Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo

“Where would the world of gastronomy be without Pierre Gagnaire?” asks Patrice Martineau, chef of Peninsula Hotel Tokyo's Peter. “The man is a culinary icon, the chef who brought color and light to classic French cuisine." 

On the 36^th floor of the ANA Intercontinental Hotel, the second incarnation of Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo turns a meal from a forgettable necessity into a palate-dazzling event. 

“Dishes are beautifully presented and full of dynamic contrasts,” says Martineau.

Take lunch. The Cocktail de Poche, a course of appetizers, is like an edible artist's palette, colorful, inviting, with careful attention paid to the balance of flavors and textures. 

A foamy broth sprinkled with salty cubes of jamon iberico and peas is followed by a buttery cube of salmon confit, set into a piquant grapefruit gelee.

A savory mince of marinated mushrooms precedes a sweet interlude of mint-green matcha infused soup.

A subtle appetizer of tabaragani crab, raw and poached asparagus, and a scoop of green asparagus ice cream is counterpoised by an intense, cardamom-scented white asparagus veloute sauce, Martineau’s favorite part of the course. 

Mains, too, are a multi-item affair. A juicy pork chop, offset by a vibrant slaw of red cabbage, thinly sliced chorizo and cilantro, comes with a terrine of pork trotter and tongue, wedged into a pillowy squid-ink potato mousseline. 

“The surprises don’t stop there though,” says Martineau. “The white beer panna cotta, paired with the lemon confit, is a revelation.”