Florilège

I am always interested in French restaurants run by Japanese Chefs as in my experience they have understood that “French” cuisine is not really about the type of food, but the marriage of ingredients, the use (and eventually experimentation) of different cooking techniques and the whole dining experience. I am very fussy with food as there are too many things I do not eat - so it’s rare for me to go for a “surprise”menu. But my desire to try out Florilège and my assumption that I should be able to handle most vegetables cooked properly and with finesse made me give this a try and I must say that I was very glad I did that. It was a bright dining area next to the open kitchen and I was seated between a young Danish couple and a lone Japanese diner. There were also another couple speaking Mandarin and another speaking Cantonese at the table. The staff was friendly and professional, taking the time to explain each dish and filling up our glasses regularly. I appreciated that we could opt just for sparkling water as I’m trying to choose my calories and could live with less alcohol or caloric drinks. Every dish was interesting and delicious and the portions were just right. It was worth the effort making sure I booked the restaurant a month earlier and postponing my train journey to Nagoya so that I could lunch at Florilège.

Florilège is one of my favorite restaurant anywhere… and I’ve spent significant time in NYC, Paris, Boston, and Montreal and traveled extensively to great food towns like SF, Barcelona, Lyon, Shanghai, Seoul, and of course Tokyo and Osaka. I’ve been there at least 5-6 times with my wife (who lives in Tokyo); but, today was the first time at the new location. The experience is similar as before - mostly counter seating around the kitchen area, with a couple of tables to the side. The old location was in a basement and a bit dark - now the place is flooded with natural light. As before, they change the menu regularly (every 2 months, I was told) and every dish is an interesting take on a central ingredient - the vegetable dishes are more inventive (to my taste); the meat dish(es) seem more conventional (in my experience…) but outstanding. As before, very nice selection of wines by the glass, inventive cocktails, very good service. Highly recommended, if you’re planning a trip to Tokyo - try to snag a table (probably 2 months in advance…). I’ve been there for lunch or for dinner, either were wonderful - very consistent.

This is a great restaurant, and one of the best meals I've had in Tokyo. It's currently very high on the 50 Best list and it shows. I'd absolute come back any time, but there are things guests should know before arriving. Florilege serves French dining paired with seasonal Japanese ingredients. Each course is very very good, but no single course blew me away. It's all really impressive without being mind blowing. A major problem is that the restaurant feels very impersonal. At many restaurants at this level you get a dedicated server. Here, swapping between servers creates distance between guest and host, creating no chance to build a comfort in asking questions or learning about the food. Every guest is also seated at one huge table, meaning that any party receiving food early spoils the surprise of what comes next. The service timing was very clearly off because our courses sometimes came significantly later than other guests. Staff and the website won't tell you, but if your group of two orders one veggie course and one meat course, the meat course is actually changed to closely match the veggie course. In other words you'll get a different meat course if you come with a veggie friend than if you came alone or with another meat course eater. We and other guests were confused by our different plates and had to get staff to clarify this. It's really strange that they don't tell you you're getting different plates than other meat course eaters. Also, they charge you for water. This feels like nickel and diming guests because at the price of dinner you'd expect free water, especially when tea is free after the meal. All that said, it's a great place. You'll have a great experience, but it's far from perfect.

Booking is really hard, we had to book exactly one month in advance directly on midnight Tokyo time. This is such a well priced meal for what you get and the experience. A beautiful use of vegetables. The duck for main was incredible. You do get a menu at the end but it doesn’t go into the incredible detail the chefs do at explaining each course. No physical drinks menu. We were running late and the team were so accomodating and lovely. Even wrote a sweet birthday message. Can’t recommend more - if you can get a booking.

Totally worth it! Food, Wine and service are excellent! Amazed how all the vegetable can become this delicious. All the wine pairing is outstanding and generous. They also provide non-alcohol choice for pairing, very considerate. Will recommend this Resturant to everyone.

