Review: Sézanne

What were your first impressions when you arrived? Located on the 7th floor of the Four Seasons Tokyo Marunouchi, Sezanne is a cool-toned sanctuary dedicated to modern elegance, with Zen-inspired motifs and contemporary artwork by Annie Morris. The Christophle champagne trolly and Baccarat crystal add touches of old-school French grandeur, while the window that peers into the kitchen—led by rising-star Daniel Calvert—reminds you that you’re in Tokyo. What’s the crowd like? This newcomer attracts a mix of serious food geeks and trophy diners. What should we be drinking? The champagne trolly showcases with rare vintage bubbly like 1964 Dom Perignon and 1978 La Grande Dame. The wine list features inspired choices like red from Jura, and digestifs include ratafia de champagne. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. Calvert worked at Per Se in New York and Belon in Hong Kong before relocating to Tokyo. His cooking is classic and unwaveringly precise, incorporating ideas from his extensive travels. Hokkaido chicken poached in yellow wine and stuffed with girolle mushrooms is a nod to his tenure in Hong Kong, while lavender-scented madeleines recall time spent in France. Thomas Keller’s influence is felt in a dish of plump raw oyster, poised on a verdant bed of rice flavored with lettuce puree and crowned with oyster bavarois And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? This may be least pretentious high-brow restaurant in Tokyo, thanks to the warm but professional service led by maire d’hotel Simone Macri.