before pan searing. Chef Robuchon had his variation, his cooking method used dry roasted garlic and parsley in making croquette and then baked the croquette. Chef used the local escargot, not imported from France. Snails were juicy, tender and succulent.

Les Plats Chauds / Main Courses

Le Hata – Iberique Steamed Hata with Sage Blossom, Served with Kamonasu and Chorizo Mousseline

Hata, also known as the Japanese Grouper, has a translucent white meat with its delicate and sweet flavor, similar to sea bass. Best season is in winter.

Two different types of sauce were served, tomato sauce and Chorizo sauce. Herbs and julienned fresh vegetable and coriander served on the side of fish filet. In addition, fried eggplant pockets and steamed Hata made a balanced taste. Eggplant was from Kyoto; it was a special type of eggplant with fewer seeds and smoother taste. I have seen it in the market place. It is smaller than the original western eggplant and shorter than the Oriental eggplant. It was the best eggplant that I have ever had. The texture and the seedless feature definitely please diners’ tastebud. I originally requested medium Hata but was prepared well-done. However, the 2^nd attempt was delivered mediumly cooked. 

Le Carré d’Agneau – Roasted Rack of Lamb with Thyme, Vegetable Calissons in a Rich Juice

Lamb was from France, 3-month-old baby lamb which required great care. Since it was roasted with skin on, it required baby lamb be kept in an environment without too much movement to damage the skin. Baby lamb was served with roasted red pepper covering potatoes reminiscent of Calisson (Calisson is a diamond-shaped sweet made with ground almonds). In addition, the famous mashed potatoes served on the side. The mashed potatoes were outstanding. Before I dined at Robuchon, I used to think Chef David Bouley in NYC made the best mashed potatoes. It is sad, Chef Bouley has passed away a few years ago, so did Chef Robuchon.

I have had baby lamb in other fine dining restaurants. It is distinctive in its texture and flavor. It was roasted (medium) and it was tasty, tender, succulent, adequately spiced with perfect flavor. I was very satisfied with my choice. 

Cheese

Cheese course is where every great French restaurant differentiate itself. To offer cheeses in various state of ripeness and served at the right temperature. I selected a few varieties – 2-year-old aged Comté, medium flavored Goat cheese, strong flavored Goat cheese, Brillat-Savarin (a decadent soft-ripened French triple-crème) and a slice of nut and dry fruit bread. My priority - I needed to conserve space for the complete dessert courses.

DESSERTS  

I.Dessert Course on the Menu

1).Coconut Chocolate Shell Served on a Passion Fruit Jelly

The inflated white ball, Espuma, was achieved by pumping gas into the mixture of coconut and white chocolate, a practice of Molecular Gastronomy pioneered by Ferran Adria. It was served with delicious nectarine of passion fruit, pineapple and mango at the bottom of the plate. Flavor was also enhanced by dices of tropical fruits displayed around the plate as well as the chocolate fence around the Espuma. It involves using a whipping siphon with gas cartridge to incorporate air into purées, soups or creams. A delightful and refresh palette cleaner.

2).Light Lemon Soufflé with Creamy Fromage Blanc Ice Cream

It was light lemon soufflé with creamy fromage ice cream. A very light weight soufflé with fine texture.

II.Trolley 1- Pastries, Cakes and Mignardis

They are all delicious and temptation. With my stomach being in overloaded condition, I still had a few “wanted”, it was too difficult to resist the temptation. I knew I can’t possibly have every type among displayed in the trolley: lemon cream tart, grapefruit tart, raspberry chocolate tart, opera cake, chocolate cake, Napoleon, vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, raspberry sorbet and St. Honoreé cake, etc. My favorite was Napoleon (Mille-Feuille). Chef made the layers of crust so fine and so crunchy, one of the best Napoleon that I have ever had.

III.Trolley 2 – Fantasies and Chocolate

The selection of desserts is gargantum. I was so full, but my palette still not satisfied. I got pleasure simply by looking at the trolley which displayed more temptation such as chocolate caramel, chocolate with sea salt, raspberry chocolate, chocolate praline, noisette, crispy hazelnut, dark chocolate hazelnut, ice candies almond, brownies, meringue, madeleines, truffles, yuzu white chocolate bon bon on a lovely lemon biscuit, etc. My favorite was Yuzu bon bon.

Among all the fine dining restaurants that I have visited, Gastronomy Robuchon and William Frachon/Chapeau Rouge in Dijon are the two still using the glass dome to cover the dinner plate while food being brought from kitchen to table. It was a great pleasure to enjoy the aroma and smelt upon the moment of serving when dome was removed.

Upon departure, the restaurant gave us a pineapple cake. We ate it the following day, it was yummy and different from all other pineapple cake. According to the Director, the restaurant does have a bakery, but not for retail. A customer will get his/her baked goods by invitation only.