I had dinner there last night & was really disappointed with the staffs.First,they put the beets plate in front of us and left without explaining the food when other table’s plate’s were explained to them before eating.It didn’t help there’s no menu to explain what’s in it so we had no idea what we’re about to eat.Second,server asked us what water we want and halfway the course, he never served it to us so i had to ask for water & he asked us again what kind of water we want.They had way too many staffs on the floor roaming around i don’t know why we had to experience that.Third,i went to the restroom and came back with my napkin unfolded.They didn’t even try to fold it.Fourth,they gave us the menu on an envelope at the very end.I mean what are we going to do with those?we needed it while dining not after we’re done eating. I’ve been to a lot of good restaurants in the world and even studied at Le cordon bleu,so i say experience also affects the taste for me.It left a bad taste in my mouth.I was expecting a 2 star experience and it didn’t even come close to that.

It was my 2nd time at Florilège & my first time after they moved to Azabudai. I must say the 2nd time was one of the most underwhelming Michelin experience to date (even including the one stars). At their old loc, the course was much more reasonable, worth the price, and they also didn’t try to hard nudge you to get a pairing, another big red flag for me. If the course should be 2万円+ just charge so, instead of making one of the most horrible juice pairing I’ve had. All of the dishes are bland, full of sophistry. Crazy given that its only been 2Y since I last ate there. Other less well known Fr in Tokyo does so much better than them when they used to be pioneers in terms of cost-performance & sustainability. What a bummer.

Florilège was very high on our list of restaurants in Tokyo, and we were very excited to finally be able to visit on this trip. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant space, you could feel the atmosphere shift as you’re greeted by the dimly lit rooms and stone and metal decor. Thankfully we were able to freshen up first, after an entire day of running around the city, and were promptly seated by the end of the table nearest to the entrance. Our spot gave us a great view of the food as it was being prepped, as well as the bar area where their in-house wine expert and mixologist was constantly pouring wines and creating cocktails on the spot. Being a fan of spirits and cocktails, I requested a white Negroni and he whipped up a unique version that was floral, herbaceous, yet earthy at the same time. It was a unique twist and it was fascinating watching him make it. Each course was well-balanced and flavorful, showcasing both French and Japanese ingredients and cooking styles. While every dish was amazing, the beans dish really surprised me and the bread and butter really helped anchor the overall meal. The bread was so airy and light I just had to ask for seconds. Lastly, service was great from beginning to end, and the sous-chef made sure everything was going well. He came over to check on us periodically and we had a great time chatting with him and getting to know more about the restaurant. Highly recommend, would love to come back again soon!

I am always interested in French restaurants run by Japanese Chefs as in my experience they have understood that “French” cuisine is not really about the type of food, but the marriage of ingredients, the use (and eventually experimentation) of different cooking techniques and the whole dining experience. I am very fussy with food as there are too many things I do not eat - so it’s rare for me to go for a “surprise”menu. But my desire to try out Florilège and my assumption that I should be able to handle most vegetables cooked properly and with finesse made me give this a try and I must say that I was very glad I did that. It was a bright dining area next to the open kitchen and I was seated between a young Danish couple and a lone Japanese diner. There were also another couple speaking Mandarin and another speaking Cantonese at the table. The staff was friendly and professional, taking the time to explain each dish and filling up our glasses regularly. I appreciated that we could opt just for sparkling water as I’m trying to choose my calories and could live with less alcohol or caloric drinks. Every dish was interesting and delicious and the portions were just right. It was worth the effort making sure I booked the restaurant a month earlier and postponing my train journey to Nagoya so that I could lunch at Florilège.

Florilège is one of my favorite restaurant anywhere… and I’ve spent significant time in NYC, Paris, Boston, and Montreal and traveled extensively to great food towns like SF, Barcelona, Lyon, Shanghai, Seoul, and of course Tokyo and Osaka. I’ve been there at least 5-6 times with my wife (who lives in Tokyo); but, today was the first time at the new location. The experience is similar as before - mostly counter seating around the kitchen area, with a couple of tables to the side. The old location was in a basement and a bit dark - now the place is flooded with natural light. As before, they change the menu regularly (every 2 months, I was told) and every dish is an interesting take on a central ingredient - the vegetable dishes are more inventive (to my taste); the meat dish(es) seem more conventional (in my experience…) but outstanding. As before, very nice selection of wines by the glass, inventive cocktails, very good service. Highly recommended, if you’re planning a trip to Tokyo - try to snag a table (probably 2 months in advance…). I’ve been there for lunch or for dinner, either were wonderful - very consistent.

