Toshi Yoroizuka is known as one of the top 3 pastry chef’s in Japan and he is famous for his exquisite desserts. I had an amazing opportunity to be part of a French film documentary with both Toshi Yoroizuka and Christophe Adam, a Michelin-rated French pastry chef. This was such a surreal experience, I still can’t believe it happened and I’d have to say that my experience and review may be just a little biased :)
Although I’ve tried Toshi Yoroizuka’s desserts before, I’ve never had the chance to dine at his salon in Roppongi Midtown until now. Let me tell you, it’s a completely different experience compared to simply purchasing his desserts to-go. His salon is a cool chic space with 14 seats. Chef Yoroizuka explained that he never plans to make the seating space larger because this personal feeling/atmosphere cannot be achieved if it becomes too big.
Dining at his salon is a MUST if you are into sweets. It is such a special experience as you get to enjoy freshly made pastries that can only be savored to the fullest when they are just made. For example, I had the mouth-watering ‘Watermelon mille-feuille’ (1200 yen) which is a seasonal dessert that includes watermelon from Tottori, puff pastry straight from the oven, and is topped with homemade salted ice cream. This perfectly constructed masterpiece can only be appreciated within minutes of its creation since the delicate balance of the ingredients would quickly collapse. I literally melted after my first bite. It was SO good. In fact, everyone kept taking bites off of my plate! (Please note that the menu changes frequently so you may not be able to eat the same items.)
Aside from being able to try his special hand-made creations, the best part of dining at his salon is that the space is perfectly designed for all the guests to feel like they are part of a live performance. You can see, hear, and smell what he’s making while you taste and feel his creations right in front of you. All 5 senses are in action and everything is brilliantly executed.
Chef Yoroizuka’s attention to detail, thought process, and attitude towards every dish were awe-inspiring. From seeing him on TV frequently, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he came off as standoffish. However, he was so kind, friendly, diligent, passionate about his work, and yet so humble. Us girls are such a huge fan of him both personally and professionally now. All in all, I couldn’t be happier to report that his salon not only lived up to the hype, it has now become one of my favorite places. Chef Yoroizuka may not always be at the salon but I really hope you get to try it. If you are at Shibuya Hikarie, try his mango ice cream which you can purchase to go. It’s amazing!
xoxo,
Maki
Pictured above:
Millefeuille de pasteques a Tottori — 1200yen
Le Gorgonzol pistache — 12000yen
Dessert Blood orange — 1200yen
Tarte Glace Vanilla avec Souce rouge — 1200yen
P.S. The film documentary is planned for release at the end of the year!
Address // Roppongi Midtown, 9-7-2, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan (map)
Phone Number // 03-5413-3650
Website // http://www.grand-patissier.info/ToshiYoroizuka/index.html
Oh my!!! I hope to visit his place soon! I love sweets!!
Highly recommend it!
i’ve been there before! it really was an amazing experience. the desserts were sooooo good.
Nice! I need to go back again :)
Ooooohhh!!! OoO . I love pastries so much! You was so lucky to taste these ^_^ .
I hope that I could come to Japan again to pay a visit to this chief.
I hope to see you soon in the film documentary ^_^
Karen (France)
I think you will love this place Karen!
We hope to see the documentary soon too although I’m sure we’re only in a tiny part!
Do we need to make a reservation in advance?
Unfortunately they don’t take reservations.
Should I make a reservation first or can I just come spontantiously?
They don’t take reservations so you can only show up and hope there’s no line. If you can go on a weekday, it will probably be better as I always see lines on the weekends. They are open from 11am-9pm.
Yoroizuka san is a Very Talented and a Very Polite man and Pastry Chef! I have been there many times! The space is Elegant, Great service, Very Delicious sweets….
Thank you for writing such an amazing entry on Toshi Yoroizuka. I first got to know about him on New Dotchi Cooking show where he had a standoff against Cerisier’s Izumi Koichi. The experience of eating at his salon is indescribable; indeed all 5 senses were blown away. I have met the man himself preparing his own creations 4 years ago, and as you have mentioned, he is such a humble man. :)
He’s amazing :)
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