My first time in Tokyo and what I love about this city is how civilised everything is… there is sense of considerateness and politeness which seems to elude most other cities. In any event, I am in search of a cool, hip dining experience and I find myself at the Park Hyatt in their New York Grill Restaurant with wall-to-ceiling panoramic views across Tokyo. It is an awfully enjoyable experience of waltzing in just before noon and gazing at the beautiful view before being settled into seat.
So here’s how the brunch works, you get a glass of Champagne, a buffet for the entrée and a choice of a main course and then a buffet for the dessert with a selection of tea or coffee. Back on my topic of how courteous Tokyo is, everyone is well dressed and the brunch functions in an orderly manner – an extremely civilised experience indeed.
Entrée Buffet
As you can see there is wide selection of cold cut meats, cheese, roast vegetables, salads, seafood, bread and crackers, Mediterranean dips and sauces.
Here is my selection which is matched with the champagne.
Main Course
Now I am in Japan and what do I do? I order an Australian steak… sometimes I wonder why I even leave home. Grilled Australian Beef with a glass of David Arthur, Meritaggio, (2008) from the Napa Valley.
The wine is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Sangiovese, 7% Petite Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine has wonderful nutty, toasty vanilla aromas. On the palate wonderful herbs, blackberries with strong hints of chocolates and earth which have made their way in through ageing. Wonderful tannins do make this the optimal pairing for the Main Course.
The sirloin is succulent and tender with the charcoal of the grill leaving a smoky taste and the rich juices of the sirloin releasing its full flavours on the palate. The soft moist fluffy mash and crunch of the broccolini is a delight and makes for the perfect main course.
Dessert Buffet
Then the dessert buffet has a stunning suite of goodies… cakes, sweet pies, jellies, ice-cream, trifles, chocolate, cookies and much more.
I select a lemon meringue pie, a large dark chocolate chip cookie and some other pieces and find a spot in the bar area to gaze out the window to finish the brunch.
As I enjoy the desserts the Billy Joel himself (actually not really)… the piano man and his partner in crime arrive to let some cool tunes fill the bar and send-off the afternoon in splendour. Couldn’t think of a more civilised way to spend the afternoon while gazing at the beautiful Tokyo skyline.
fabulous food!