Florilege is a Michelin-starred French restaurant in Tokyo, also included in the list of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Reservations are pretty tough. But in October 2019 I was able to get a seat at one of their Kakigori special events nicknamed Gari Garilege.
Kakigori, of course, is Japanese saved ice (see this review). This random events at Florilege are announced through their Instagram and headed by pastry chef Miho Horio. I learnt about the event thanks to Time Out Tokyo event page.
The visit
I just showed up at around 3pm and I was promised a slot at 4.30pm. Meantime I hang out in the neighborhood (there was a festival going on in the nearby shrine), then I got an email from the receptionist for an earlier opening. All good.
Before being seated, I had to place my order and pay at the reception. I chose the kakigori with Japanese chestnut (by the way, I think there was a mistake in the menu because there was no chocolate). All kakigori available looked interesting. I should mention that they also had ramen available. But I passed on it since I had other dinner plans.
I sat at the counter circling the kitchen. The room was very dark and the pictures are pretty bad. It must be nice to have a full meal here.
I was shown the drink menu.
I ordered a cold tea that incurred in additional 500 yen that I paid directly to the waiter behind the counter.
The kakigori arrived with an additional glazed chestnut on the side. It was really rich with pastry-grade chestnut paste spread on top. It took a while to find my way inside this huge kakigori. It was certainly a great specimen of Japanese shaved ice.
The check
So, all in all, I spent 3,000 yen… that was a handsome amount of money for a kakigori and a tea. But it was in a top venue with top-shelf ingredients. No regrets.
Where in Tokyo:
2-5-4 Jingumae B1.
Website: https://www.aoyama-florilege.jp/en.
Keep an eye on their Instagram and Facebook for events like this.