La Rochelle Minami Aoyama

It was a true pleasure to dine at the restaurant of one of my culinary heroes, Chef Sakai Hiroyuki. The service was gracious and attentive. The vision of each dish and wine pairing was touched upon in a concise way without being overbearing. The attention to detail on each plate was impeccable and felt like a shame to ruin by eating. A special place for special occasions.

OCT 2024 Made a reservation for the lunch course and upgraded the meat dish to beef fillet with foie gras and shaved black truffle. Every dish was delicious and visually appealing; from the amuse bouche, entrée, main and dessert. The mushroom soup was warm and hearty, asparagus dish was refreshing and paired well with the salinity of the caviar, the salmon was fresh and very tasty with the different elements on the plate, fried frog leg coated with seaweed was surprisingly tasty, and the beef fillet was tender and luxurious with the rich foie and fragrant truffle, perfectly tied together with the red wine sauce. Overall a great dining experience with quality food and service, the staffs were friendly and hospitable.

Although we didn't see Sakai-san we had an amazing time here. Our waiter who spoke great English (for those non-japanese speakers) also told us that he generally takes Sundays off. Food, service atmosphere all 10/10. Would come back again.

Iron Chef Sakai's Restaurant! Lovely food with great matching wine and friendly service. Impressed

Great hospitality. They always make us happy. Thanks.

La Rochelle is a masterclass through-and-through. It demonstrates Mr. Sakai's vision, talent and expertise. We are visiting from Australia, and as fans of Mr. Sakai, we were delighted and honoured to have him visit our table. I can't find the words to give this experience justice. This is a night my wife and I will treasure and commemmorate. We will be back!

Conclusion: Impeccable flavors, service, ambiance. Those who are fans of the Iron Chef will not be disappointed. Exceeds some US-based 2/3-star Michelin Restaurants without exaggeration. We visited as a party of two in November 2023, on our last day in Tokyo. We arrived a couple minutes after our lunch reservation time but was graciously received and whisked away efficiently, but not rushed, to our table. Ambiance was one of elegance, but not stiff. We elected for Hiroyuki Sakai's signature course, which is represented on the reservation website as "坂井宏行スペシャルメニュー". I will not go into detail of each dish, but they represented an escalation of seafoods and poultry and beef, where vegetables were just as much the star. Dessert, depending on your course, involves some degree of welcomed choice or interactivity. It goes without saying that the ingredients were fresh and high quality. But happily, the execution in presentation, combination of favors, and attention to detail exceeded any standards demanded by the ingredients. Television fans like us will hopefully find the dishes nostalgic, surprising yet familiar, as we did. Wine pairings as recommended by the sommelier were complementary to the meal and does not stray into decadence. Offerings represented a global variety. Starting with the seasonal Aperitif recommended. Final advise: If you are booking a reservation, be careful to book the correct branch. Each branch offer its own distinct reservation slots.

Aoyama location. 2 different menus available. This is a more traditional fine dining experience with a welcome drink and amuse and feels a little more formal than the sanno location. Prices are just a tad higher than the sanno location. Chef did come out to greet us when the actual dinner amuse was served.. Food, like the sanno location was uneven but generally good. Service was good but service staff is only minimally proficient in English. Considering that this is Japan, we found it very odd that they crumbed the table only once (before dessert)(also true for sanno location). Also, considering that this is a French restaurant, we found it kinda odd that they served olive oil for the bread instead of some chichi Japanese artisanal butter (also true for sanno location - same olive oil). Complementary petit four came after dessert however not to-go like the sanno location. We both got the menus as souvenirs. I asked if Sakai-San is still cooking. He is not. He now primarily does appearances at events. He is however going to have a collaboration event with Chinese iron chef Kenichi this coming summer 2019 (if I understood correctly).. So take note Iron Chef Japan fans..