Monolith Tokyo is a small restaurant tucked away in a quiet part of Shibuya. If not for the signboard, we would not have known that it was a restaurant, let alone one with a Michelin Star. But this was why we made the reservation. From our internet research, it seemed like a new one-Michelin star restaurant that looked promising.
One Michelin Star French Restaurant in Shibuya
Why “monolith”? On the restaurant website, the Chef explained that as a tribute to French cuisine and the great cooks who built it, he wanted to value the basics, classics, and history. Not only the cooks, but also the service staff and the restaurant itself have evolved in the same way “One” like a “monolith”. To unite and work hard.
Monolith Tokyo is helmed by Chef Tsuyoshi Ishii. Born in Tokyo, he graduated from Tsuji-Cho French School, and trained in Japan and France. He subsequently returned home and eventually brought the Monolith restaurant to the one star status in the Michelin Tokyo Guide 2023.
It is a small restaurant with a dimly-lit dining room. The windowless dining had a retro-ish decor. The placid atmosphere was in contrast with the situation in the restaurant kitchen. We were the first diners to arrive for lunch and there was bustling activity in the kitchen. The staff to customer ratio is high.
Monolith Tokyo Restaurant Menu
There is no a la carte menu at Monolith, just a few fixed course menus to choose from and a few specials that feature their specialty pie pastry dishes (that require additional payment). These are the menu choices available on their website at the time of this post. We selected the mid-range Menu Monolith.
Menu L’obelisque/Menu L’obelisque] ¥20,000 (excluding tax)
Menu Monolith / Menu Monolith] ¥15,000 (excluding tax)
Menu Rosette / Menu Rosette] ¥10,000 (excluding tax)
Amuse and Monolith’s Egg
Just like our lunch at Héritage by Kei Kobayashi in Tokyo Ritz Carlton, the first dish was probably meant to start the meal with a wow factor. More like a rock garden on a plate, these amuse bouche items were as beautiful on the eyes as they were on the palette.
Warm bread was served in a warm wooden box. The box kept the bread nicely warm for some time. It was a good idea.
Next to arrive was the Monolith Egg. On the Michelin Tokyo website, it describes Chef Ishii’s speciality of ‘Monolith Egg’ as a study in contrasts between salty and sweet, hot and cold. I cannot recall exactly what was in the egg, except that it was packed with a mix of different flavours. It also brings to mind the Hen’s Egg at Jaan Restaurant in Singapore where the humble chicken egg was elevated to fine dining greatness.
The Seafood Delicacies
The next courses were our favourite part of the meal. Each was light but flavourful, featuring delicate and delicious types of seafood.
A crab and sea urchin dish in cauliflower gravy (picture above) started the ball rolling. Followed by a ‘shrimp tempura’ dish with curry and shiso leaf (picture below).
Clams were fresh and sweet. It was the high quality of the ingredients that made these items memorable.
The last seafood item was chikamekintoki bouillabaisse. According to a quick internet research, this was a kind of bigeye snapper. This was as good as the preceding items, but even better as it was a more substantial dish. Oops we started eating before taking a picture. Here is a picture of a half-eaten dish :).
Lunch at Monolith Restaurant Tokyo
The main course was venison in a blueberry sauce. This was fine but not as exciting as the earlier dishes.
A couple of desserts followed to end the meal. Followed by petite fours and coffee (included in the lunch course). It was a delicious lunch in a simply furnished restaurant in Shibuya Tokyo. Service was friendly and attentive.
Ratings:
Food: 5
Service: 4
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: TOPs 
Monolith
2 Chome-6-1 Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
[LUNCH]
12:00～15:00 ( L.O13:30)
[DINNER]
18:00-22:30 ( L.O20:00)
Closed on Mondays
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