Esquisse

We’d heard that French food is done really well here in Japan, so we were eager to check out ESqUISSE, which we’d read many excellent things about prior to asking for our concierge to make a booking. The restaurant itself, just like many spots in Ginza, is in a building with a floor per shop; ESqUISSE in on the top floor (the 9^th), and our seat by the window provided a nice, narrow view onto the main drag through Ginza. Our staff was very well-​versed on the menu (particularly given the language differences), and we were always served food in a timely fashion, as well as brought bread that made sure we always had something to snack on between courses. The only comment I would have is that the check didn’t come at the end — we had to ask for it after waiting for a while, though that may be more of a custom difference in Japan vs. what I am used to in the U.S.
The best way to describe the food here would be French but with a definite Japanese influence — evidenced by the fact that this was probably the lightest French meal I’ve had, and the fact that there was more seafood served than meat. We started the dinner with a flute of champagne, which was quite nice and unique, and then went in with an amuse bouche of uni with fennel and foie gras terrine topped with citrus. Both bites were delicious; I don’t think I’d had uni presented with fennel before in foam, and the foie gras paired perfectly with the tart fruit. The first course was an oyster from Hokkaido, which was a bit larger than those I’ve had in the U.S., but was definitely smoother and creamier and full of very delicious flavor. The tuna bites served next were also very good, paired with a light cucumber sauce that worked really well with it. The highlight would have to be the foie gras, which was served seared with beets and a duck breast au jus that turbocharges the creamy duck flavor that the foie already possessed. It’s the first time I’d seen foie served this way, and it works extremely well in enhancing what is already a very decadent dish. The main fish course — a whitefish of some kind (I forget the name) was seared perfectly and was extremely succulent and worked very well with the sauces it was paired with. The main meat course was interesting — it was pigeon served three ways, with the head (!), breast, and leg served in different manners. The head, as the waitress suggested, was something that would be a bit of a mixed bag for most people, and while the crunchy texture and bitter flavor was not unexpected, I didn’t feel like it flowed well with the rest of the dish (or the meal to date). The breast had good flavoring, but it was quite difficult to cut into bite-​size pieces. The leg confit was the best part in my opinion, with a solid flavor to match.
Our cheese course was skipped over — I think as a result of a language miscommunication — so we went straight to dessert, with the palate cleanser being two types of peaches (one sweeter and one bitter — a very nice contrast) topped with gin foam to burn off other flavors), and the main dessert being a fabulous showcase of sweet corn — in a pudding-​like form, as well as lightly popped and whole kernels served with foam and sorbet. Corn isn’t a typical dessert menu item, but it was executed very well here and is a great seasonal choice. We finished up with tea along with petit fours — an absolutely delicious dark-​ish chocolate truffle that was very crunchy; a tasty macaroon (strawberry for me, chocolate for her), and a couple of madeleines to top it off.
In all, EsQUISSE was a great yet unique French restaurant that I don’t think you’d find anywhere else in the world outside of Japan. In speaking with the chef after the meal (a nice tradition at smaller restaurants in Japan), he noted that his 8 years in the country and infused his style of cooking with local elements, and it really comes through in how the food is prepared and presented. While I do wish that the main meat dish (pigeon) was a bit more to my liking, it’s not enough to knock off a full star off of the rating, and everything else was done very well. Definitely a recommended spot out of the many places to dine in Tokyo, and very convenient location as well.