ANA InterContinental Tokyo

Our newly refurbished Club InterContinental Room included access to the Club InterContinental lounge on the 35th floor where we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast to start the day and cocktails and canapés in the evening; afternoon tea was also on offer but we were too busy exploring Tokyo, but the real highlight of our stay was the fine dining extravangana we experienced at Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo. We had previously dined at La Maison 1888 whilst staying at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam where we were blown away by the creative cuisine and delicate flavours so did not want to miss the opportunity to sample his creations again.

The Vegan Food

Guests in Club InterContinental can enjoy an extensive breakfast buffet and also an a la carte offering each day which includes an ‘Asian Set’ a ‘Western Set’ and a ‘Pierre Gagnaire’ set. As these options were not suitable for vegan guests, the staff happily arranged for us to enjoy one of the room service dishes with our breakfast, ‘Deep Fried Tofu with vegetable Sauce’ which was clearly marked vegan and also a plate of delicious avocado and asparagus. The buffet had plenty of salad and fruit which we enjoyed alongside these specially prepared vegan dishes

Do not miss the opportunity to dine at Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo which has held two Michelin stars since 2010, experiencing a culinary adventure here is sure to be one of the dining highlights on offer in Tokyo. You can expect dishes that are intricate and beautiful whilst delivering exquisite and delicate flavours. You can be sure that the service and attention to detail is of the highest order. Quite simply, you will be amazed.

A meal at Pierre Gagniare Tokyo is one to be savoured, it’s a gloriously lengthly process where food should be enjoyed, thought about and talked about. We sat with views of the famous Tokyo tower and glittering city skyline. It’s apt that this French inspired restaurant overlooks the Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower.

Our first foray into the food was an autumnal themed creation served on a natural wood platter. A collection of autumn hues with scattered leaves. A tiny ball of chestnut paste laced with truffle and salt and topped with a toasted hazelnut was sweet and tasty. Two ‘pomme soufflé’ were dusted with sumac and were lighter than air; a crispy air filled pillow of deliciousness. Last, two rusty orange twisted grisini with a base of red sweet pepper; intensely satisfying. The most dainty collection of cold starters arrives next including a wedge of yellow beet with orange, acidulated celery and figs with cucumber and sesame. The beetroot is crunchy and juicy, with a subtle earthiness lifted by the orange. Wow.

A plate of asparagus served on kale with chive sauce is next. It’s a beauty of shimmering green with oniony aromas. The asparagus is sweet and juicy with charred flavours and salt, the kale is more akin to soft cabbage and the chive sauce gives a lingering warmth of flavour. Another beautiful looking and creative dish included something which translated as ‘sugar potato’ but thankfully it wasn’t as sweet as the name would have you think. Instead, we discovered a soft gooey on the inside, lightly crisp on the outside potato base topped with sautéed Brussels sprout, purple potato crisps and rocket micro sprouts.

Fully in the swing of some kind of vegetable laden adventure now, another truly intriguing dish arrived in the shape of braised endive in an orange caramel sauce. No sticky sweet caramel here though, a light and juicy dish with deep caramel flavour lifted by tart orange juice with a few layers of truffle and toasted hazelnut flavour. It’s a flavour combination that’s hard to imagine but after much deliberation we decided it was actually reminiscent of blue cheese, maybe. It was just one of those party in your mouth moments that is too hard to really describe to others. And so finally on to dessert, or desserts should we say. There were 3 dessert dishes. An orange sorbet with mandarins in a saffron syrup, a saffron orange agar agar disc and a zesty, bitter orange marmalade. Pear marinated with ginger, ginger foam and yuzu; (it was like eating a delicious cloud).

The Vegan Essentials

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

We were suitably impressed with the staff at ANA InterContinental Tokyo, we certainly did not feel we were staying in a hotel with over 1500 guests during our stay, the service was personal and attentive with everyone being very helpful. We enjoyed the evening canapes and breakfast in Club InterContinetal but the real high point of our stay was the incredible meal at Pierre Gagnaire Tokyo, a truly memorbale plant based fine dining experince.

ANA InterContinental Tokyo
1 Chome-12-33 Akasaka
Minato
Tokyo 107-0052
Japan

Telephone: +81 3-3505-1111
Cost From: £220 / $290 (Oct 2018)