Antiqvvm, Porto, Portugal, 3/14/2025 (8-Course, 235€ excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Antiqvvm, Porto, Portugal (8-Course, 235€ excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Antiqvvm, Porto, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant located in the old Solar do vinho do Porto, with beautiful and charming views over Douro River. The restaurant offers two sets of Tasting menus, making the most of the fresh produce, seasonal trends, classic Portuguese cooking with a hint of contemporary cuisine. Antiqvvm offers Organic Menu of 8-course 165€ and Sensory Moments Menu of 8-Course 235€. Chef Vitor Matos has attended cooking and pastry courses in Portugal and Switzerland to acquire the refined skills.

Antiqvvm is synonymous with unique experiences. Is it, let’s find out. It started with

Amuse Bouche

1).Tuna Tartar and Siberia sturgeon caviar, from Alps. Crusted wonton wrapping was roasted to add color and crunchiness. Tuna was slightly seasoned; caviar was properly salty. It was a pleasant and appetizing bite. (19/20)

2).It looked like a mini art project. It looked like fish, but it was not real fish. It tasted like fish regardless of the original ingredient. They were made out of bread, toasted and cut into perfectly shaped fish and then topped with mixed chesses, cream, chives. Lastly, one piece of fish was sprinkled with finely grounded seaweed and the other piece of fish was topped with anchovies and red pepper gel. It was a very successful mouth-watering amalgamation. (20/20)

3).Oyster from Aveiro, N. Portugal with Apple gelatin. Supported by the salt market, fishing and maritime commercial development, Aveiro’s geographical position along the Aveiro river has always helped it to grow. 

It was served with multiple types of sauce - apple and celery sauce, chili sauce (dark), Granny Smith (green), fake cucumber caviar made by using syringe and a scoop of butter milk ice cream in the middle. It was a very sophisticated and well-balanced. (19/20)

Bread – Broa de Avintes

It is dark bread with a long tradition in the northern part of Portugal. It is a dark brown, very dense bread made with maize and rye flours, with a distinctive and intense bittersweet flavor. In addition to Broa, olive bread and sunflower seeds bread were served with seaweed butter, butter with black pepper and Santosh olive oil.

Sensory Moments Tasting Menu Mains

I.Duck Foie Gras & Rhubarb. Vanilla / Balsamic di Modena / Bolos Lêvedos

Foie Gras parfait from duck liver with sauce made from 25-year-old balsamic vinegar and muscadet wine. Sauce made from the 25-year-old balsamic vinegar is a real treat. Rhubarb, cut horizontally and then diagonally to show the edible and tender part of the plants was flavored with vanilla and elder flowers. The cutup rhubarb was adorned exquisitely on top of foie parfait.

In addition, a yeast cake called Bolos Lêvedos (A moist, fluffy and slightly sweet Portuguese muffin. It is one of the specialties from Azores) was baked to rise then sautéed to accompany the Foie. Very few restaurants use 25-year-old Balsamic vinegar. Using this premium ingredient made this course rich in taste and flavor but perfectly balanced. (20/20)

II.Violet Prawn & Citrus. Mango / Turmeric / Horseradish

Prawns were cooked in mirin. From the translucent color, one can tell they were more like sashimi grade, served with fresh mango, grapefruit, mango gel and citrus caviar (made by syringe). Sorrel (green), turmeric ice cream and horseradish ice were served along the side. Turmeric ice cream and horseradish ice were the most interesting and unusual usage in this plate. However, they provided both as a palette cleanser and taste enhancer. (20/20)

III.Langoustine & Leek. Noisette butter / Lemon

Baby lobster was tender, succulent and tasty, sprinkled with rice pearls (off-white), served with lemon gel (pale green) on the top. Sauce was made in leek foam with Noisette butter. Since langoustine was not large in size, Chef innovated a non-conventional way of preparation to prevent overcooking. Langoustine was steamed first before torched with butter to give the langoustine perfect tenderness, coloring and well-balanced flavor. (20/20)

IV.Splendid Afonsino & Giant Squid. Bearnaise / White Asparagus / Salicornia / Marine Plankton

Alfonsino squid, from Azores, like sea bass with tender white flesh. But Alfonsino has beautiful red skin. It was served with Bearnaise sauce (yellow), white asparagus and marine plankton. Plankton were presented in green stick as well as in powder to have the seafood flavor evenly distributed. In addition, giant squid was sliced ultra-thin to make tagliatelle at the bottom of the plate. Squid was fresh and had mildly sticky sweetness. The soft and slightly chewy texture is pleasant, it almost like eating sashimi, a bit more refreshing.

Another rare item used in this course is salicornia which is a salt substitute derived from the ocean. Salicornia is a plant-based salt with 50% less sodium than salt. It's better for your heart while still giving you the same salty taste. Salicornia is also known as glasswort or sea asparagus, has been used as a traditional remedy for diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation and indigestion. I have been to another worldly renown restaurant Central in Lima on 1/25, Central has been even more focused on seaweeds business. (20/20)

V. Red Mullet & Oscietra Caviar. Sea Urchin / Cauliflower / Scarlet Shrimp

This is another type of fish with red skin, Afonsino seems to have a brighter red color. Both of them taste deliciously.

