Nirvana

Bubbly with some complimentary cashew nut nibbles

Crabmeat masala with grapefruit; best of east meets west

Tandoori chicken and paneer that were too dry

Naan with eggplant curry

Available daily till end of this month, Nirvana New York in Midtown is offering a one and a half hour of all-you-can-drink champagne happy hour. Be sure to book early as all that free-flowing effervescence is best enjoyed on their outdoor terrace which offers unblocked view of the vast Hinoki Machi Park.

Was there over the weekend, nibbling and drinking to my heart's content as I sat watching the daylight fading. I enjoy this particular time of the day very much as the city seemed to recover from the searing heat, with people once again filling up the pavements, hurrying to get to their next destination.

With the night moving in and us getting more and more tipsy by the minute, we decided to go for some proper food. First up was an appetiser of crabmeat masala. Was uncertain with this choice initially as I was afraid that the spices would be overpowering. Turned out my fears were unfounded. The dish was nicely presented with the sweetness of the crabmeat coming through beautifully. The addition of grapefruit segments was ingenious as it gave the whole dish a tangy twist. The tandoori chicken and paneer on the otherhand were most disappointing, dry and tasteless. The last dish of naan and eggplant curry was decent enough though nothing to go ga-ga over.

To be honest, I think the pull factors for Nirvana are in their cushy outdoor terrace and happy hour. If judged purely on their food, I would say nay...

Nirvana New York

Address: 9-7-4 Akasaka, 1F Garden Terrace Tokyo Midtown, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-5647-8305
Michelin: None

Ichii

Trio of zensai

Very pleasing combo of lettuce with smelts and fried garlic bits

Cold corn potage

Sashimi so fresh and succulent

Flavourful fish soup with loads of exotic veges

Meltingly tender Wagyu steak accompanied by pickled red cabbage which serves as a palate cleanser

Refreshing thin noodles in sesame ごま sauce

Creme brulee

Tucked almost at the very end of a back alley, Ichii turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. As with most Japanese restaurants, the decor was very minimalist with lots of bamboo and lacquer accent. And save for a couple of soupy dishes, it was almost a one-man show with everything painstakingly prepared at the counter by that one chef whom we were speculating the whole evening if he was wearing a toupee. Poor chap.

Ichii

Address: 7-18-6 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan
Telephone: 03-3423-8260
Michelin: None

All In A Name

Befittingly beautiful setting

The very limited selection of food & drinks available

Not too crazy over the vegetable crudités

Caprese fared much better though portions were pathetic

With the mercury rising, decided to do an impromptu Friday evening wine session on the Bvlgari terrace in Ginza. Wanted some finger munchies to stave off the hunger pangs but was sadly disappointed. Not only was there a lack of choices, nothing sounded particularly interesting too. Eventually, settled on some vegetable crudités and classic caprese. Like its restaurant below which we had been for dinner quite some time back (click here for previous post), the terrace lounge is just as exorbitantly expensive. Including 2 glasses of wine that comprised of just 2 quick sips, the bill totalled up to 11,000JPY (S$170). Steep.

La Terrazza Lounge
Address: 2-7-12 Ginza, Ginza Tower, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Telephone: 03-6362-0555
Michelin: None

Perfect 10

Trader Vic's classic perfect burger

Perfect burger with the perfect cut down the middle on TGIF. (Click here for previous post)

Two x Two

Cute logo which I had spotted in Seoul too

The trademark fried chicken

Draft beer is a MUST

Take it from one who eats chilli padi, this spiciness can be a tongue numbing experience

Hailed from Korea, Two-Two is all about yummy fried chicken. Funny name but seriously delish food.

Menu choices: original, spicy or gochujang infused.
Recommendation: half portion each of original and spicy best downed with mugs of ice cold beer

Two Two Chicken

Address: 3-12-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-3587-4122
Home delivery number: 03-3587-2233 (only available for Akasaka 2-9 chome, Roppongi 1-4 chome, Minami Aoyama 1-chome, Azabu Juban 2-3 chome and Nishi Azabu 1-2 chome)
Michelin: None

Quintessential

What I was counting down to...

Hmmm, we got a private room. Wonder why...

The famished look. No breakfast.

