Located away from the busy streets and the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo metropolitan area, Abysse Tokyo is a intimate 20-seater, one-Michelin starred restaurant serving French seafood dishes using the best local Japanese seafood. With practically no meats dish, Chef owner Kotaro Meguro who previously had a stellar career at many Michelin starred restaurants, hopes to serve food that captures the rich flavours of the sea while being in a space as tranquil and serene as the depths of the ocean, hence the name Abysse.

Walking into the cosy restaurant, the dim interiors and lack of windows give a sense of ambience that are further accentuate by the seafoam green walls and dark coloured chairs and flooring. The white tablecloths, modern tall wine glasses, cutlery and spotlights draw your eyes instantly to what is on the table before you. A perfect environment for enjoying the subtle flavours and nuances of seafood.

This quaint hidden gem opens for lunch and dinner every day except Wednesdays. Dinner comprises of a surprise menu (only one choice of menu), amuse bouche, 5 entrees in a mix of hot and cold, main course, 2 desserts and chocolates ending with coffee or tea. A menu with the actual dishes and description will be provided at the end of your meal, a very engaging concept that keeps diners on the edge of their seat guessing as they lavish on the amazing food.

To begin the degustation menu, the amuse-bouche Scallop from Hokkaido, located in northern Japan popular for seafood with salted lemon pound cake at the base with poppy seeds and topped with fresh cream, caviar and garnish with a beautiful blue edible flower. Looks like a beautiful mini burger with a delicious sweet savoury taste.

Another dish that is gorgeously plated is Kegani also from Hokkaido with chicory, Saint-Maure blanc, hazelnut and Hyuganatsu. Kegani is Japanese crab with a hair-like covering on its shell also known as the Hairy Crab. The crab meat is tossed with sour cream, minced fresh shallots and roasted hazelnut then layered with a subtle soft cheese from Loire France made from goats milk finished with hazelnut oil dressing and a hint of Japanese citrus (hyuganatsu) similar to yuzu.

Spring is shellfish season and perfect for Hamaguri-Clam from Chiba prefecture, first steamed with white wine and enveloped in a broth made from clam stock with wasabi leaf and stem (only the top part of the wasabi root is used thus not as spicy), drizzle of wasabi leaf oil to complete. This is a crowd favourite dish that is very delicate with a tantalising slight bitterness from the wasabi stem.

A brilliant seasonal fish Kasugo is a young Japanese Sea Bream only the size of an adults palm. The fillet is used, sliced and covered with wild shitake mushroom, marinated with kelp (seaweed), then slow cooked. The sauce is made with bonito and white balsamic vinegar with chopped ginger and Udo (Japanese local mountain vegetable). Sourness from the vinegar goes well with the earthy mushrooms and slice fish with a delightful crunch from the vegetables. The dish leaves a very clean taste in the mouth even after consumption leaving no trace of fishiness whatsoever.

A superb shell fish and vegetable combination is Geoduck Clam (Miru Gai) sauteed with brussels sprouts, high quality potato crumble served with canola flower puree sauce. A course that contrast flavours and textures, the sweet and salty as well as soft and crunchy.

Firefly Squid is a tiny squid from Toyama, sauteed and plated with deep fried bamboo shoot from Kyoto, chopped chorizo with squid ink and Japanese honeywort. A bold dish that sounds heavy due to the choice of ingredients yet extremely balanced.

The main dish is wild caught Kinmedai from Shizuoka, the fish skin side is crispy and meat side moist and tender. Thrice cooked, pan seared and steamed then baked. No heavy sauce needed as this dish is wonderfully good on its own, enjoy the fish with seasonal garnish – naturally sweet Italian green peas, wild Japanese mushroom (enoki), sustainably caught sakura shrimp with banjo vinegar. The taste of the shrimp is strong but not overpowering, nicely balanced with the acidity from the vinegar and earthiness from the mushrooms.

Your meal could not get any sweeter then Cherry Blossom Marshmallow, sakura flavoured marshmallows with raspberry cream moose. The marshmallow and cream moose are made to look similar for that added fun, guessing which is which.

With such innovative dishes using the best of Japanese seafood and ingredients, it is without a doubt that Abysse is deserving of its accolades and recognition as one of the top seafood restaurants in Tokyo. If there is a special award for masterful plating creating masterpieces that taste as good as it looks, at times even looking too good to be eaten, then chef Kotaro Meguro would win hands down.

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ADDRESS:
Japan, 〒107-0062 Tokyo, 港区南青山４丁目9−9 TMI ビル
PHONE:
+81 3-6804-3846
WEBSITE:
http://abysse.jp/