Volume 04, Number 23
Dining
Holiday Dining Special
This year's top Christmas food specials in Tokyo
by Michael Mahoney
Looking for a warm, welcoming place to find some turkey, potatoes and cranberry sauce like Grandma's? Or do you prefer caviar to cranberries, and wish to eat a fusion-cooked Christmas dinner a la moderne? Or perhaps a rich Christmas fruitcake or cupcakes to bring back for the kids would do? From trendy to traditional, glamorous to good-home-cooking, Weekender has made a list of some of the top Christmas food specials in Tokyo this year to satisfy your holiday appetite.
Tokyo Hilton
For those looking for a bit more luxurious—yet family-friendly—dining experience, the Tokyo Hilton's renovated ‘Marble Lounge' is the ideal place for a holiday drink or meal.
As one of Tokyo's first hotel restaurants to offer meals and drinks 24 hours a day, the Lounge offers a sumptuous meal anytime of day, night and all points in between: a huge Western- and Japanese-style breakfast buffet from 6:30am; a healthy and satisfying Lunch and Brunch buffet, featuring Hokkaido crab and grass-fed New Zealand beef from 11:30am; a dessert buffet with individual sweets, fresh fruits and a chocolate fountain from 2:30pm; and even a luxurious “Chocolate and Cheese” buffet with three chocolate fountains and 20 varieties of cheeses is available from 6:30pm. For dinner, the Marble Lounge offers a la carte dinner items until 11pm, and for those looking for a late-night meal the “Night-Owl Menu” is available from 11pm–5am. A spectacular “Hilton Christmas Buffet” is being offered from Dec. 21–25, 6:30pm–11:30pm for ¥9,240 per adult and ¥5,040 per child, while a “Midnight Christmas Course Dinner” is also available on the same days from 6:30pm–3am for ¥9,240. For more information, visit the Tokyo Hilton website at www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/TYOHITW-Hilton-Tokyo-hotel/index.do.
Roy's
Looking for a more romantic Christmas dinner to sweep your special someone off his/her feet? How about a multi-course Asian-Euro-Hawaiian feast, the stars shining above you and the Tokyo skyline twinkling below?
Roy's is for you. After nine successful years serving its pan-pacific cuisine in Aoyama, the romantic restaurant moved to the fifth floor of Roppongi Hills, giving diners a spectacular view of downtown Tokyo, including Tokyo Tower. Roy's Tokyo Christmas Dinner 2007 is a thoughtful, balanced meal: Japanese spiny lobster with Rishiri sea urchin, Ossetra caviar and Roy's-style petit cocktail jalapeno red wine sauce; grilled miso-pickled fresh foie gras with sautéed ris de veau; a Western leek and potato potage soup with fried Japanese freshwater crab; braised Japanese seabass and raw oyster with champagne sauce garnished with truffle risotto cake; special roasted Japanese filet with California Zinfandel sauce and home-made Spaetzle; and a Christmas dessert specially designed for the holidays by the Pastry Chef. All of this is available from Dec. 21–25, from 5pm until 10:30pm (last order), ¥15,000 for the Alli course, or ¥13,000 for the Hauoil course.
If this doesn't impress your special someone, nothing will!
Paddy Foley's
Take one step inside Paddy Foley's classic Irish pub and restaurant and the friendly staff, warm interior and laid-back atmosphere will immediately make you feel welcome. In tune with its mission to make foreigners ‘feel at home', the Roppongi bar/restaurant is planning a Christmas special, with decorations and a beautifully-presented holiday dinner, to make you feel right at home in Tokyo over the holidays.
From Dec. 22-25, Paddy's is offering a savory three-course Christmas Dinner that looks beautiful, hearty and satisfying: a starter of split-pea and ham soup; a main course of roast turkey with cranberry sauce and gravy, roasted potatoes, pumpkin, steamed carrots, beans and baby corn; and a choice of cheese plate or apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. Wine and coffee are included, all for ¥4,500 per person. Reservations are recommended.
“In Ireland we all stand together, sing together, and drink together,” said General Manager Neil Day, “That's how we want to do it here, too!” Indeed, if this is the type of warm, inclusive Christmas celebration you're looking for, Paddy's will surely suit you. For more details, see the website at www.paddyfoleystokyo.com.
ROTI
The wonderful Roti has made quite a good name for itself within the expat community, serving delicious, thoughtful Western cuisine in two modern, warm and inviting settings. To ring in the holidays, fabulous Christmas dinners have been planned for its two Tokyo establishments.
