One-of-a-kind dishes
Sézanne – named for a small town of the same name in France’s Champagne region – is set in the heart of Tokyo’s business district, with the country’s famed high-speed shinkansen trains passing into the adjacent Tokyo Station a few floors below.
However, the frenetic urban rush outside feels far removed from the sleek, calm and minimalist feel of the dining room by Hong Kong designer André Fu.
Contemporary art, Baccarat crystal and a Christofle champagne trolley remind gue... moreOne-of-a-kind dishes
Sézanne – named for a small town of the same name in France’s Champagne region – is set in the heart of Tokyo’s business district, with the country’s famed high-speed shinkansen trains passing into the adjacent Tokyo Station a few floors below.
However, the frenetic urban rush outside feels far removed from the sleek, calm and minimalist feel of the dining room by Hong Kong designer André Fu.
Contemporary art, Baccarat crystal and a Christofle champagne trolley remind guests that this is serious fine dining – lunch menus start from 27,800 yen ($185), dinner from 50,000 yen ($330) – but the young service team also ensures a lack of pretension, working with warmth, humor and no trace of stuffiness.
Sézanne's morel mushrooms with wild garlic and botan ebi.
Sézanne's morel mushrooms with wild garlic and botan ebi. courtesy SÉZANNE
Calvert, his executive sous chef Ashley Caley and the team work to craft dishes based on the finest produce available that day, although some signatures feature regularly. What’s critical for Calvert is the uniqueness of what he serves.
“The most important thing to me is that the guest is having a dish that they can only have here,” he says.
Guests facing the kitchen get to see them at work, a quiet study in total focus, concentration and intensity.
The first bite served is a gougère, a savory choux pastry filled with liquid 48-month aged Comté cheese. In a way, it’s a culinary calling card representing perfect technique around a proudly French ingredient.
