L'intemporel

⭐⭐⭐

🇫🇷 French / 📍 Gaienmae

📓 Visits: 1 (2021)

L'intemporel was awarded one Michelin Star in the 2021 Tokyo Guide.  Dinner starts from JPY 11,000 while lunch starts at JPY 6,050 which is the course I chose when I went.  Prices include tax and 10% service.  The Tabelog rating was 3.61 when the Michelin Guide was announced, which isn't particularly high (and hasn't really changed since), so I set my expectations according to Tabelog and hopes according to Michelin.

It's a cozy room with some natural light.  There are only 3 tables for two, a private room for up to four and a counter for up to four.  When I went on a weekday, the private room and one other table was occupied.  Koga Takashi is the only waiter and actually owns the restaurant.  He can speak a little English.  The drinks list is bilingual and as the food is carte blanche, language shouldn't be a barrier.  Takashi-san is very experienced and was a genial host.

The lunch comprises amuse, starter, soup, fish, meat, dessert, mignardise and coffee.  When I arrived I asked if I could be out in 1h30m but they said that wouldn't be possible and the meal takes over 2 hours.  There is only one chef and each course was served to all diners at the same time.  The soup did not arrive until 50m into the meal, the main 1h30m into the meal.  In total, the course took 1h50m.

The food was a little underwhelming.  Daikon pottage tasted exactly how you'd imagine.  I appreciated the relatively unusual choice of roasted Italian veal for the main and while it was cooked well, it was the usual roasted meat and presentation of vegetables you find in French restaurants in Japan.  A larger kitchen would have been able to use the shin for variation.  Two types of bread were served with whipped butter.  The first type was the usual not great standard type and the second was flavoured with red wine, which I did not enjoy at all.  The best item was an original dessert of white chocolate and mango bavarois and strawberry sorbet: tiny but delicious.  That was also the quickest item to come out because it's all pre-made.

The food in a Tabelog review taken the following month is pretty much the same as what I had.  The only differences there being duck instead of veal and dark chocolate bavarois instead of white.  That diner opted for the wine pairing and I did notice a good stock of quality wines.

Chef Daiki Kanagawa is just 30 years old is reasonably talented but it's difficult for me to imagine how such a young chef can grow any further when operating alone.  Other than the red wine bread, there were no faults in what was served and at just JPY 6,050 inclusive for a full course menu, this is one of the cheapest ways to experience real French cooking at 1-star level, is much better value than the lunch at Chic (review here), for example, and much better hospitality.  But the meal showed the limitations of a restaurant trying to serve Michelin-starred French food with a single chef: the food is going to take a long time and lack any real complexity.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1306/A130603/13214361/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.8

📱 Booking: 🟩  Bookings are required and you need to book several days in advance for lunch.  You can book via Tabelog or Tablecheck but bookings for solo diners are only taken by phone.  A little English spoken.

📍 Location: 

4-9-3 Minami-Aoyama.  Around the corner from Ski Shop Jiro on Gaien Nishi Dori.  5 minutes walk from Gaienmae station, Exit 1b.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.
Map data ©2021 Google 

📅 Visit February 2021

Cheese and carrot tart; Royale 'chawanmushi' with uni
French white asparagus, egg, bacon, caper sauce
Daikon potage
Sawara, white wine sauce, black cabbage
Roasted Italian veal, veg, sauce from cooking juices
White chocolate mango bavarois, strawberry sorbet
Coffee
Caramel

💴 Damage: 7,370 (5,500 + 1 drink at 1,200 + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h50m