Metis Roppongi

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🇫🇷 French ✖ 🇯🇵️ Japanese / 📍 Roppongi

📓 Visits: 1

Wood-fired French food with Japanese ingredients.  There are two course menus to choose from priced at JPY 18,000 and JPY 27,500 consisting of 9 and 11 courses, respectively.  I chose the cheapest course.

A perfect start with smoked eel (a first for me in Japan) and caviar, gyutan and foie gras terrine, swordfish and ikura and chicken liver with apple jelly.  10/10.  After a signature dish of steamed bread filled with foie gras, wood-fired sweetbread with teriyaki sauce, chestnut puree and black truffle.  This was excellent: the sweetbread properly cooked, the truffle full of flavour and the teriyaki sauce not too sweet.  9/10.  The homemade bread (more on that in a bit, and it counts as a 'course') was excellent and was served with a yoghurt and tofu dip which you won't be surprised to hear is not as good as French butter or olive oil.  The fish course was amadai with karasumi and shungiki sauce.  The amadai was deep fried, resulting in delicious crispy scales but the fish was overcooked for me, the sauce needed more piquancy and the dish lacked originality.  7/10.  A choice of wood-fired wagyu or venison for the main course.  I went for the venison since it was 'seasonal' figuring I could always go back for the beef.  The meat was perfectly soft but I couldn't really taste the smoke and I've had much better venison.  The beef would probably have been a better choice.  Next, for a supplement of JPY 2,000, seko gani risotto.  This was outstanding, the shiso flowers and ginnan inspired additions.  A seasonal special and not to be missed (they didn't ask and I had to).  10/10.  The sweet items followed.  The pre-dessert did its job.  Next compressed pear, wasabon pastry and caramel ice-cream.  The combination of warm pear and ice-cream is a classic but the dish was exceptionally sweet and not especially original.  Petits fours were excellent and served with good coffee.

Chef Masatsugu Suzuki's CV includes stints at various restaurants in France, sous chef at Keisuke Matsushima and, before becoming independent, Executive Chef for Global Dining.  Global Dining own a number of restaurants in Tokyo, most famously Gonpachi in Nishi-Azabu which was immortalized in Kill Bill.  While working for Global Dining Suzuki-san launched the wood-fired grill restaurant L'ignis in Ebisu and Bartizan Bread Factory on Nisseki Dori, which is one of the very best (and very few) sourdough bakeries in Tokyo.  Suzuki-san's love for bread came out in the meal with the two items included.  Chef doesn't speak much English but Restaurant Manager Atsushi Ogasawara has years of experience working in Michelin starred restaurants as a qualified sommelier and could speak decent English.  You'll be given a bilingual menu to follow along.  All seating is at the compact and very comfortable counter.  I was the only diner in the restaurant, until I left when two more people came, so the meal moved along quickly.

Though lacking in originality in several places this was solid cooking overall and I'll take safe and solid over original and poor any day.  I may go back in another season (the menu changes every two months) though I might be more encouraged if they had an a-la-carte menu.  The signature steamed bun and the pre-dessert I could do without, for example.

Metis will be featured in the 2024 Michelin Guide Tokyo, which will be announced on Tuesday next week (5th December) presumably with one Star.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130702/13280829/

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  A day or two ahead via Tabelog or TableCheck.

📍 Location: 

5-18-22 Roppongi.  8 mins from Roppongi station.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.
Map data ©2023 Google 

📶 Free WiFi? ✅ Yes

📅 Visit November 2023

Course 18,000
+Risotto 2,000
Drinks 2@2,500

💴 Damage: 25,700
⏱️ Time taken: 1h30m