LʼEAU (Aoyama) / Creator of otherworldly delicacies

The French restaurant "L'EAU" celebrated its first anniversary in the fall of 2019. The restaurant embodies the sentiment behind its name in everything from the food to the tableware and the space, creating a comfortable and familiar atmosphere.

Keep your feet on the ground and embrace nature

　The miniature garden-like "Water, Leaf, Earth, Trees" is the first dish served to guests as an amuse-bouche. It acts as the chef's business card, so to speak. Four hand-picked dishes are presented amongst natural elements such as seashells, driftwood, bird's nests, and acorns, and the playful, treasure-hunting feel instantly warms the room.

　The dishes that follow are also incredibly detailed and beautiful. However, it's not just the visuals that are important; the emphasis is on conveying the arrival of the season to the diners, making them truly memorable. Just like in fashion, in cooking, we tend to get ahead of ourselves when it comes to seasons, but this chef accurately captures the changes around us, projecting the precise season into his dishes. Not too early, not too late. The dishes, which bring out the aromas without adding more than necessary to the ingredients, offer a sense of surprise and discovery, yet also have a gentleness that seems to penetrate the body gently. You will be reminded once again of the importance of eating seasonal food. The wine pairings are also excellent, with a soft, mellow flavor.

　The restaurant's name, "L'EAU," comes from the French word for water. "I named it that way because I wanted the restaurant and the cuisine to be as close as people and water. Water is something that links everything," says chef Shimizu Takamitsu. After working alongside his father at his French restaurant for 15 years, he decided to close the doors after about 40 years of business and open his own restaurant.

Takamitsu Shimizu
Born in Tokyo in 1977. After studying graphic design at university, he went on to a vocational school. He worked for five years at an Italian restaurant in Ginza's Mikasa Kaikan. Since 2003, he has been working as the owner and chef at Restaurant Sebian in Toshima Ward, which is run by his father. In November 2008, he opened L'EAU in Gaienmae.

　At the first anniversary party held in November, one year after the restaurant opened, the 70-year-old father helped out in the kitchen. The event was a huge success, with regular customers and fellow chefs. Neither father nor son spoke much, but the atmosphere was warm and inviting.

　The chef himself, who expresses nature through his cooking, is very natural. Perhaps it could be called affability, but his cheerful demeanor puts people at ease even when they first meet, making them feel at ease as well. Water is an essential substance for humans to sustain life. Tokyo is overflowing with restaurants as numerous as the stars in the sky, but even among them, an increasing number of guests are captivated by the food at "L' EAU," and consider it to be their daily sustenance, irreplaceable and indispensable.