L'Osier

Keeping with the French focus of our “fancy” meals this trip, we decided to compare/contrast the modern French flair of Sezanne with the much more classic French approach of L’Osier. L’Osier is celebrating over 50 years of operation, having opened in 1973. Owned by the Japanese cosmetics giant, Shiseido, the restaurant occupies a portion of one of Shiseido’s buildings in the Ginza area of Tokyo. L’Osier has boasted a 3-star Michelin rating for the past 6 years.

After arriving to the restaurant we were shown downstairs (the main dining room is below the reception area) and to our table. In the center of the room was a beautiful and large arrangement of cherry blossom branches. In contrast to our dinner a few nights prior at Sezanne, the dining room at L’Osier felt much more “formal”, but thankfully not in a stifling way.

One interesting thing we noticed when presented the menus for the evening was that my wife’s menu lacked prices. L’Osier offers two menus, a standard degustation and a more seasonal one. They provide you flexibility to mix/match or add courses to either menu. We opted to go with the standard degustation but added on a couple of items from the seasonal menu that caught our eye. When our server came to tell us what the upgrade costs would be, she made it a point to show the cost to just me. This is a peculiarity in service we haven’t experienced before.

Here is the menu we had on March 27, 2024:

Amuse bouche selection with elements of ginger, egg, and scallop

Second amuse of beet, white asparagus, and corn

Hokkaido Kégani Crab, White Asparagus, Ossetra Caviar, White Asparagus Custard With Cardamon Rape Blossoms Sauce

Shellfish (Akagai, Shiromirugai, Hokkigai), Saga's Saffron Flavored Vegetable With Bamboo "Iodine” Broth Bouillon

Wild Black Abalone cooked in the shell, Cauliflower, Seaweed, Sea Urchin Broth Foam (supplemental course)

Amadai with Crispy Scales, Red Turnip Coated With Carrot, Caramelized Fish Bones, Sauce With Lemon

Bretagny Veal roasted in a cocotte, Green Asparagus, Green Peas, Sweet Bread, Morel Mushroom, Veal Cooking Juice With Lemon Peel and Marjoram (entree upgrade)

Royal Pigeon Breast coated With Herbs Crust, Leg's "Confit", Cabbage Condiment, Sweet And Sour Beetroot, Boudin-Pigeon, Pigeon Jus

Cheese cart with a selection of European and Japanese cheeses

Blue cheese, camembert, cheddar

Cherry blossom and rhubarb

Assortment of pre-desserts

“Different Textures of Citrus”

"Mille-Feuille” with Tahaa's Vanilla Ice Cream

Soufflé Griot Cherry, Cherry Marnier Ice Cream

Cart with a wide selection of petit fours

Yuzu, mandarin, sesame, pistachio chocolate, canale, raisin and walnut

L’Osier is certainly an experience with beautifully plated courses and top tier (although at times peculiar) service. I found the majority of courses to be flavorful and well balanced. While enjoyable, I did find that none of the courses really “stood out” as particularly impactful or memorable which is something I look for at any 3-star restaurant.

Comparing this meal to the one we had at Sezanne a few nights prior, I felt that our dinner at Sezanne was a bit more enjoyable. L’Osier certainly has the edge in presentation both on the plate and with the election of cheese and petit fours impressively displayed on the carts that come by. Service was equally good at either establishment, but the food at Sezanne was a touch more interesting for the palate. I find myself gravitating toward a couple of the courses as Sezanne as ones I’d like to eat again vs. the ones I had at L’Osier.

L’Osier
Shiseido GINZA Building
7 Chome-5-5 Ginza
Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
https://losier.shiseido.co.jp/e/