‘I’m dining at Chanel’. Sounds extravagant? But that’s how many would identify with the two Michelin-starred restaurant ‘Beige’ in Tokyo, perched atop the Chanel building in glitzy Ginza.

Three years ago I visited their terrace Le Jardin de Tweed. Little did I know it’s Alain Ducasse – whom is also my favourite chef – operates the restaurant and rooftop bar.

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The entrance to Beige is located at the side door of Chanel’s flagship Ginza store. Receptionists greets before leading you into a lift for the top floor.

The simplicity of Alain Ducasse and sophistication of Chanel is reflected in Beige’s interior design. Every chair upholstered in Chanel’s classic material seen in their boucle skirt suits while utensils exudes Alain Ducasse’s minimalism.

To my surprise, Beige was quite fully booked on a weekday lunch and that the chitchats in the background became quite noticeable.

After being seated next to the window, I immediately scanned through the cocktail list, hoping to find the most memorable cocktail that I had at the Le Jardin de Tweed. Although I have forgotten the name of it, I was lucky enough to make the right order – the Panthere Rose (Pamplemousse/sirop de rose & de grenadine / Tonic) 1,050. The other one I ordered was a cocktail made with sparkling wine – Clementine (Cremant/orange – raisin – citron/nectar de peche) 1,500. Both cocktails well represents the style of Chanel with their aromas and fruitiness.

Started off with a amuse bouche which I find it hard to appreciate the combination of lentils and olive oil. The rest of the meal was quite enjoyable.

All dishes shows Alain Ducasse’s unpretentious style but nonetheless surprises your palate. Starting with a Porchetta RABBIT, cripsy salad and toasted country bread, the texture of the porchetta was smooth and
tender while the meat has a delicate sweetness to it. Yet, unlike normal pork porchetta – no crunchy skins. The porchetta was well assembled that it stayed intact while you’re are cutting through it.

Another appetizer my friend picked was the Young seasonal vegetables served warm “a la Grecque”. You might not know, Alain Ducasse likes to have his own backyard for seasonal vegetables and this selection veggies is what he picked for the late winter. Remarkably sweet carrots and fresh vegetables were nicely served with in a broth.

When it came to the main course, I struggled between the choice of cod and the Japanese sea bass Suzuki. After all, Tokyo should have the freshest seafood. White SUZUKI fried, leeks and potatoes cooked together, was my final pick. The fish was moist and tender; the chef mastered his stove pretty well.

The Roast BEEF and shallots’ marmalade in red wine, spinach leaves were great too. The succulent steak was paired with sweet carrots, simple and yummy.

The signature dessert in Beige was the Carré CHANEL chocolate-praline, hazelnut ice cream. Not only it has a cliche CHANEL print to it, it was also sprinkled with gold flakes, quite a sumptuous manifestation in an Alain Ducasse restaurant.

The seasonal dessert I had was the strawberries in juice, yuzu cream. It’s always good to have a something sour to end the meal, so that I would still have room for tea across the street at the Gucci Café.

Macarons were lovely. I loved the Matcha flavored one though it has a funny bluish green coloring. The caramel one was rather sweet.

The three course lunch costs ¥5,000 while a four course lunch sets you at ¥8,000 with 10% service charge and 5% tax.

Oh, by the way, don’t miss the Terrace Le Jardin de Tweed. It’s an exquisite place to an afternoon tea or even just to chill alone – but maybe not the case for the freezing winter though.

Beige
Address: Chanel Ginza Building 10F, 3-5-3 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Tel: 03-51595500
Website: http://www.beige-tokyo.com/