From Dec. 23–25, the tasteful, warmly-lit ROTI Modern American Brasserie in Roppongi will offer a sumptuous, festive holiday buffet with Chef-carved roast turkey, roast prime of beef, honey roast ham, salads, vegetables and several delicious desserts for ¥4,800. On Christmas day, guests can enjoy a three-course lunch special (a la carte plus special turkey plate) for ¥2,500. The restaurant is also available for party hire.
Meanwhile, the ROTI American Wine Bar and Brasserie in Tokyo Midtown will offer a sumptuous six-course dinner menu with roast turkey for ¥10,000. (Reservations are recommended, as seating times will be made.) For more details, visit www.rotico.com.
Beacon
It's a chop house, Tokyo style: all the clean lines, gentle lighting and modern design we'd expect in our cutting-edge new home, with all the satisfying meats that we'd expect in the American Wild West.
It's Beacon, the most fashion-forward chop house you'll ever find, with some of the most delicious meats and seafood you'll ever eat. For those looking for a decadent, non-traditional holiday meal, forward-thinking Beacon has crafted a delicious and artful Christmas dinner befitting its fashionable Harajuku address. Start your holiday feast with a fresh salmon and scallop tartare with sevruga caviar and ikura; move onto some sauteed foie gras with portabella mushrooms and a honeybalsamic reduction; next is pan-roasted John Dory with braised fennel and basil oil; then grilled Wagyu tenderloin with sautéed winter vegetables and pinot noir sauce; and finish your meal with a raspberry chocolate flan with cream cheese gelato and strawberry sauce. Stylish, decadent and satisfying, all for ¥12,600 per person.
For more information, call Beacon on 03-6418-0077.
Notting Hill
Notting Hill Cakes is gearing up for the Christmas season with a variety of seasonal baked goods and a second temporary location. The increasingly popular bakery is one of only three retailers invited to take part in the Omotesando Hills Christmas Fair, running from Dec. 1 to 25.
From Dec. 17, Notting Hill will offer its Christmas fruitcake—a rich cake with dried cranberries, mangos, desiccated coconut, apricots, raisins and pecans. Six servings are included for ¥3,500.
Or perhaps you prefer cupcakes? If so, check out the Christmas cupcake box, on sale from Dec. 1. Each box contains eight mini cupcakes topped with festive sparkling sugars in green, red, blue and white, for ¥1,600.
Finally, for the gift-giving season the Notting Hill Christmas gift basket includes an assortment of seasonal mini muffins, cookies and scones.
The Notting Hill Nishi Azabu store is open from 10am–7pm, Monday–Saturday, while the Omotesando Hills shop is open from 10am–9pm.
For more information, check www.nottinghillcakes.com for more information.
Suji's
The lone Japanese branch of a Seoul-based restaurant, Suji's has wowed Japanese and American food critics with its great, satisfying portions, tasteful presentation and rich flavors, comparable to those we'd find in a fine bistro in the Big Apple. The large, airy interior even has a photographic mural of the Manhattan skyline along its back wall (taken by the restaurant owner's brother), adding a sophisticated, Midtown Manhattan-style atmosphere to the place.
On Christmas Day, Suji's will offer a savory holiday meal, which will undoubtedly be both tasty and tasteful. The meal will feature herb-roasted turkey, honeyglazed ham and egg nog, all for ¥6,000 for adults and ¥4,000 for children. Two sittings will be offered, the first at 5:30pm and the second at 8pm, and should be reserved in advance. There will also be a special on two varietal boutique wines, for those looking for a perfect drink to compliment the perfect meal.
For more information, visit Suji's online at http://sujis.net/japan/ or call 03-3505-4490.
Luxor
The Italians make dining a event like no other, and so for your Christmas feastings this year why not add a touch of Tuscan culinary flair with perhaps a hint of French and Japanese flavorings, from none other than celebrity restaurateur, Mario Frittoli. Situated in the ultra cool Shirokanedai, a dining experience here feels a million miles away from the somewhat over-crowed and never letting city we live in. Mario's sense of style can be felt throughout the restaurant, from the elegant interior, the flashes of color on the walls and tableware, and not least on the food.
As would be expected, the Christmas menu offers what could be the most voguish of courses; a seven course meal which includes home-made smoked guinea fowl garnished with French mushrooms, blue mussels from Mont-Saint Michel, and sautéed wild-duck presented with Foie Gras, amongst other gastronomic surprises. The meal costs ¥15,000 and true to southern European dining style, you may just want to take your time through the courses, drinking wine from the 600 strong open wine cellar, and whilst talking love and life with your most cherished and beautiful of friends and family. See www.luxor-r.com/mario_e.html for more details.