January 2025
Dining Review: Restaurant L’Affinage – Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is known for its epic food scene – but did you know there is a ton of Michelin star’ed fine dining as well? When researching things to do on our second trip to Tokyo, I stumbled up this seemingly secret dining experience that is often overlooked by tourists. And do not get me wrong – the food in Tokyo does not require a fine dining set up when there are endless food options the explore. I think when tourists think of fine dining, they are drawn to the omakase experience which is completely valid! We did this on our first trip and it is definitely an elevated dining experience that is not to be missed in Japan, especially since this style of dining is readily accessible back home. But this set of restaurants is different than omakase – we are talking French styled tasting courses. Since this was our second visit, I really wanted the chance to see what Tokyo’s Michelin game was all about.
The Ginza neighborhood has a high density of these restaurants so I focused my search to this area to avoid being overwhelmed with options and even that made it tough to pick one. Like all food options in Tokyo, the choices are quite literally endless and this was no exception.
Ultimately, we selected Restaurant L’Affinage for the following reasons:
- The chef – Yasuyuki Takara – studied under Paul Bocuse spending time in France before returning to Tokyo where he launched Restaurant L’Affinage in 2018
- The wine menu features wines from around the world – the website boasts they have over 100 different kinds
- We were able to book online in advance which is definitely a benefit for securing a table
- Translating to “ripening”, Restaurant L’Affinage promises an experience that has benefited from Chef Takara’s years of training and experience to bring guests the best dining journey possible
Like many restaurants or shops in Tokyo, it can be a bit of a challenge to find the entrance since the buildings are jam packed with businesses. When we arrived at the address, it was a bit unclear how to actually reach the restaurant. First we tried the stairs with no luck, then returning back to the street found the elevator that opened directly into the restaurant. We were immediately greeted by the host and escorted to the dining room as we passed their Michelin star proudly displayed.
The dining room is sophisticated yet cozy. There is no official dress code here so it is not stuffy but there is a sense of simply elegance. The kitchen is in the back and there is a long table directly in front of it along with several tables around. We were seated at the long table so we got to see into the kitchen and observe some of the action which we always enjoy. The staff is limited to Chef Takara and two sous chefs, along with a few support staff to manage the front desk, beverages, and the dance of the plates. The dining room was quiet among the team as they seem to have no need to communicate with orders but rather know the dance performed each night. I could not believe in the kitchen itself how the sous chefs acted as an extension of Chef Takara working diligently and swiftly on each dish.
We got a sneak peek at our menu and found some of our favorite ingredients throughout so we knew we were in for a treat. The wine pairing was a no brainer so that covered our choices for the night. Directly next to my seat was a small set of shelves that has Chef Takara’s certificate from his time training with Paul Bocuse along with a photo of the two of them together. I just found this to be so heartwarming and a small tribute to his time in France.
The menu was in French and Japanese which was funny to see while in Japan. Luckily we were not completely lost due to our travel to France and ability to recognize key words from French menus. That being said, the servers always tried to translate the description of the dish the best as possible in English. With that, we sat back and relaxed ready to indulge in one of our favorite ways – going on a culinary adventure.
Aperitif Amuse, Amuse, and Bread Service
We started with not one but two amuse courses that got us very excited for the full meal to come. Both dishes were light yet full of flavor. I wish I had the specific details for both these but my note taking skills went out the window with too much excitement for this meal. This preview of the meal to come was certainly a great sign. Freshly made butter along with french bread was provided as well – worked out well as we definitely used it to sop of the soup goodness and was refilled during the entire meal.
Effilocher dr Crabe et mousse de Chou fleur au Caviar / Shredded Crab and Caviar Cabbage Mousse
paired with
Albert Boxeer Eselzwicker 2020 Alsace
It is always a treat to have caviar as a part of the tasting menu and not an add on – because we never do that. This was probably one of the more generous helpings of caviar we have had at a tasting and we definitely enjoy it but the crab mousse concoction that sat underneath the caviar was the super star – wow it was so tasty and putting it all together was so, so delicious. And the wine pairing was great as it was refreshing and light with a hint of acid to compliment the creaminess of the mousse.
