Héritage by Kei Kobayashi French Restaurant in Tokyo Ritz Carlton – Good Value Fine Dining

Héritage by Kei Kobayashi is possibly the best value for money fine dining restaurant in Tokyo. It bears the name of the supervising chef that helms Restaurant Kei, a 3 Michelin Star Paris restaurant. We tried the 3-course déjeuner lunch (11,800 yen) during our recent visit in late 2024.

New French Restaurant at Ritz Carlton Tokyo

Héritage by Kei Kobayashi is a new restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo. It opened in 2024, replacing the former Azure 45 restaurant on level 45 of the hotel. According to the restaurant website, Chef Kobayashi, son of a Japanese chef, followed his father’s culinary footsteps in his initial career. He later worked in France under leading chefs such as Gilles Goujon and Alain Ducasse and subsequently opened his own restaurant. In 2011, Restaurant KEI in Paris was awarded three Michelin stars.

In attendance in the new restaurant at Ritz Carlton Tokyo is Chef de Cuisine Teruki Murashima who also started his career in Japan and then worked around the world including France and Italy before returning to Japan where he had prestigious roles in other Tokyo Michelin-starred restaurants.

Héritage by Kei Kobayashi Menu

Here is a screenshot of the restaurant menu. There is a series of set course meals, starting from the most affordable déjeuner (lunch) course. We decided on the most affordable option – the 3-course déjeuner lunch priced at 11,800 yen. Based on current exchange rates this works out to be about S$102. With coffee, tax and service included in this price, it certainly looked like good value.

Lunch at Ritz Carlton Tokyo

Our lunch at Heritage commenced with a few amuse bouche items. The first one arrived on a fancy platter, two bite-sized morsels of food for each person, artistically decorated with leaves and stones. One of them looked and tasted like tempura. We liked the combination of French and Japanese cuisines.

Next was a seafood item served like a jewel, followed by a cold one on a frozen spoon. All these little items were unusual and delightful.

Bread and butter were served next. These were quite nice, as expected of a Ritz Carlton restaurant with such distinguished chefs, but not exceptional.

Lunch at Héritage by Kei Kobayashi : Appetisers

The appetiser for lunch looked like a salad that was ‘deconstructed’. Instead of a combined mix of vegetables, individual items were separated and paired with accompanying garnishes and foams. It was interesting to focus on the taste of one item at a time. But those who are very hungry might not be very pleased with this.

Main Course

There was a choice of fish or meat for the main course. We picked the fish, mainly because we already ordered a bottle of white wine but also because the meat dish attracted an additional surcharge. The type of fish was described to us but all I can remember is that it was a kind of white fish. As expected of fish dishes in good Japanese restaurants, this was fresh and expertly cooked.

Dessert and Coffee

We were pleasantly surprised that coffee was included in the Héritage by Kei Kobayashi déjeuner lunch. Together with the desserts and petit fours served, it was a gentle and sweet end to our lunch. Service was attentive and friendly.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 5
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: TOPs 

Héritage by Kei Kobayashi
Ritz Carlton Tokyo
Tokyo Midtown 9-7-1 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-6245

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