![]() ‘Just Down The Road’ - don’t make me explain all the names - layers raw milk ricotta, burnt leek powder, olive oil and honey-kissed black truffle, and both soothes and surprises. But reformed ‘psycho’ Aikens - his word - takes our coats, stows our totes and welcomes us into his beautiful new restaurant, a trinket box space in a Belgravia mews, designed by Rebecca Körner. ‘Uh oh’ I thought on hearing that Aikens, never the easiest chap, was to attempt ‘experience-led’ dining, an intimate dining style advanced by Björn Frantzén at Frantzén and Nuno Mendes at Mãos. Aikens’ eponymous Chelsea flagship shut in 2014 and the last of his Tom’s Kitchens closed last month, but his new restaurant Muse marks his return to the kitchen. And the time he left his suppliers £900,000 out of pocket after a pre-pack administration in 2008. Like the time he allegedly burned a commis chef with a hot palate knife in 1999. Age 26, at Pied à Terre, Aikens became the youngest Brit ever to win two Michelin stars, an achievement eclipsed by other headline-grabbing stories. Garden Terrace, meanwhile, will be open throughout the summer season, when guests can stop by for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday.Once enfant terrible, always enfant terrible? Time will tell for Tom Aikens Behind the scenes?īelated happy returns to Tom Aikens who turned 50 last week but still hasn’t quite shaken the ‘enfant terrible’ tag. In addition to a dinner service from Wednesday to Sunday, the Jade Room will also offer lunch on weekends. ![]() Aside from creative cocktails, diners can look forward to a selection of small sharing plates: think lobster roll featuring nori, fried cabbage, and mayo spiced with sudachi citrus house-made ricotta with pickled beets and Sichuan-style cucumber passionfruit-and-vanilla marinated scallops and hand-chopped beef tartare with maple egg yolk and onion crumble. The lush greenery provides a pleasing contrast to the views of nearby Tokyo Tower and the sprawling concrete jungle below. Stepping outside the Jade Room, patrons will find the 72-seater Garden Terrace featuring six bamboo oak trees and 200 potted plants. The Jade Room also has two washi paper–clad private dining rooms, which accommodate eight and 14, respectively. Monochromatic images by fine art–photographer Masao Yamamoto grace the entrance, while commissioned abstract paintings from Brooklyn-based artist John Jackson adorn the 64-seat main dining room. Glass doors in the Jade Room lead straight out to Garden Terrace.Īs for the decor, walnut-paneled walls and floors are balanced with plush circular banquettes and a chef’s counter that seats 12 on jewel-green stools. The restaurant is also teaming up with local botanical distilleries to create exclusive bottled cocktails, and the curated wine list will showcase unexpected flavors. Seasonal dishes on offer include squid consommé with yuzu, chicken, and lemon confit fire-roasted charred celeriac carpaccio with truffle and mackerel with dashi, sesame, daikon, and furikake. Aikens has designed two nature-inspired menus, one for the indoor Jade Room and outdoor Garden Terrace guests at the latter can order à la carte or pick a four- or six-course tasting menu. Set on the 31st floor beside the hotel lobby, this will be his first venture in Japan (and his second Asian outpost after Tom’s by Tom Aikens at The Langham, Jakarta).ĭiners will be treated to a fusion of contemporary Japanese and Western-influenced dishes prepared with refined cooking techniques. October 1 will see the debut of The Jade Room + Garden Terrace at The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, with menus created by Tom Aikens of London’s one-Michelin-starred Muse. Japan might still be closed off to most independent travelers, but even so, globetrotting gourmands can add one more restaurant to their wish list when the time comes. (All photos courtesy of The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon)
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