Sens & Saveurs

100-0005 Tokyo

Chiyoda City

Marunouchi

2 Chome−4−1 丸ビル35F

Tokyo, Japan

The Food:

Pork and foie gras croquette, tomato chip and baby shrimp with tuna, pineapple and shiso gel

Sweet shrimp with hummus wafer, Mandarin orange and myoga

Tuna with black garlic, lemon purée and tonnato sauce

Foie gras flan with truffles and potatoes

Charcoal-grilled sea bass with zucchini and artichoke, velouté of fennel and whitebait

Charcoal-grilled duck with white truffle, duck croquette with cherry and liquorice sauce

Chocolate mousse with cherry and pistachio gel, Timur pepper sorbet

Coffee and sweets

The Wines:

2020 Domaine Comtesse de Chérisey Meursault-Blagny La Genelotte 1er Cru	91
1994 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard	94
2019 Pierre Damoy Fixin Les Mogottes	88
2000 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander	89

I had no idea how last year’s series of Japan-themed Vinous Table reports would be received. They were surprisingly popular. Then again, given Japan’s culinary influence over the last three decades, I should have known. Its ingredients, techniques and certainly its philosophy permeate menus around the world. Chefs everywhere are inspired by Japan’s uncompromising attention to detail, emphasis upon seasonality, simplicity, aesthetic beauty and ethos of perfectionism. My inspiration for the series was not to focus upon gastronomic shrines, but instead to highlight places that are accessible, affordable and yeah, will blow your taste buds to heaven. 

When I returned to Japan in July, I already had a second series in mind. I could have written a dozen entries, but that entails a considerable amount of work. It takes time to translate Japanese menus, especially the more esoteric ingredients, even though I learn a great deal in the process. This year’s selection includes restaurants in Tokyo and Hakodate, Hokkaido. I kick off with a French restaurant in central Tokyo chosen by my former colleague, Hiro San. This one was fortunately easier to find than last year’s rendezvous. 

Sens & Saveurs is perched on the 35th floor of the Marunouchi Building, almost opposite the entrance of Tokyo Station. It is blessed with stunning views across the metropolis in a spacious setting, clean and modern in style, waiters dressed to the nines. It might be too formal for some, but the staff is amiable and relaxed. There are four- and five-course set menus ranging from 7,000 to 29,000 yen, which at the time of writing is around £150 ($200) per person. That is a great value in my book, given prices in London or New York. 

The view from Sens & Saveurs.

Sens & Saveur is part of a small chain of restaurants run by identical twin French chefs, Jacques and Laurent Pourcel. They shot to fame in the late eighties with their three-Michelin-star restaurant in Montpellier, Le Jardin des Sens. Renowned for their meticulously sourced local ingredients combined with Asian spices, the pair gradually expanded their empire to several cities around the world. The original location in Montpellier served its final dish in 2016, with Laurent slowing down after two aneurysms, but the Tokyo outpost continues. Japanese cuisine has been a strong influence on the Pourcels’ cooking since visiting the country in 1995, though the menu could be described as modern European with Asian nuances. Service and presentation are exactly what you’d expect from chefs who once held Michelin stars. 

Pork and foie gras croquette, tomato chip and baby shrimp with tuna, pineapple and shiso gel.

We began with a croquette of pork and foie gras, a tomato chip and baby shrimp with tuna, and a pineapple and shiso gel. This was fabulous and set the tone for the following dishes. 

Sweet shrimp with hummus wafer, Mandarin orange and myoga.

The sweet shrimp lived up to their name. Stunning. This came with hummus wafers, Mandarin orange that was vivid in colour and myoga, a Japanese ginger that is long rather than bulbous and dark pink in hue.

Tuna with black garlic, lemon purée and tonnato sauce.

Tuna was served with black garlic, asparagus and konatsu, a citrus fruit known for its sweet and sour flavours, accompanied by lemon purée and tonnato sauce made from anchovies and capers.

Foie gras flan with truffles and potatoes.

I broke my own rule against eating one of France’s most famous culinary exports. Here, the foie gras flan was presented in a miniature glass jar, adorned with a layer of black truffle and potato cream with parmesan crumble. Heavenly.

Charcoal-grilled sea bass with zucchini and artichoke, velouté of fennel and whitebait.

The charcoal-grilled sea bass, served with zucchini and artichoke, plus a velouté of fennel and whitebait, was utterly divine. The seasoning was so nuanced, allowing the fish to remain star of the dish. 

Charcoal-grilled duck with white truffle, duck croquette with cherry and liquorice sauce.

Charcoal-grilled duck came with a sprinkling of white truffles, a duck croquette and charred sweetcorn, with a jus made from cherry and liquorice. The duck was cooked to perfection, and the jus was sufficiently rich without overwhelming the senses.

Chocolate mousse with cherry and pistachio gel, Timur pepper sorbet.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with cherry and pistachio gel, accented by a Timur pepper sorbet.

Coffee and sweets.

The petits fours were excellent. Tomato and blood orange bonbons and a honey and lemon sponge were the highlights, lovely accompaniments for our coffees.

We kicked things off with a 2020 Meursault-Blagny La Genelotte 1er Cru from Domaine Comtesse de Chérisey. This has a slightly creamy nose with shavings of almond and vanilla pod. The oak is present but proportionate to the fruit. It has a modern sheen, something that I am not accustomed to apropos this Blagny-based producer, yet it is well balanced and seductive. The 1994 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard from Au Bon Climat is from a site planted in 1971, initially Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling back in those days. Burnished gold in colour, the 1994 is crisp on the nose with scents of smoke and crème brûlée, touches of grilled hazelnut surfacing with time. I admire its delineation after the passage of three decades. The palate has a slight viscosity, quite concentrated with a honeyed, orange-rind-tinged finish. This has aged beautifully!

Two reds followed. The 2019 Fixin Les Mogottes from Pierre Damoy offers ripe raspberry, Christmas cake and wild mint on the nose. The palate is quite sweet with good substance, a little confit-like though it does manifest more elegance after a couple of hours. This is better than the first bottle I encountered, but it is still a little heavy-handed. The 2000 Pinot Noir Knox Alexander from Au Bon Climat comes from the Bien Nacido Vineyard. The nose delivers vivid red fruit and a subtle ferrous element, quite complex and sensual. The palate is earthy on the entry with fine delineation, well balanced with allspice and black pepper towards a savoury finish that has reached full maturity. If you have this in your cellar, open a bottle in the near future.

Sens & Saveurs has two main selling points: the very high standard of cooking and the views. If you seek French cuisine delivered with Japanese perfectionism, Sens & Saveurs comes highly recommended. As it transpired, this was not the only restaurant that I visited in the Marunouchi Building. Upon exiting, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a sukiyaki restaurant and made a mental note. I would end up booking a table there towards the end of my trip, and as it turned out, it became one of the best meals I had in 2024.I will get to that in due course. 

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