Nestled into a corner on the tenth floor of the Marronnier Gate tower in Ginza, this sleek restaurant feels particularly stylish by night with its mood lighting and sweeping views across the affluent neighbourhood. If dinner with central Tokyo vistas is what you want, you’ve got it.
After dark, this is certainly a restaurant for special occasions, thanks to those twinkly Ginza lights. But the gentle buzz created by the open kitchen ensures that the vibe is casual enough for a weeknight meal, too. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but one that this restaurant pulls off without a fuss.
Arriving swiftly and unobtrusively at your table are classic French dishes steeped in the history and culture of the eponymous Paul Bocuse. Chef Bocuse was influential in the development of nouvelle cuisine, a style of cooking defined by its delicate flavours and picture-perfect presentation.
You’ll find that influence strongly here in dishes like fresh salmon marinated with dill and poached cod loin in Chinese leaf. Yet what really stands out on the menu is the local twist featuring seasonal Japanese produce. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the PariSteak dinner course (¥13,200), where ingredients like fugu (pufferfish) and wagyu (or Miyazaki beef) become the stars in classic French cooking.
The exclusive PariSteak dinner is only available on Friday nights for ten people. But it’s worth making the effort for the light yet punchy pufferfish, karasumi (salted mullet roe pouch) and caviar starter, and to try the incredible steak. It’s limited to ten people due to the time it takes chef Teruhiko Hoshino to perfectly grill the 150g wagyu (Miyazaki beef from mid-March) steak, which arrives nicely crisp outside, wonderfully pink inside, and topped with a dollop of rich Café de Paris butter sauce. It’s a wonderful marriage of French cooking techniques and Japanese ingredients.
One more surprise in the PariSteak dinner is the peat ice cream for dessert. Peat may be better known for its uses in gardening, but here it's turned into a decadent ice cream with a whisky kick. It’s a unique and refreshing palate cleanser after the rich steak.
Brasserie Paul Bocuse Ginza is also open for lunch, when you can enjoy a three-course meal from ¥3,300, featuring the likes of pork fillet with Fukushima persimmons and Paul Bocuse’s special creme brulee. Dinner, too, is reasonable with courses starting at ¥4,400 for more sublime French dishes made with top Japanese produce.