Menu carte blanche literally translates to "blank card". True to its word, besides the chef's cooking philosophy, nothing else was written, not even prices

Always game for some bubbly

Gazpacho

Goat milk bavaroise

Brioche

Isaki

Aged beef

Feeling sorry that I forgot to snap dessert #1

Meringue ice cream

My affogato creation

Toilet with stitched leather handle

Not scrimping on the toiletries either

Very happy picture taken with the obliging young chef

This may sound silly and when put in writing, even sillier. Been trying to secure reservations at Quintessence the last few years and it was close to impossible. Their phone lines are always jammed and calls are only entertained for a measly 3 hours per day with reservations only open up to 2 months in advance. Oh, and don't even think you can outsmart their very anal reservation system by going down to the restaurant. They will not budge. How do I know? Been there, done that.

So, was super lucky to score a lunch spot today. Otherwise, the next available slot will be some time in July. As my fellow countrymen would say, die die must go!

What we ate:

• Gazpacho - Using only organic tomatoes, classic gazpacho ingredients like garlic and paprika were omitted as they were deemed to have too strong a taste and hence, masked the sweetness from the tomatoes. Because it was carbonated, it was very refreshing.
  
• Goat milk bavaroise - The milk was delivered fresh from Kyoto only this morning. Churned into cream, it was seasoned with mineral salt from Brittany, olive oil and macadamia nuts. It was rich with melt in the mouth goodness.
• Brioche with parmigiano, zucchini and foie gras croquette - What can I say, the description alone speaks for itself. Clearly my favourite.
• Isaki or Grunt fish - Placed in a 320 centigrade oven for a brief 1 minute, the fish came out crisp yet tender. The heavy sauce of comte cheese, sherry and sea urchin was a beguiling mix when paired with the delicate flesh of this white fish.
• Aged beef - Aged for 2 months, the beef was complemented with an au jus sauce that included chopped walnuts and chamomile. The beef was said to be broiled over a duration of 3 hours. It was firm yet not over done as over that 3 hours, the meat was taken in and out of the oven no less than 25 times. Fancy that! What a remarkable effort!
  
• Coconut cream with pistachio oil and espresso cream - Creamy and silky, the use of coconut cream in any dessert always gets the thumbs up.
• Meringue ice cream - Very cutting edge as a spray of concentrated seawater was applied to the ice cream. As like all meringues, this was a tad sweet for me so I dumped half of it into my single espresso, ala affogato. Perfect contrast to the bitterness of the coffee.

To conclude, Quintessence is not big on showmanship but it thrives on its 3 big values: Produit (Product), Cuisson (Process) and Assaisonné(Seasoning)

Quintessence

Address: 5-4-7 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, 108-0071 Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-5791-3715 (Reservations only from 9.30am～11am, 3.30pm～5pm)
Michelin: ***

Rooftop Garden

Very economical all-you-can-eat-and-drink menu

What should one drink at a beer garden?

Fried shrimps is my kind of beer finger food

Japanese's idea of beer garden food is Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ

Aromatic smoke from all the BBQ meats

Dinner was unusual last night. Took a leaf out of Tokyo's Time Out guide and headed for the rooftop beer garden in Ginza's Matsuzakaya. This sprawling departmental store used to house the likes of Bottega Veneta, Tods, Bally and is sadly a shadow of its formal glory self now. Its rooftop beer garden also sounds more happening than it really is, with haphazard seating and even rust on the chairs! Food is still an ok but in a cosmopolitan city like Tokyo, it will be tough to make this a recurring experience.

Beer Garden Bakuyotei (From May to September only)

Address: 6-10-1 Ginza, Matsuzakaya, Chuo-ku, 104-8166 Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-3569-3871
Michelin: None

Louis Prima

A page long of daily specials in addition to the menu

Chianti is appropriate on a Friday night

Louis Prima's rendition of Caprese with pesto and melted mozzarella

Fried lotus roots & potato crisps on the house while waiting for the pastas

Loving my veggies: eggplant & spinach pasta

Improved version of the classic bolognaise: with eggplant and crushed peanuts

Caramelised apples with ice-cream, a sumptuous ending to a delicious dinner

Another treasure find in Aksaka. Though not done in the traditional Italian style, the food is indisputably good.

Louis Prima

Address: 8-12-12 Akasaka, 1F Akasaka Andoron, Minato-ku, 107-0052 Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: 03-3408-4066
Michelin: None

Ebi Crisps

Prawn crackers with very concentrated ebi taste

The Tokyo BFF is never wrong about food and this is no exception. One bite at her place and I am completely sold. We managed to hunt this down at Mitsukoshi and walked away very very satisfied customers for the day:)