LATURE — Restaurant in Tokyo

Oh Lature, so nearly great experiences but both times we’ve been let down. First time ever so slightly with a bait and switch on the wine. It might not seem a big deal but bringing the wrong year of a pricey wine is not something one expects from a Michelin star restaurant. We complained but they didn’t want to do anything. The positives outweighed that slight negative with interesting dishes and use of game / wild ingredients. The basement location has a lovely open window area featuring a shakkei garden letting in natural light and decorated with wooden deer. Totally fits the vibe and theme. All the food was pretty excellent including perfectly cooked veal, a savory pie, great fish and an amazing dessert. We were looking forward to going back …

Cue the second visit. When we arrived there was a bit of a down pour so we shook off the umbrella and stepped inside only to be ushered back out into the rain and to another, different basement location around the corner. We stepped into a tiny and stuffy dining room with the heat cranked so high it made us feel sick. We immediately asked for it to be turned down but apparently this would upset other customers - I looked around and every other customer was visibly uncomfortable too, fanning themselves etc. so we insisted and they said they would ask other customers. Well, seems it worked as the temperature began to get to a livable level. This basement location, however, seems hastily put together, ugly, dingy and crammed. Nothing like the main restaurant. Then fun and games with the wine list. I don’t speak Japanese and the wine list didn’t have key info printed in English such as the grape style. In this basement location there was no signal for Google translate and the wait staff thought I was asking for tasting info. I just wanted to know what was Pinot Noir vs Merlot vs Malbec etc. in the end I asked to see some bottles. So two trips and clearly these guys need help serving and merchandising wine. Then the chef came out and introduced the dishes and approach. He spoke for a good two minutes in Japanese which was fine for my Japanese speaking partner but when we asked him to pause so she could translate a little he promptly left and said he’d get an English speaker - wait, what, no?! Well the waiter came and pretty much said we’re getting meat, fish and vegetable and left. Quite hilarious really. So on to the food… the first dish is their signature wild game sausage and blood macaron. While this seemed OK on our first visit, this time it was overly strong and stomach hurting, just way too much for a first bite. The follow up mushroom pastry and mild fish were much more subtle and just made the early dishes so off balance. Maybe they should look again at the order of the dishes or settle down the pungency and depth in that savory macaron. Oh, and with each dish, the Japanese description from the server was almost poetic with explanation of the ingredients and cooking expertise, and then he’d look at me and say “fish” or “meat”, it was like a scene from Lost in Translation. The main dishes were good including the wild boar but it’s then that my partner mentioned how much smaller she felt her dishes were than mine - and btw all the dishes are quite small - and getting smaller. But she was right… was this some judgement? Or sexism? Perhaps ask if smaller portions are wanted. We said something when the next dish, dessert came out and the size difference was more than noticeable and they tried to argue it was just how it was plated. Well they took them back and brought out two smaller portions. You can’t make this up. The irony though was the dessert was absolutely awful. It was as if someone had described dessert flavors and the chef guessed how to make it. A watery, almost tasteless Japanese citrus with some overly sweet cream on top which curdled into a more watery mess with a broken bit of bland meringue which i swear was missing some sort of expected flavor. We couldn’t eat them and told them so…

This is a long review but hope...

Wife and visited Lature for lunch during our Tokyo trip in Apr 2024. The establishment was known for its game food and upscale country ambience. It sounded like a difficult thing to pull off. However, the food, the staff and the ambience achieve it with aplomb.

We prepaid for the smallest lunch set Lature has available on Omakase web site. In addition, we ordered the non-alcoholic drink pairing. All in all, the cost was approximately 25,000 Yen.

The lunch started with a deer blood macaroon. It was gamey and umami in the right way and definitely let you know that you ain't at Laduree. Rather, you're emphatically at Lature.

Then it's followed by a nice piece of country bread & butter. Not bad. But nothing to crow too much over either.

Then we had a mini heirloom tomato and hearts of plant salad next. When our nice waiter told us it had wasabi oil in the dressing, we were expecting another 180 degree shift in taste because, you know, wasabi. However, the subtle taste continued and we were both surprised and delighted. I could close my eyes and imagine a country kitchen in the back and a vegetable garden beyond the kitchen windows.

For the next course, we had the terrine. It was beautifully presented and the taste was slowly ramping up from the previous two courses. This was the art piece.

For the main course, we were served the venison. It was well executed in medium rare and tasted as it should. However, I must confess that I've never been a big venison fan. As well prepared as the venison was at Lature, it didn't make me a fan. But wife really liked it. Oh well, such is the adventure of ordering a course meal without knowing exactly what was to be served. Hence, the word adventure.

Finally, we wrapped with the final course of fish course topped with a foamy omelette(?) and sakura shrimps. It was a very nice finish that hit the bullseye of the spring season theme and struck the perfect chord of French-Japanese fusion taste.

Now for the non-alcoholic drink pairings. They were all quite unique. However, if I were to do it again, I'd go for sparkling water. It would've paired better, especially for the terrine and venison. Once again, we were in the for the the adventure and we got the adventure we were looking for. For you mileage, you might want to consider the standard wine pairing.

The question is would I come here again? My answer is absolutely. I would come visit Lature again for its outstanding value, coherent theme, and adventurous menu items. Thank you chef and staff for treating us to such...

This was the first non-Japanese food Michelin restaurant I visited during my stay in Japan. Given my high expectations, I also had high standards for this meal.

Overall, I was not satisfied with the meal for the following reasons:

The most important issue was the restaurant's environment. I was seated at the counter, which provided a good view of the kitchen. However, since it was raining that day, every time someone entered, a strong gust of wind would blow in, which I found very uncomfortable. One of the nine dishes, a mushroom and venison soup, was extremely salty, and there was even grit in the soup. I understand that taste preferences vary, but this soup's saltiness was comparable to the broth of some very salty ramen, so I don't think this was a matter of personal taste—it was simply too salty. Moreover, I can't accept a soup that has grit in it. Another dish, a venison pie, while acceptable in flavor, was far too thin. The multiple layers of ingredients were so thin that when I tried to pick it up with a fork, it fell apart, preventing me from enjoying the combination of flavors as intended. If the goal was to taste each ingredient separately, there was no need to make it into a pie at all.

The only parts of the meal I was satisfied with were the last two dishes: venison and duck. Both were made with excellent ingredients, cooked perfectly, and had rich textures and flavors. These were truly outstanding dishes.

Since I am only in Japan for two months, I don't think I'll have another opportunity to visit this restaurant, but I hope my...