Dining at a top-tier Michelin restaurant in Tokyo is a rare treat. Firstly, the prices are steep, and secondly, reservations are in high demand, often requiring insider connections. I’m grateful to have been arranged by the renowned jewelry brand to visit Crony, a French Michelin-starred restaurant.
Imagine opening the doors to what feels like a private club. You’re about to step into the enchanting world of Michelin-starred French cuisine in Tokyo. And guess what? The head chef, Michihiro Haruta, is quite the legend.
At the entrance of the restaurant, there is a round table with dark wooden chairs. On top of it, three Michelin Guidebooks are casually placed, signifying their unquestionable status in the culinary world.
Please make reservation 2 months early in advance.
At Crony, the restaurant boasts six bar counter seats positioned alongside the kitchen. It’s a remarkable sight—a spacious, open kitchen with a row of bar-style dining tables. The establishment proudly holds two Michelin stars and offers an interior that strikes a balance between warmth and comfort, a stark contrast to the austere aesthetics often found in Tokyo’s restaurants
For chefs, cooking and food serve as the quickest way to bridge the gap between people.
At dinnertime, a small white candlestick is lit on the table. The ambiance is endlessly romantic and evocative.
Crony, apart from being surrounded by the Michelin aura, has also consistently won the Tabelog Silver Award for three consecutive years from 2018 to 2020. The restaurant features 27 seats, primarily designed for couples or small groups of 2 to 3 people, ensuring an undisturbed culinary experience.
In Tokyo, where space is at a premium, especially in the upscale neighborhood of Nishi-Azabu, many restaurants ingeniously maximize their compact interiors. Today, we’ve reserved the entire 12-person long table. This restaurant operates on a pre-booking system and offers a menu-less dining experience
After much anticipation, they serve the first appetizer… Hmm, it’s a bit puzzling. What is this realistic-looking stone on the plate? When you take a bite, it turns out to be a potato, ham, and charcoal concoction shaped like a soft and crispy cola cake. The mashed potatoes are infused with the aroma of onion and olive oil. Quite an intriguing culinary creation!
In early Meiji era, incorporating edible flowers into dishes was already a popular trend. During the blooming season, adding olive oil and sugar to the flowers allowed their flavors to be well-preserved. This appetizer features fresh trout topped with a sauce made from fresh edible flowers, resulting in a refreshing and delightful yogurt-like taste.
The bottom layer consists of crispy shrimp cakes, followed by a thin layer of yuzu-flavored mayonnaise. On top of that, there’s grilled zucchini, and finally, the uppermost layer is adorned with crispy fried burdock root. But wait! It’s actually fried bitter melon. Surprisingly, in Japan, you can savor a variety of bitter melon similar to the Taiwanese variety.
This appears to be reminiscent of Taiwanese sweet patato or squid balls, evoking a sense of familiarity through its visual presentation!
Once served, each person spontaneously takes one. Although these little morsels appear small, their texture is as intricate as a universe, layered and rich. The filling is substantial and well-crafted.
Flavor-enhanced with truffle, these meatballs are meticulously crafted by blending assorted mushrooms, beef cheek, and cheese.
The crispy outer layer yields with a delightful crunch, while the soft and tender filling inside is crafted from a blend of yam and mashed potatoes.
The pure caviar, a decadent soup that disappears in just three spoonfuls, has a base made from concentrated and re-concentrated chicken broth essence, blended with nitrogen-infused mashed yam and potato.
This soup is both visually and gustatorily impressive. In the center, you’ll find hot edamame, spinach, and avocado. The deep green oil on top is a blend of pumpkin seed and cilantro oil. Simultaneously, the green soup is harmoniously mixed with various ingredients, including sautéed shellfish, onions, and cilantro.
Let me rewind a bit. Initially, the soup arrives looking like this: a stack of abalone slices, and then the waiter pours chilled pea soup over the top.
This dish truly astonished me! Despite its simple appearance, it leaves an unforgettable impression after just one bite. I never imagined that pea soup could be so delicious and intriguing.
As we reached this point, the sommelier graciously presented us with red wine. Our taste buds were just right for a little drink. Let’s refresh our palates to fully savor the upcoming dishes.
At Crony restaurant, there are two owners—one is Chef Michihiro Haruta, and the other is Sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa.
For this particular meal, Sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa has paired it with Chateau Margaux 2007, a wine known for its full-bodied richness, gentle texture, and layered complexity.
During the break, a sourdough bread was served. Unlike typical Western meals where bread is the first course, here it is presented between courses. This particular bread has an interesting backstory—it was brought back to Japan by Chef Michihiro Haruta after working at the three-starred Le Saison in San Francisco.
This sourdough bread left me astonished. I actually have a French friend who personally cultivates yeast to create sourdough bread everyday. This daily limited-edition sourdough bread also originates from a unique yeast strain, and the success of its fermentation is highly influenced by climatic conditions.
The bread, baked to a crispy exterior, reveals a soft and tender interior with a hint of saltiness. It is then generously spread with the restaurant’s unique secret butter—a blend of yogurt whey-infused cream, topped with a sprinkle of salt. The resulting texture is delightfully light, and when paired with the bread, it exudes a fragrant aroma.
Enjoy the Hokkaido mackerel, paired with a refreshing mustard greens sauce. Complementing it perfectly is the delicate foam of whitefish milt, topped with Kyoto’s umeboshi (pickled plum) and shiso (perilla) paste. The combination brings out the exquisite sweetness of the fish.
Indulge in the premium Miyazaki wagyu beef steak, accompanied by bite-sized pumpkin cubes and crispy fried sweet peppers. Bon appétit!
The Royal Earl Grey milk tea in liquid nitrogen form is paired with a molecular dessert made from mango yogurt. I particularly enjoy the ethereal mouthfeel—like a dream—and those who appreciate this whimsical texture will absolutely love it.
This delightful round treat is crafted from rice and transformed into fragrant vanilla ice cream. To elevate its freshness, it’s paired with Japanese sake. I crave something refreshing! And I truly appreciate the concept of combining rice-based desserts with sake.
Interestingly, at this moment, they served another stone resembling the appetizer. The continuity between the two courses was striking. This time, it was an almond cookie, and with each bite, I savored the abundance of almond granules within.
Crony’s head chef, despite being remarkably young, was born in 1987. His culinary journey has taken him through some of the world’s most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants. He honed his skills at Quintessence in Tokyo, Ledoyen in Paris, and Maaemo in Oslo, among others. After a delightful meal, he graciously posed for a photo with us, leaving behind this precious memory.
