On July 18th, "GRILL & WINE GENIE'S TOKYO," offering high-quality authentic French grill and wine, opened on the first floor of Tokyo Midtown Plaza.
It is run by three people: Masahiro Saito, Yu Abe, and Masaaki Ito, who previously opened "Maxim's de Paris" in Akasaka. The restaurant is managed by FS Planning, the company behind popular restaurants such as "Doc Popcorn" and "French cafe & wine Toranomon Bar." The restaurant seats 79.
The first thing that catches your eye upon entering is the wine cellars on both sides of the entrance. The wine selection is primarily 20-30 year-old, with some even dating back 60 years. Prices range from around 30,000 yen for the cheapest to several orders of magnitude higher, but even wines worth around 1.2 million yen are offered for around 700,000 yen. The wall behind the reception counter, designed to resemble bubbling champagne, is projected with bubbles, water, flames and more using projection mapping.
The interior décor has also been carefully considered, with art pieces made from chains, which are currently popular in California, imported from the region and placed along the walls. Other artworks adding color to the interior include floral works by florist Sayaka Imaizumi and lighting created by lighting designer Ingo Maurer.
The cuisine is served in a casual style, with a variety of menus that incorporate the essence of the latest Parisian trends while maintaining the same classic high-end French quality that Maxim's de Paris is renowned for. The menu includes appetizers such as "Poêlée de French Foie Gras with Madele Sauce" (1,500 yen), which is sauteed foie gras from the finest French brand Rouge, and "Pâté de Campagne" (1,200 yen), which is minced pork and aromatic vegetables, sprinkled with cognac, left to rest for a week, and then oven-baked. Other dishes include "Grand-Mère-style Roast Veal Loin with Bone" (2,800 yen) and "Diable-style Roast of Spanish Aged Pork "L'ar Pork"" (1,600 yen), all made with carefully selected ingredients and sauces. To finish off your meal, there are familiar dishes prepared in the GENIE'S style, such as "GENIE'S Special Evening BOULETTE DE RIZ (Grilled Rice Ball)" (500 yen) and "GENEI'S Special Evening Adult Ramen" (1,000 yen). For dessert, they offer the ultimate delicacy, "Dom Pérignon Shaved Ice" (2,100 yen), made with generous amounts of the king of champagne, Dom Pérignon. The aim is to dress up the evening beautifully.
Opening hours are Sunday to Wednesday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to midnight. Thursday to Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to midnight. Last orders are taken one hour before closing time.
