After about 3 and a half years later, we finally were able to go back to Japan! It was a long time coming… And yes, we had some amazing meals in Japan! One of the best culinary experiences we’ve had was at a restaurant called NUAGE ET VENT, which means Cloud and Wind. The name was created to accompany the restaurant’s goal and vision. In the current society that is changing rapidly like the wind, they want to able to incorporate new ingredients into their dishes at all times, with ideas as free as clouds.

Their main dining room was not up the stairs, but behind a door that looked like a wall. I liked how it had the “hidden” feel to it. Once the door was opened and you stepped in, you are transported into this vast, peaceful space with beautiful greens to one side, and rocky texture to the other side. I heard the interior was designed to provide the feeling of wilderness and nature in the middle of the city. You can see the theme throughout the course of the dinner as well.

The table was set with chopsticks, cloth napkins, and what looked like a fluffy yet solid cloud. I really enjoyed the aesthetic! And a wonderful, thoughtful, and super considerate part of this restaurant is that each seat was equipped with a wireless phone charger! You can take as many photos/videos as you want without worrying about the using up too much battery.

The head chef of the NUAGE ET VENT is Chef Hiroyuki Yamashita, who worked at several French Restaurants in Tokyo, such as L’ecrin Ginza, Joël Robuchon, and Signature at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. He then worked under Chef Eric Ziebold for over five years, a restauranteur with two Michelin Star restaurants in Washington, D.C., who won the James Beard Award in 2008 for Best Chef.

Chef Yamashita incorporates his knowledge and skills he acquired through this training on French and American technique, with the Japanese ingredients, to create unique dishes. They are as creative and beautiful as artworks in museum, and are even more pleasing on your tongue to wake up all the gastronomic senses.

Their menu at NUAGE ET VENT is pre-set, omakase-style menu (currently at 33,000 yen) with 13-course dinner. The menu changes frequently, with what is most fresh at that time. They offer wine pairing as well, with a couple of options, and vast variety of wine/sake by the glass you can order a la carte as well. We got to try some drinks, and they have really amazing bottles there, some unique and rare, all very high quality!

They brought this beautiful assortment of Organic Vegetable Pickles on what looks like a white stump sculpture. A great way to cleanse your pallet before starting the dinner, and throughout the dinner as well. This is actually the second course of the menu.

The first course was Cold Pressed Juice, which was named something like “awakening dewdrop” in Japanese. How poetic! And it sure did awaken our taste buds, getting ready for all the amazing dishes that were coming our way…

The third course was Blackthroat Seaperch, a rare whitefish from Japan Sea. The inside of the mouth is dark/black, which is where its name comes from. Chef Yamashita showed us the beautiful rice cooked with Blackthroat Seaperch, I wanted to just dig into that right there and then…

But, NUAGE ET VENT is not that kind of restaurant where you just dig into a hot rice pot. The chef had even better idea for this dish. He first mixed the rice with the decadent fish, and presented it to us with a side of salmon roe (ikura). I absolutely love ikura, and this was such a generous amount of ikura!

Chef Yamashita told us to try the rice as is first, then add the ikura on top, so that we can enjoy the rice in two different ways. The rice was fluffy and flavorful with lumps of fish. The fish has a nice amount of oil, but yet it was not heavy at all. I then added all of the ikura, and it was glorious! The plump ikura enhanced the flavor of the fish, it was such luxurious bite, from the first bite to the last.

The next course was sashimi, but not just any sashimi, after all, this is NUAGE AT VENT. It was Puffer Fish Sashimi! To be able to have Pufferfish alone is an event on its own, but to have it prepared in four different ways, it was certainly a unique experience. The bottom left is Pufferfish in traditional sashimi form, which was amazing on its own. Pufferfish has rather dense body, which allows itself to puff up and protect itself. With that, they need to be sliced thinner than other fish, so that you can enjoy their plump texture without any difficulty of chewing. The bottom right on spoon is Pufferfish Ceviche, prepared with strawberry and some lemon. The plump texture was fun, and it had the nice balance of sweetness from the berry, and refreshing acidity from the lemon.

