Édition Koji Shimomura, a French restaurant in Roppongi, was the talk of the town from the day it opened, and before long it was awarded two Michelin stars. I had long heard how good it was, but I figured I would never really have a reason to go. This time, thanks to a friend, I finally got to.

Table decoration

Each table had a different ornament on it. Somehow it looked really cool.

Champagne

A light start.

Mini burgers and cheese chips

A fun little arrangement.

Corn combination

The corn, done a few different ways, really catches the eye. Delicious.

Bread

Butter

The butter here was seriously good. Worthy of two stars.

White asparagus with shrimp

A refreshing start. They really do bring out the flavour of the ingredients.

Oyster lightly cooked in seawater, served cold with a seawater and mikan jelly

This is the house signature. It is an oyster topped with a seawater jelly, and the deep scent of the sea really comes through.

Sautéed foie gras with bamboo shoot, firefly squid, smoked duck and nanohana

I am not particularly fond of foie gras, but both the taste and the presentation were good.

Roasted scorpionfish and Scottish lobster with spring cabbage, butterbur sprouts and a tomato condiment

The roasting is on a perfect level. This is the kind of cooking you can expect when you pay this much. Clearly a different league from restaurants where only the interior is fancy.

Roast cochon (suckling pig) with a green pea galette

This one was beautifully roasted too.

Roast pigeon

This is the pork course swapped out for pigeon. It was the recommendation of the day, so I gave it a try. The finish was remarkably clean.

Beef cheek

This came out on the house, and it was really good. The soft texture was fully intact.

Gooey cheese

I asked for a strong cheese, and this is what came out. Intense in both aroma and taste, and right up my alley.

Pré-dessert

This came as a palate cleanser before the real dessert course. The white foam was smooth, and it was a fine dessert in its own right.

Chocolate dessert

A dessert built from three kinds of chocolate, and the rich flavour was superb.

Strawberries

So pretty. Not just the presentation but the taste was superb too. We all ate it in admiration.

Framboise

It is an ice cream, and the flavour was intense.

Pudding

Another palate cleanser, this time before tea.

Herbal tea

I had high hopes since they said this is the house speciality, and it was every bit as good as I hoped.

Teapot

They steep freshly picked herbs and serve you a tea this fresh. This is the first herbal tea with this much care put into it since Beige Alain Ducasse.

Petits fours

Nicely baked. Not quite as moving as the financiers at L’Embellir, though.

The spices

They showed us the spices used in the cooking, apparently so we could take photos. I am the kind of person who finds that a bit of a bother.. but anyway, I took the photo.

A French restaurant with excellent food that is also easy to get to, being in Roppongi. The atmosphere, hmm.. it was not exactly luxurious. If atmosphere is all you care about, another place might be better, but if it is the food you are after, this is a place worth dropping by at least once. The restaurant is famous for letting you specify the cooking method for each ingredient, but to order that way you would first have to become a regular who has worked through the whole standard menu. It would be fun to go back a few more times, but I am not sure I will ever have the occasion.

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