Occupying the top floor of Okura House, Australian breakfast supremo Bill Granger's sixth Japanese outpost is a handsome space. The restaurant has swapped out the brand’s signature easy breezy brunch vibe for a more sophisticated dining atmosphere befitting of its Ginza address. There are cosy circular booths with leather sofas, a long marble bar, and wall-to-wall windows overlooking the glitzy Ginza thoroughfare.
On the all-day dining menu are Bill’s crowd-pleasing Australia-inspired café dishes, namely the Full Aussie of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausage, raw tuna and avocado poke bowl, spaghetti with clams and chilli, wagyu burger, and gravlax with labneh. The reservations-only afternoon tea is reasonably priced at ¥8,800 for two persons, and you can upgrade the experience with two hours of free flow champagne (¥4,000 per person).
Interestingly, the dinner menu offers a good selection of vegan dishes. Bill’s popular coconut curry is given a plant-based twist with crunchy kailan and cucumber, tofu, pumpkin and a hit of chilli oil. Then there’s a refreshing crudites of colourful vegetables including yellow beets and purple radish served with creamy butter bean puree, a filling roasted cauliflower dressed with Southeast Asian-inspired cashew satay sauce, and a golden celeriac and ginger fritter lightly spiced with turmeric, coriander and cumin.
To coincide with spring, the restaurant is serving two sakura-themed drinks for its Hanami at Bills promotion until April 9: a non-alcoholic cherry blossom soda (¥900) and a lip-smackingly good cherry blossom gin drink (¥1,200). Both feature the house syrup made with cherry, plum and thyme while the latter has shots of The Botanist gin and Toyo Bijin sake. Similarly, the restaurant is decked out with cherry blossom-inspired decor, including bouquets of the fresh pink flowers.