L’Effervescence
Courtsey of Timeout UK
L’Effervescence review at-a-glance
Awards: Three Michelin Stars
+Dining room and ambiance are completely in sync with Chef Shinobu Namae’s vision
+Lunch menu ($90 when I visited) offers a terrific value as it felt like a complete meal without too many concessions to the lower cost. Unfourtantly, it appears they no longer offer this menu.
-A very cerebral meal that would have benefited from a little more oomph
Rating: 90/100
Verdict: I found L’Effervescence to be a fascinating restaurant, one that was all about ambiance. The thing I remember most fondly is not any standout dish. It was the way L’Effervescence transported from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to a tranquil dining room that meshed seamlessly with chef Shinobu Namae’s light, story-driven cooking. The harmony wasn’t limited to the kitchen and ambiance either - the waitstaff also got into the act, dutifully delivering the detailed stories behind each dish to make sure Chef Namae’s message was not lost in translation.
However, if you strip away all the ambiance, poems, and presentation, what do you have left? Some very good food, but food that did not quite dazzle in the way you would expect for a now three-star restaurant. Still, I would recommend L’Effervescence. Perhaps not with the same glowing revere as the reviews that brought me there but a recommendation nevertheless. It is a unique experience and one worth having if in Tokyo.
Price I Paid: 10,000 JPY / $90 USD for the lunch tasting menu when I visited
Would I revisit: No
Date Visited: May 2018
Value: 12/20
L’Effervescence background
L’Effervescense was one of two Tokyo-based restaurants to earn a third Michelin star in the 2021 Japan Michelin guide. While the third star might be new, it has long been near the top of the list for visiting foodies as it is frequently placed near the top of the Asia section of the World’s 50 Best list. The chef at is Shinobu Namae who worked at Michel Bras Tokyo and Fat Duck prior to opening L’Effervescense in 2010. His cooking reflects this background as he seems to borrow the storytelling nature of The Fat Duck with the focus on local products Bras is famous for.
When I visited a few years ago they offered a relatively cheap lunch menu for only 10,000 JPY. At least based on the website, they no longer offer the lunch menu and only have a full tasting menu for a much chunkier 30,800 JPY. The wine list leans heavily French with limited bottles under 10,000 JPY.
Review of what I ate at L’Effervescence
The meal started off with a little bite of sakuraebi and shiraebi (two different tiny shrimps eaten whole), white asparagus, and ginger mead. A small but fun bite with refreshing spring flavors. Next was a staple of the L’Effervescence menu, simply labeled “Just like the Apple Pie 33”. Right off the bat, you get Chef Namae’s propensity for storytelling through his food as the apple pie is served with a small piece of paper explaining the genesis of the dish. Apparently, it was modeled after the Mcdonald’s apple pie which Chef Namae enjoyed in his youth so he will always do some variation of this filled pastry on his menu. My version, labeled #33 based on the number of iterations that came before it, was filled with conger, burdock, and sea lettuce. Other than the look and the small red box it was served in, I couldn’t find any real connection to the Mcdonald’s pie but it was a tasty bite.
The first real course was called “New Chapter” and showed off some bonito with bamboo shoot, fennel, tomato, shiso, and katsuobushi. This dish proved to be a rather inauspicious start, the plating and taste being quite straightforward. Nothing wrong with the course but not one that stuck with you for very long. Perhaps a concession to the lunch menu.
The next dish was named “A fixed point” as it is a permanent fixture on the menu and represents one of L’Effervescence’s signature dishes, Tokyo turnip, parsley, Basque ham & brioche. This is a real labor of love from the kitchen, the Turnip cooking sous vide at a low temperature for four hours before getting a quick butter to baste in the pan. The result is a turnip that is absolutely bursting with juices that mingle wonderfully with the flavor from the pan roast. The ham, brioche, and parsley sauce add some contrasting flavor but in the end, this is a dish all about the turnip. In that context, this is a tricky dish to score. I was dutifully impressed with how much flavor the kitchen coaxed out such a humble root vegetable. However, was it a dish that knocks your socks off with flavor? Not really.
The cooked fish course was Japanese rockfish poached in whey with summer herb sabayon, sea snail aioli and zucchini. Given I was visiting in May, decidedly spring, calling the dish “Summertime” was a bit questionable as was the long soliloquy it was served with. Rockfish is not the most luxurious fishes and the kitchen did a fine job with it but I can’t say anything really jumped off the plate in this course.
The main course was Indigenous Okinawan pork with liver sauce, horse clam, and red ginger. The name of the dish was “A country between the mountains & the ocean” and it came with a long story about paying tribute to Japan with the pork representing the mountains and the clam representing the sea. I did not quite buy the story behind the dish but Chef Namae frequently combines meat and seafood in his menus and his skill at doing so was very evident in the dish. Particularly good was the acidic pork liver sauce which helped build a bridge between the pork and clam. I have never had Okinawan pork before but it was top-notch, not quite as fatty as an Iberico but with a subtle sweetness and umami flavor. A worthy main course.
Dessert was “Two becomes one” and featured strawberries with celery on one side and a Japanese washed rind cheese sake kasu ice cream on the other. After making the “two into one” by mixing the strawberries with cheese ice cream, the flavors actually reminded me a bit of a classic New York-style cheesecake. The most memorable part of the dish was surprisingly the pickled celery, adding an unexpected acidic component to cut through the richness of the rest of the dessert. The celery really was a brilliant choice from Chef Namae and the rest of the team at L’Effervescence to elevate the otherwise safe and comforting flavors of the dish.
A meal at L’Effervescence always ends with what the chef calls “World peace” which is really a matcha service and mirgandies. This was an extremely satisfying way to end the meal, with the matcha being made tableside with lots of bubbles whipped in through some vigorous whisking. Sipping the matcha (which is included in the price of the menu rather than incurring an extra charge for tea/coffee like most restaurants) while enjoying the small treats was a soothing and satisfying way to end the meal.