Nagano native Kei Kobayashi was just 15 when he decided he wanted a career in culinary arts. Eager to begin training, Kobayashi left high school early to pick up a full-time job in a local restaurant before moving to France at the age of 21, where he eventually worked for famed chef and restauranteur Alain Ducasse. With three decades of experience under his belt, Koabayshi is now known as the first Asian chef to earn three Michelin stars in France, but the veteran chef has bigger ambitions on the horizon.
Following the success of his first restaurant in Paris, Kobayashi is re-establishing his roots in Japan, where he has opened a string of new restaurants serving modern French cuisine highlighting Japanese ingredients. This includes the fine dining restaurant on the 45th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, previously known as Azure 45. Renamed Héritage by Kei Kobayashi, the dining space retains its French culinary roots while incorporating Kobayashi’s signature flair. Accompanying this French by way of Japanese menu is the sky-high view outside the wall-to-wall windows, which look out to a breathtaking view of Tokyo’s modern skyline, with a glimpse of the bay in the distance.
A typical meal begins with two types of amuse-bouche. On our visit, Kobayashi served a sliver of comté cheese sandwiched between two paper-thin seaweed crackers, alongside plump hamaguri clams baked in garlic butter breadcrumbs. Every dish is meticulously designed so that the food doesn’t merely look appealing on the plate but also tells a story. Lobster bisque is elegantly poured from a Japanese teapot into crustacean-red cups from Kanezen Pottery in Arita, a town celebrated for its porcelain, revered by the world’s top chefs. Meanwhile, succulent morsels of abalone are fried in a light charcoal-infused batter and presented in the shell with béarnaise sauce, topped with caviar and a sprig of shiso flowers.
We had to choose between two options for the main course – a real dilemma when deciding between dishes like roast lamb with basil puré and seared pigeon in an orange sauce. You can’t go wrong here, but if your table orders one of each main, you will inevitably be left with a tinge of food envy, whichever choice you pick.
For those choosing a wine pairing, the abalone might be accompanied by a 2022 Bandol Rosé, while spring asparagus from the Loire Valley, served with firefly squid, pairs beautifully with a floral Vincent Pinard Sancerre Florès.
The lunch menu offers options ranging from three to seven courses, priced between ¥11,800 and ¥36,000, depending on your appetite and the occasion. For dinner, you can choose between a five-course meal for ¥24,800 or a seven-course indulgence for ¥36,000.
You can make your reservations online here.