This is a great restaurant, and one of the best meals I've had in Tokyo. It's currently very high on the 50 Best list and it shows. I'd absolute come back any time, but there are things guests should know before arriving. Florilege serves French dining paired with seasonal Japanese ingredients. Each course is very very good, but no single course blew me away. It's all really impressive without being mind blowing. A major problem is that the restaurant feels very impersonal. At many restaurants at this level you get a dedicated server. Here, swapping between servers creates distance between guest and host, creating no chance to build a comfort in asking questions or learning about the food. Every guest is also seated at one huge table, meaning that any party receiving food early spoils the surprise of what comes next. The service timing was very clearly off because our courses sometimes came significantly later than other guests. Staff and the website won't tell you, but if your group of two orders one veggie course and one meat course, the meat course is actually changed to closely match the veggie course. In other words you'll get a different meat course if you come with a veggie friend than if you came alone or with another meat course eater. We and other guests were confused by our different plates and had to get staff to clarify this. It's really strange that they don't tell you you're getting different plates than other meat course eaters. Also, they charge you for water. This feels like nickel and diming guests because at the price of dinner you'd expect free water, especially when tea is free after the meal. All that said, it's a great place. You'll have a great experience, but it's far from perfect.

Booking is really hard, we had to book exactly one month in advance directly on midnight Tokyo time. This is such a well priced meal for what you get and the experience. A beautiful use of vegetables. The duck for main was incredible. You do get a menu at the end but it doesn’t go into the incredible detail the chefs do at explaining each course. No physical drinks menu. We were running late and the team were so accomodating and lovely. Even wrote a sweet birthday message. Can’t recommend more - if you can get a booking.

Totally worth it! Food, Wine and service are excellent! Amazed how all the vegetable can become this delicious. All the wine pairing is outstanding and generous. They also provide non-alcohol choice for pairing, very considerate. Will recommend this Resturant to everyone.

I had dinner there last night & was really disappointed with the staffs.First,they put the beets plate in front of us and left without explaining the food when other table’s plate’s were explained to them before eating.It didn’t help there’s no menu to explain what’s in it so we had no idea what we’re about to eat.Second,server asked us what water we want and halfway the course, he never served it to us so i had to ask for water & he asked us again what kind of water we want.They had way too many staffs on the floor roaming around i don’t know why we had to experience that.Third,i went to the restroom and came back with my napkin unfolded.They didn’t even try to fold it.Fourth,they gave us the menu on an envelope at the very end.I mean what are we going to do with those?we needed it while dining not after we’re done eating. I’ve been to a lot of good restaurants in the world and even studied at Le cordon bleu,so i say experience also affects the taste for me.It left a bad taste in my mouth.I was expecting a 2 star experience and it didn’t even come close to that.

It was my 2nd time at Florilège & my first time after they moved to Azabudai. I must say the 2nd time was one of the most underwhelming Michelin experience to date (even including the one stars). At their old loc, the course was much more reasonable, worth the price, and they also didn’t try to hard nudge you to get a pairing, another big red flag for me. If the course should be 2万円+ just charge so, instead of making one of the most horrible juice pairing I’ve had. All of the dishes are bland, full of sophistry. Crazy given that its only been 2Y since I last ate there. Other less well known Fr in Tokyo does so much better than them when they used to be pioneers in terms of cost-performance & sustainability. What a bummer.

Florilège was very high on our list of restaurants in Tokyo, and we were very excited to finally be able to visit on this trip. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant space, you could feel the atmosphere shift as you’re greeted by the dimly lit rooms and stone and metal decor. Thankfully we were able to freshen up first, after an entire day of running around the city, and were promptly seated by the end of the table nearest to the entrance. Our spot gave us a great view of the food as it was being prepped, as well as the bar area where their in-house wine expert and mixologist was constantly pouring wines and creating cocktails on the spot. Being a fan of spirits and cocktails, I requested a white Negroni and he whipped up a unique version that was floral, herbaceous, yet earthy at the same time. It was a unique twist and it was fascinating watching him make it. Each course was well-balanced and flavorful, showcasing both French and Japanese ingredients and cooking styles. While every dish was amazing, the beans dish really surprised me and the bread and butter really helped anchor the overall meal. The bread was so airy and light I just had to ask for seconds. Lastly, service was great from beginning to end, and the sous-chef made sure everything was going well. He came over to check on us periodically and we had a great time chatting with him and getting to know more about the restaurant. Highly recommend, would love to come back again soon!