Les Saisons, Uchisaiwaicho

by Deborah Im

Available through the end of May, chef Thierry Voisin of the Imperial Hotel’s refined French restaurant Les Saisons has put together a table d’hote menu of his very best culinary creations, showcasing classical French techniques with a modern flair. Consisting of six exquisite courses, the special menu costs ¥25,000, and is available at lunch and dinner.

The first course, Brittany lobster with apple and lemongrass gelée, served with celery confit scented with white port, was modern art in food form—I didn’t want to destroy the perfect stripes made from the celery confit or the cubed lobster suspended in gelée. The flavors were subdued with the faintest sweet finish, preparing our palates for the parade of delicious,
decadent courses that followed.

Our server brought us rolls a crusty French bread infused with seaweed, which complemented our next course, a sea bass in a foamy champagne- butter broth, topped with a generous serving of Aquitane caviar. The sea bass was silky and succulent, and the champagne-butter broth was dotted with fresh fava beans, which added another dimension of savoriness to the dish.

The next dish, roasted langoustines with wild morel mushrooms, was quite simply one of the most exquisite, delicious dishes I’ve ever tasted. The langoustines were cooked to perfection, slightly translucent in the center and just barely cooked through so that the flesh would not be victim to the rubberiness that can result from overcooking. The morel mushrooms were earthy and luxurious, and imparted an addictive savoriness to the foamy butter broth. The flavors of the langoustines, mushrooms and broth each shone through individually, yet also came together in a singularly amazing melody of savory flavors.

A filet de boeuf ‘rossini’ followed—a tender marbled filet seared to perfection and topped with seared foie gras and a thick slice of black truffle. The dish was the culinary embodiment of luxury. Chef Voisin’s signature dessert, an elegant and light ‘Rose de Reims’ biscuit mousse with red berries and champagne sherbet, was the perfect sweet ending to a perfect meal.

The service at Les Saisons, like the food, is exquisite—the servers anticipate your every need so discretely that you barely notice that your glass has been refilled, or your silverware replaced. A meal at Les Saisons is an impeccable and elegant experience, and one that will not soon be forgotten.

Open daily for breakfast (7–10am), lunch (11:30am–2:30pm), and dinner (5:30–10pm)

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