Top left was Pufferfish skin, which I thought was really interesting. They are made into thin, noodle-like shape. I would never know they are the skin of a fish by eating them. It has a good amount of collagen in them, which is another plus! They were again plump, a bit firmer and tougher than the fish itself, went great with Ponzu. Pufferfish does not have much natural oil like many others, so they go great with ponzu dipping sauce, made with refreshing citrus flavor. The last one was with sliced radish and homemade Karasumi, which is dried salted mullet roe pouch. Since Karasumi has strong enough flavor, you don’t need to dip them in anything. It had the nice combination of crunchy and soft texture, with just the right amount of saltiness to it.

The fifth course was Conger Eel Tempura. The eel is stuffed with flavored rice, deep fried right there in the kitchen. They came out super hot, dressed with black truffle shavings, and a side of tartar sauce. The tartar is made with plum (umeboshi) which gives depth to the flavor. It was crunchy and not oily at all, very light. It was packed with comforting flavor, elevated with luxurious truffle aroma and flavor.

Then some noodles. Not your average noodles. This is Noodles with Tiger Pufferfish Milts. It is known as the jewel of the sea, very high in nutrients, creamy and rich in flavor. It was my first time trying such ingredient, I tell you, it was very memorable! They were so fluffy, melt in your mouth as soon as you bite into them. Seasoned with a special Sansho spice to give an extra earthy flavor. The dashi broth and the noodles are kept simple and clean, not to compete against the flavor of the Tiger Pufferfish Milts. Of course, the dashi broth is another creation of the Chef, made from Pufferfish bones and homemade chicken consommé.

And when I thought I had the most interesting item of the night, Chef Yamashita was there to impress us yet again! He showed us this beautifully cooked duck, shiny like some precious large jewel. Going from the jewel of the sea to the jewel of the Kyoto. Yes, I said Kyoto.

Taking inspiration from the traditional Peking Duck, Check Yamashita has created his own Ginza Duck with the special duck raised in Kyoto, Japan. They were dry aged for three weeks. Now, we saw him slice this beauty, but yet, Chef surprised us once again with the presentation! It was in a paper package, served alongside a warm cup of soup. How unique and adorable is this? It was accompanied by a cup filled with hot consommé made with the leftover duck. By having this consommé first, your mouth gets filled with the flavor and aroma of the duck, getting your taste buds ready for the Ginza Duck dish.

The packaging made it easier to hold and eat, brilliant idea in my opinion. It has shiso leaf in the wrap, which I loved. The shiso has such distinctive refreshing flavor, which balanced out the sweet and tangy flavor the Ginza Duck. Chef made his own duck sauce to go inside it. French technique shows in his excellent sauce making skill.

Number eight was Grilled Shiitake. It is a Yairo Shiitake (八色椎茸) from Niigata, known for its large size and its meaty body. It was grilled over charcoal, which creates perfect smoky flavor.

It was served with seaweed salt, blue cheese, and Shiitake Potage Soup. As soon as I picked it up, I was hit with the amazing aroma of the shiitake. The soup was creamy, rich, and savory, yet it was made without cream nor butter. How is that possible??? It was so creamy and velvety! The Yairo Shiitake was meaty and satisfying, and it went great with the dab of the special salt, or the blue cheese. The shiitake was still very hot, so the cheese started to bubble and melt a bit as soon as it I put a little of it on the shiitake.

The next dish was visually fun and stunning. It was Granite, which is a semi-frozen dessert, usually made from sugar, water and various flavorings. This one was made with pineapple and basil, with crystalline texture. It came with smoke coming out from the bottom! Why pineapple, you might ask? Well, pineapple has a natural digestive enzyme, which helps with digest proteins. Who knew??? Chefs at NUAGE ET VENT knew… I might incorporate more pineapple in my diet from now on…

You can see how stunning it really was in the video below. The bottom part had basil, mint, and other aromatic herbs that increase your sense of smell and taste, making the Granite flavor stronger. After having rich flavored dishes, this was very different and super refreshing. A delicious way to cleanse your palate for the next dish.

