In the last few years, a series of five-star hotels have opened in Tokyo (the Grand Hyatt, the Conrad, and most recently the Mandarin Oriental), bringing with them a smorgasbord of superb cuisine. However, the atmosphere at many of these fine dining establishments is victim to the ebb and flow of the hotel’s capacity; rarely are the restaurants dining destinations in themselves.

The Conrad tried it with mixed success with Gordan Ramsay, but the Mandarin seems to have been more successful with Signature, thanks in equal part to designer Ryu Kosaka’s stunning interior, chef Olivier Rodriguez’s equally stunning French-inspired cuisine, and award-winning sommelier Fumihiko Kamo’s mammoth wine cellar. 

Although set menus (available for ¥12,000, ¥17,000 and ¥22,000) take center stage, we ordered à la carte one wintry Sunday evening. The meal kicked off with an amuse bouche of cauliflower mousse layered with sea urchin, which turned out to be a surprisingly delicate combination of flavors and textures, much better than we expected. We then moved on to one of our favorites, foie gras, which came grilled on a bed of apple compote and steamed and resting atop another compote, this time of cardamom and fruit, with a slice of brioche (¥5,400).

Our meal was getting better with each dish, so it wasn’t surprising that our main course, tender venison in a pool of spicy black pepper sauce with slivers of crisp sweet potatoes sandwiching mashed sweet potato and marinated beets, had us soaring to new gastronomic heights (¥6,000). We washed this all down with a bottle of 1989 Bois du Boursin Chateauneuf du Pape, (¥16,000), Kamo’s spot-on recommendation.

After such a culinary performance, we had to give dessert a go, and we were glad we did. We finished off with a chocolate dome of mousse covered in rich dark chocolate with a side of iced coffee glace (¥2,000).