Farm-to-table with flair: Inspiring natural French cuisine at Motif, Four Seasons Marunouchi

The renewal of the dining venue at Four Seasons Marunouchi is finally complete after several months. Reopened in April as Motif Restaurant & Bar, the space on the 7th floor of the hotel was designed by architect Andre Fu (of Hong Kong Upper House fame) with his signature style of sensuous elegance and sophistication with an Asian touch.

Motif is comprised of three distinct areas. The Living Room is a cozy and stylish bar-lounge, complete with a fireplace and couch seating by the expansive windows. The hotel’s unique view looking out onto the Tokyo Station rail tracks and Marunouchi skyline is especially enjoyable from these comfortable seats. After-work drinks while it is still light out, and watching dusk fall over this dynamic view would be a wonderful way to relax. The adjacent Gastronomic Gallery features a bar and island counter that offers buffet spreads for breakfast and other times of the day. The Social Salon is the luxurious but relaxed main dining room, where the glimmering city view also provides a beautiful backdrop to some impeccable cuisine.

With the renewal, the cuisine takes a new direction with Chef Hiroshi Nakamichi (of Michelin-3-star Moliere in Hokkaido) as Culinary Advisor and Head Chef Hiroyuki Asano at the helm of the kitchen. The core principle is esprit terroir (spirit of the earth), and the offering is a wonderful marriage of high French culinary art and farm-to-table cooking.

The structure and length of the dinner is quite elaborate - multiple small courses, multiple main courses as well as two substantial plates of dessert – but it succeeds in being well balanced with wonderful use of fresh seasonal produce and ingredients. It is classic French cuisine balanced with the pure, clean flavors of farm-to-table cooking, with just the right amount of Japanese essence in the mix. With his strong passion for Japanese local ingredients, Chef Nakamichi sources much of the fresh produce from Hokkaido where he is based.

The dishes are listed on the menu in charmingly straightforward language that seems to reflect the chefs’ emphasis on nature and simplicity. The first two dishes – “Onion Tart” and “Icefish Deep-fried” - were bite-sized pieces to be eaten with your hands, in order to enjoy the tactile sense of the food like its weight and temperature, according to the server. The icefish, which was very much like tempura and even had some shiso in it, was a lovely morsel that made complete sense to eat in this fashion, almost as one eats nigiri sushi. Other small dishes to follow were Sea Urchin, served in its shell with jellied broth and fromage blanc, and Lobster Bisque, with pieces of lobster nestled in a delicate flan with a subtle hint of curry.

The first of the larger plates was a beautiful garden of glistening, buttery asparagus and other warm, cooked green vegetables. The Surf Clam that came next was an impressive presentation, with a whole sizzling hot clamshell containing sautéed clam and risotto topped with foam. The main fish course of Skate Wing Fillet was brought over in a bubbling hot pan of Grenoble style sauce – burnt butter and capers – that was generously poured over the delicate piece of fish. The meat course of Duck featured Japanese vegetables like burdock and daikon, caramelized into a rich, dark sauce that went well with a hefty glass of Newton Claret. Throughout the course, wines by the glass were paired with the dishes. Interestingly, among the more traditional French and Italians was a dry, fragrant white wine from India, a chenin blanc, which surprised me with its quality.

Of course, one would expect greatness from the Four Seasons but the cuisine at Motif is truly inspiring and impressive. Even at a very high level, it is not too common to find food prepared and served with such finesse that can express the philosophy and thoughts of the chefs to this extent. You really get a sense of the care they put into the selection of the ingredients, and the painstaking effort of the simple yet refined preparation that highlights the fresh, natural flavors. It just might be possible that Chef Nakamichi will be earning another Michelin star in the times ahead.

Motif Restaurant & Bar Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo 7th Floor 1-11-1 Pacific Century Place, Marunouchi Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5222-7222

THE SOCIAL SALON Breakfast
6:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. (Last order at 10:30 a.m.) Lunch
11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Last order at 1:30 p.m. or 1 p.m. for course menu) Afternoon Tea
2:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Last order at 4:30 p.m.) Dinner
5:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. (Last order at 10 p.m. or 9 p.m. for course menu)

THE LIVING ROOM Sunday –Wednesday, Saturday 10: a.m. – 12 a.m. (Last order at 11:30 p.m.) Thursday & Friday
10 a.m.– 1 a.m. (Last order at 12:30 p.m.) Lunch & Dessert Buffet
11:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. (Last order at 1:30 p.m.) THE GASTRONOMIC GALLERY Buffet breakfast, entrées and desserts for lunch, tapas bar in the evenings.

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