Dine Like An Emperor...

Fancy dining like an emperor? Then Chez Matsuo is your missing link. This preferred restaurant of the imperial household serves classic French cuisine that perfectly captures the spirit of the chef's approach. Armed with an impressive resume, the owner cum chef, Matsuo, is an all-rounder who had studied as a sommelier in London and perfected his culinary finesse in Paris.

Choosing to ply his trade in a lovely 1920s two storey house, you can put yourself in the good hands of Chef Matsuo for an 8-course omakase feast while drinking in the view from the even lovelier courtyard.

First up was a foamy daikon or radish soup. If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that a sturdy yawn-inducing root vegetable like daikon actually exists in such a girlish bubble gummy pink! What an eye-opener!

Nothing shouts "French" like a good slab of Foie Gras. Shitake mushrooms topped this pan-fried version and in my opinion, one can't go wrong with Foie Gras unless the restaurant is serving one helluva weedy portion. Then, THAT surely is criminal! The potato croquette was far more sophisticated than its name suggests. The stronger flavours from the soup blended in perfectly with the deep-fried savoury balls. As for the fish course, the cod was again dealt with in the same light deft touch, further enhancing the chef's philosophy that French food need not have to be just about the use of heavy creamy sauces.

Following the refreshing citrus palate cleanser, we were presented with our main courses. The restaurant accommodated my request for no pork and for an extra princely sum, I was served a piece of wagyu beef fillet. It was good but nowhere as nouvelle as my other half's pork fillet with fruit confits. Both savoury and sweet, the whitish balls were stuffed with a nutty filling which tasted quite exotic, not unpleasant though.

Dessert looked like a cross junction with three different rewards on offer. I put my vote down for the chocolate fondant for I love the oozing mess of rich dark molten chocolate. Having been spoilt rotten by all the big name restaurateurs in Tokyo, I naturally turned my nose up at Chez Matsuo's humble petits fours, served simply in a swan-like crystal ornament. Hmm, more efforts needed here, I thought.

As curiosity got the better of us, we asked to see the "special room upstairs" in which the imperial family had sat. You could hear the pride in the maître d's voice as he showed us a photograph of the Royal Prince and his Princess. Well, deservedly so, Chef Matsuo...

Chez Matsuo
Address: 1-23-15 Shoto, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0046, Japan

Telephone: 03-3485-0566

Michelin: *