Piacere restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo receives 'Best of Award of Excellence'

Food Aug. 21, 2012 - 06:47AM JST ( 0 )

TOKYO —

Piacere, the signature restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo, has received the “Best of Award of Excellence” in the 2012 Restaurant Wine List Awards by Wine Spectator, the respected wine magazine, the second consecutive year that Piacere has been recognized this way.

The Best of Award of Excellence is the second-tier award of the three levels that give special recognition to restaurants, and 878 restaurants throughout the world are represented in this year’s list. In Japan, there are nine restaurants, including Piacere, at the level of Best of Award of Excellence, and no restaurant in Japan received the first-tier award. Piacere won the third-tier Award of Excellence in 2010.

The awards are given based on the accuracy of the wine list, the wines’ display, the wines’ compatibility with food that is offered and the selection of rare vintage wines on offer from the world’s main first-class wine-producing areas. Extensive collections that comprise wine from developing “New World” wine-producing areas, have more than 400 varieties or have a particularly excellent presentation are also rewarded.

With Italian wine at its heart, Piacere’s wine list includes rare and vintage wines from around the world, including an array from small wineries within the assembly. There are 400 selections of wine stored in two wine cellars; one has a ceiling height of 4.8 meters and the other is the premier cellar where only vintage wines are stored in wooden drawers. Standouts in the line-up of French and Italian wines – red and whites from Tuscany and Bourgogne, and rich Bordeaux reds – were valued highly for the award.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Wine Spectator, a distinguished and respected publication in the wine world. For Piacere’s wine list to receive the distinction for a second consecutive year gives us great honor and pride. We will continue to feature wines from the heart of Italy alongside other highly regarded wines from throughout the world to ensure that Piacere offers the very best accompaniment to its fine dishes to be found anywhere in Japan, for the utmost enjoyment of our guests,” said Jens Moesker, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo.

Piacere means “pleasure” in Italian. The style, passion and creativity that Piacere epitomises are reflected in the creations of Chef Paolo Pelosi, delighting the palates of the most discerning of diners. The restaurant has the modern image of Dolce Vita for its interior decoration, which is a dynamic and bold but sophisticated design with large floor-to-ceiling windows, unique furniture, Venetian glass chandeliers and the warm color of the Mediterranean Sea to express homage to dining salons in Italy.

With each season, Piacere presents a special dinner that brings together fine dining with first class wine. On Sept 7, Piacere presents the “Inglebook Gala Dinner” in honor of world-renowned filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook wines. Reservations (18,000 yen per person, service charge not included) can be made online or by calling the reception desk at Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo on 03-6739-7898.