A European joke in several languages goes: ‘In heaven, cooks are French, the lovers Italian; in hell, the bosses are Italian, the cops German.’ It’s a good thing, then, that German-born Heinz Beck chose chef as his first profession, then moved on to being an acclaimed restaurateur in Italy before opening this Marunouchi branch in November 2014.
The uppermost floor has elevated views of the Imperial Palace canal with high-rise prices to match; the nine-course tasting menu is delivered with Swiss precision and German efficiency. Make sure you have at least two hours spare to appreciate eye-candy such as freeze-dried purple potato with a ‘snow’ of pomegranate, or a tennis ball of frozen red berry juice.
It’s all terribly clever, but such technically brilliant craft serves as mere distraction to the clientele’s business meetings and anniversary dates. The Sensi restaurant on the ground floor is less expensive, livelier, and more recognisably Italian in approach, with excellent pasta dishes among the more affordable options; as a culinary experience it’s intoxicating and extraordinary. Get there before the cops shut it down.