Combinaison de saute de Foie gras avec Bardane / Combination of Foie Gras Stir-Fry with Burdock
paired with
Henri Bourgeois Petit Bourgeois Rose de Pinot Noir 2021 Loire
If you have followed any of our fine dining adventures, you know that foie gras is one of our favorites to find on a menu so seeing a dish with foie gras at the center was such a treat. The foie gras was seared and then laid on top of a bed of veggies and rice, reminiscent of a stir-fry except exponentially better. We both took the smallest bites to make this dish last longer.
Compote d’Ormeau en chemiser de pavot au beurre d’herbs / Abalone compote in poppy coat with herb butter
paired with
Domaine Guy Baudin Pouilly-Fume 2021 Les Charmes Loire
I remember when they brought this dish out not quite catching the translation on what we were looking at but then we figured it out – it was abalone! The last time we had this was on our first trip to Japan when we did a tour of Toyosu and Tsukiji Markets. Needless to say, in our two experiences eating abalone, this was superior. The texture reminded us of a mushroom but a little meatier but it was really the herb butter it was swimming in that was plate licking good.
Filet du Dourade poelee, sauce Albert / Pan-fried Dourade fillet with Albert sauce
paired with
Domaine du Chalet Puilly 2023 Puilly-Fuisse
Just look at the presentation of this dish – 10/10! I found this to be so artistic with the burst of color from the broccolini and tomato. So simple but so effective. The fish was delicious but paired with the Albert sauce – it took this dish over the top. And the wine was one of our favorites of the night. We loved everything about this course.
Filet de boeuf roti, sauce aux truffles / Beef fillet with truffle sauce
paired with
Bad Boy 2018 Jean Thunevin Bordeaux
Truffles on the menu are always a good thing! And this plate really leaned into the earthy tones. I do not recall the cut of beef but it was seared on the outside and so tender and flavorful on the inside. The truffle sauce and sliced truffles added to the earthiness of the dish. And brussel sprouts and mushrooms were an excellent selection of vegetable to round out the course.
Cocktail de Fraises et blanc mange accompagne de glace miel / Strawberry and white wine cocktail served with honey ice cream
When this was placed down, it did not look like much but one bite and wow this was fabulous. I could have easily done another couple glasses of this. The strawberry with the honey ice cream was so simple but the freshness of each made this dish so bright.
Souffles aux Truffles / Truffle Souffles
The sweet and savory combination I did not know I needed. I cannot recall if we ever had shaved black truffles as part of a dessert but I definitely need to see more of this around. The souffles was baked to perfection and had small pieces of black truffle throughout. I think the butter is what makes this sweet and savory combination so great.
Petit Fours and Cafe
And of course, no tasting meal is complete without tiny homemade dessert to send you off. Kevin also got a coffee to enjoy. We savored our last few moments at Restaurant L’Affinage.
And just when we thought the meal was over, a plate with a candle on it was brought out to our wedding anniversary – including not just taking a photo, but giving us a print out to remember the occasion. Extremely special and we have never had that service before – truly wonderful!
We had the best time Restaurant L’Affinage and cannot recommend it enough if you are looking for a fine dining experience while you are visiting Tokyo. Heck, even for those that live in Tokyo – go visit Restaurant L’Affinage for your next special occasion. I know we were visiting in the middle of the week, but the restaurant had two or three other dining parties for the night. I wonder what it is like for the weekends but this place certainly deserves the Michelin star it has achieved and to be full every night to try Chef Takara’s culinary creations. The meal was well paced and the portion sizes were appropriate to leave us very full. At the time of our visit, the tasting menu for dinner was 20,000 yen which was about $130 USD and the wine pairing was 9,000 yen which was about $60 USD – both of which also include a service charge and tax – so we felt like it was a good value and not overpriced at all for the experience. Each dish had great attention to detail, perfect execution, and fun ways of using traditional French tasting menu ingredients. We loved the wine pairings for each course as well. Two and a half hours went by too fast as we wanted to repeat the entire menu over again.