On the tail end of my holiday, a luxurious and exxcy, but oh so worth it meal @ CIRPAS restaurant, with 7 other lucky epicureans. The chef is Takashi Yoshida, who learned the essence and art of French cuisine in Japan and France.

He boasts a distinguished career working at pomme d’Adam in Marunouchi Hotel for four years, before going to France to hone his culinary skills at Dominique Bouchet in Paris, and coming back to Japan to work at Pierre Gagnaire in Akasaka. Then, in 2015, he was offered the position of sous chef of Dominique Bouchet Tokyo in Ginza by Dominique Bouchet, with whom he apprenticed in Paris. He continued working at new restaurants opened by Dominique Bouchet until March 2021, when he stepped down from his executive chef position.

In November 2022, Takashi finally opened his long-awaited restaurant, CIRPAS, to present his gastronomic philosophy. The restaurant’s name, CIRPAS, is coined from two words, “circulation” and “passion,” to represent the chef’s ambition to create dishes with innovative originality and passion as well as a respect for French classics.

CIRPAS offers an ‘omakase’ of around 11 courses, starting with appetizers and ending with desserts. The fish and shellfish are delivered from Toyosu Market. The meat and vegetables are sourced from hunters and farmers with whom the chef has established strong a relationship. These ingredients are prepared using different cooking methods, such as charcoal grilling and hot iron plate cooking, to explore the different textures of the ingredients.

Chef Yoshida’s meals are complemented with wines selected by Manager Takemi Morita and Sommelier Masamichi Furuichi. Precious wines that would be only offered by the bottle at other restaurants are served in crystal glasses from Lobmeyr, purveyor to the Hapsburg Dynasty, at CIRPAS. This wine pairing service was a must-try!…and I did. I also discovered Cutipol cutlery, ‘Duna’ design, with a minimalist elegance that I love and now must purchase… 🙂

Quite the night indulging in this delicious food and beverage, enjoyed chatting with my neighbour, a Japanese guy who had studied in Perth for 2 years (during COVID), talking with staff about the food…AND….requested and landed the recipe for the delectable brioche, thank you chef!

And on the way back to the hotel, the surprise of the Tokyo Tower at night…perfect.