The next course was Iberico Pork with Sea Urchin and Truffle. This is the dish the Granite was preparing our taste buds for. The Iberico Pork was from Spain, and this is Chef Yamashita’s version of Surf and Turf. The pork was cooked medium rare, pure perfection in my opinion.

Iberico Pork is known as the “the wagyu” of pork due to its high marbling. And I do love wagyu meat! The fat content and its natural oil makes this pork extra delicious. It had the red wine sauce, which went great with the pork. The uni was high quality and very fresh. A perfectly rich and decadent dish, just melt in your mouth…fantastic!

The last savory course was Ishiji Tuna and Komatsuhime. The Tuna is from Oma, Aomori prefecture, called Black Tuna, also knowns as Black Diamond. Chef went to get the tuna for us that morning! And the rice is one of the top premium rice in Japan. Nothing but the best here! The rice was so shiny and beautiful!

Then they brought these four dishes filled with different condiments/toppings. They had beautifully golden Karasumi, in more of a powder form, Snapping Turtle (or soft-shelled turtle), Shiso, and small dried fish.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had snapping turtle before? Most of the ingredients they select here are unique and rare, so most customers will have a one-of-a-kind dining experience here for sure.

We were instructed to have just the rice and the tuna first, and then add the toppings as we go. This way, you get to have five different flavors from one dish. The tuna looked like a shiny jewelry atop beautiful pearls, and they tasted even better than they look! The tuna melts in your mouth, the quality you can really taste. The addition of toppings was great too. I really loved them all, but the Karasumi and the dried fish were my favorite with the tuna. The other two were excellent as well.

The last two courses were desserts, created by pâtissier, Yoko Kato. I’ve had her creations in the past at La Jeunesse (permanently closed) in the past, and I still remember how amazing they tasted. She has innovative, creative, and mind-blowing desserts! I was so excited to try some of her new creations here at NUAGE ET VENT. The first dessert was Kumquat and Hoji Tea. This dessert looked like an artwork you see at a museum! They selected a dish that looked like merengue, and the merengue were made to match the plate, making them into one cohesive piece of art.

Underneath the merengue, there were Kumquat Compote, Grapefruit and Honey Jelly, and Organic Hoji Tea Ice Cream. The merengue was made less sweet than usual, so that they go perfectly with the contents under the merengue. The balance of sweetness was perfect, and the aroma of the tea with the fruits were simply dreamy. Every bite was so amazing, shockingly delicious! I knew pâtissier Kato’s dessert will be great, but she still managed to surprise us with her creation.

The last course, and the last dessert was Strawberry and Sansho Pepper. When this dessert was presented, I somehow thought of one of the Ghibli movies, if you know which one I am talking about… I love the openings on the top, allow to take a peek inside, heighten your excitement.

Sansho Pepper is a Japanese pepper, related to Sichuan peppercorn. Here, pâtissier Kato used the leaves of Sansho instead of the pepper itself. It has a wonderful aroma, and also gives citrusy flavor, with a slight kick of spice. It had Almond Pudding on the bottom, topped with Fresh Strawberries, Raspberries, Strawberry Warabi Mochi, and Sansho Leaves. It had a translucent sauce made with Yuzu and Ginger, complimenting and bringing all the flavors together. The berries were ripe and sweet, juicy and super delicious! Simple yet complicated flavor, elegantly sweet, packed with comforting flavors that makes you smile.

We also got to try delicious drinks here, such as Condrieu Wine, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, original cocktails, and many others. We felt like a royalty dining at this restaurant!

We had an absolutely incredible dinner here. We were drunk on experience. It was so peaceful and relaxing, filled with dreamy dishes. My husband and I went to food heaven, and then dessert heaven. It is certainly a night to remember! If you are looking for an amazing dinner in Tokyo, you should give this place a try. Everything was fantastic and delightful, delicious from the first bite to the end.

They have two seating per day, at 6pm and at 8:30pm. They only have eight seats available, therefore, the reservation is a must. You will have a night to remember by dining here, as we have…we still dream about the dinner!

NUAGE ET VENT – 1-9-3 Azabujuban, Minato City, Tokyo Japan (東京都港区麻布十番1-9-3)