You\u2019ve heard of dry-aged beef but did you know that there is such a thing as \u201csnow-aged\u201d beef; a Japanese tradition where, as you\u2019ve probably guessed, meat is stored and preserved in snow. Well, it\u2019s here to rock your world as the star attraction of the renewed menu<\/b>
\nYou\u2019ve heard of dry-aged beef but did you know that there is such a thing as \u201csnow-aged\u201d beef; a Japanese tradition where, as you\u2019ve probably guessed, meat is stored and preserved in snow.
Well, it\u2019s here to rock your world as the star attraction of the renewed menu at The Tavern Grill & Lounge on the 51st floor of the Andaz Tokyo hotel. Meat lovers take note: This is some very serious steak.
While the renowned restaurant needs no introduction, its revamped concept and menu deserves a round of applause for a strikingly innovative yet accessible take on time-honored grilled dishes. Newly appointed chef Shaun Keenan elevates the typical grill restaurant experience; starting with playful appetizers like the reconstructed nicoise salad, using seared akami tuna and quail eggs, rounded out by a charcuterie-based selection of items like pork and pistachio terrine, and foie gras with narazuke pickle.
You\u2019ll recognize some of the seafood dishes by name only; classic scallops are combined with a seasonal yuzu salsa, while the jumbo king prawns come with yuzu and brioche crumbs. Headlining the show is, of course, the meat menu, which travels across the country, via Kumamoto rib-eye to Tochigi sirloin, back around to Yamanashi spring chicken and up to Aomori duck breast. Spoilt for choice, diners can explore their a la carte options in a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere as the city twinkles below.
Still, the spotlight is rightfully shone on the restaurant\u2019s signature snow-aged beef, matured in Niigata where the technique of yukimoro, preserving and storing food in a snow cellar, originated around 200 years ago.
Chef Keenan handpicks the meat in Hokkaido which is then transported to the Tavern Grill & Lounge kitchen where it subsequently gets seared to absolute perfection in their new broiler. There\u2019s no messing around \u2014 something that became clear when the steak arrived in all its glory, and shamefully disappeared almost as quickly. It was, truthfully, the best I\u2019ve ever eaten.
The steak was served medium-rare with a side of snow-aged garlic mash potatoes, butter carrots with maple glaze and sauteed spinach. Wine was deftfully poured from an impressive-looking magnum, thanks to an excellent recommendation from food and beverage director, and sommelier, Alistair Minty.
Dessert offerings are there to help you pay homage to another Japanese tradition, namely betsubara and that extra stomach which exists specifically for desserts. Heartwarming favorites like bombe alaska, rhubarb tart, rum baba and eclairs all stage a welcome comeback.
Currently, the restaurant is running a \u201cSpecial Signature Course\u201d for those who book online until May 31, which features snow-aged sirloin as the main dish. Having experienced it, I just have one question: Can I get an encore?
Address: Toranomon Hills 51F, 1-23-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku
Opening hours: Lunch (11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.); dinner (6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
Lunch:\uffe53,000 ~ \/ Dinner:\uffe58,000\uff5e
Tel: 03-6830-7739<\/p>\n