In Portugal, the “scarlet shrimp,” also known as “Carabineros” (meaning “police” in Portuguese, referring their bright red color), are a large, deep-sea prawn, also called Cardinal Prawns or Crevette. The sweet flavor of the scarlet shrimp and delicate texture and the size make it highly sought for as a premium ingredient. It has got not only bright red shell; it also has got bright red first layer of flesh.

In this course, scarlet shrimp was made into two different ways of preparation – one was a poached tail; the other was shrimp tartar seasoned with salt and pepper. Sauce was made of seafood broth with shrimp head juice. Roasted cauliflower was puréed and sat next to the shrimp tail. Oscietra Caviar was on top of the mullet filet. Form the appearance, this serving of caviar is from a more matured sturgeon. They were all sumptuously delicious. (20/20)

VI.Sea Bass & Goa Curry. Ravioli / Citronella / Lime Caviar / Sorrel / Coriander

Sea bass served with lime caviar and citrus pop on top. Sorrel and micro flowers were also placed on top for adornment. Hidden gem was underneath the foam made from seafood broth. Hidden gem was the lobster ravioli and a piece of blue lobster (Chef upgraded the type of lobster served to blue lobster which is more exclusive and harder to catch). Goa curry sauce was adopted, it was umami with a lot of taste in the mouth. Goa curry from West Indian is an aromatic tomato and coconut-based sauce, blend curry with spices, garlic, ginger and onion along with fresh tomato, coconut, mango powder or tamarind. It is less spicy and less pungent than the ordinary Indian curry. I wished the preparer of the blue lobster were able to make the cooked blue lobster as tender as what I had in Patrick Guibaud in Dublin. (19/20)

VII.Wagyu & Smoked Eel. Turnips / Mushrooms / Macis / Topinambur

Under rib Wagyu A5 is medium-rare, succulent, served with black truffled (from Italy) turnip purée, varieties of wild mushrooms and topinambur (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke). Artichoke was native to N. America, but is now cultivated worldwide. It is a root vegetable in the sunflower family, with a mild, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor and rich in prebiotic fiber.

Beef, from Kagoshima in Southern Japan, was served two ways – one in tartar (in red-white) and one seared. Filet of beef was accompanied by the unusual smoked eel which was topped by turnip purée and finely shredded and roasted onion. After I tasted the smoked eel, I started contemplating the original source of supply. I inquired my server and was confirmed it was sourced from Martin Berasategui, San Sebastian, Spain. Chef Berasategui has 12 Michelin stars and has been famous for his signature dish “smoked eel”. Chef in Antiqvvm is very dedicated in acquiring the very best of ingredients for his kitchen, he manages to use the best smoked eel.

Kagoshima is the Southernmost prefecture in Japan. It is renowned for its trio of “black meats,” namely black pork, black beef ad black chicken. Kagoshima’s A5 Wagyu is renowned for its intense marbling, offering a decadent melt-in-your-mouth experience. The use of the word kuro, or black refers to the color of the animals’ skin or feathers, rather than the meat itself. In addition, the landscape and gardening scene is absolutely fabulous and exquisite.

At the bottom of the plate, onion foam and demi-glace beef juice were served to enhance the flavor. Demi-glace was rich, concentrated brown sauce made with black truffles, juice and beef fat. Another extraordinary ingredient is Macis which is membrane of nutmeg. First you dry nutmeg for a few months, then crack open the nut and remove (rip) the membrane. That is the membrane of nutmeg. In this course, it was chopped finely and mixed in the sauce and foam. It is elaborate, no detail is spared, and perfectly executed preparation with sumptuous bites for the plate. (20/20)

VIII.Nectarine. Raspberry / Vanilla / Elderflower / Lemongrass

It was presented like a wreath with 4 different themed dessert and edible gold leaves adornment:

Raspberry parfait with almond cake inside and raspberry gel

Vanilla mousse

Citrus mousse and fruit nectarine

Elderflower syrup and caviar

It was a light dessert, very refreshing and with taste of each distinctive flavor. (20/20)

Dessert was followed by:

Mignardises

Coffee meringue with Tiramisu foam and gold leaves on top

Tart with caramelized apple in puff pastry and apple gel

Chocolate with salted caramel

Passion fruit nectarine covered with white chocolate and coconut

I am addict to the excellent petit fours. My favorite was the passion fruit balls (on the very right-hand side). I could not resist the temptation to request for more. I got one more bite. But the pastry chef would not share with me the secret of making such a condensed and delicious passion fruit nectarine.

I had another wonderful meal. Chef Vitor has done a marvelous job to prepare a creative seasonal cuisine with emphasis on procuring the best quality ingredient by combining Portuese dishes with modernity. It is located in a leafy park near the Douro River. Serene and romantic outdoor views make you feel as if you have escaped to your own enclave.

Antiqvvm is synonymous with unique experiences. It sure got its name suitably.