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Crony@crony<\/p>\nWhen I was living in France,\u00a0the French cuisine that I adored often came from the hands of Japanese chefs.<\/p>\n
I love the essence and layered flavors of French sauces, but I\u2019m equally drawn to the clean, pure qualities of Japanese ingredients. So when these traditions are harmoniously blended, I\u2019m invariably smitten.<\/p>\n
Crony in Tokyo, which I recently visited, is a perfect example.A Michelin two-star and Green Star restaurant, Crony combines French and Japanese sensibilities with Nordic inspiration. The restaurant occupies a two-story building tucked down a discreet alley in Azabu-Juban, Tokyo, just steps from a view of Tokyo Tower. With soaring ceilings, massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and a clear Nordic minimalist aesthetic, it\u2019s hard not to pause and admire the elegant glass exterior, even though the signage is subtle.<\/p>\n
Crony@crony<\/p>\n
The meal begans with a cup of tea\u2014freshly harvested sencha from Nakamura Tokichi, a renowned shop in Uji, Kyoto. Tea picked in early spring (around early May in Uji) is called shincha, prized for its vibrant aroma and minimal bitterness.\u00a0Next comes a turnip and\u00a0white\u00a0squid\u00a0(shiroika)\u00a0tartlet that immediately elicits gasps: turnip spheres, each no more than half a centimeter in diameter, meticulously topped with lemon verbena leaves, arranged in neat rows over the squid\u2014looking for all the world like a hydrangea blossom. The craftsmanship is so precise it borders on obsessive perfection. The turnip is crisp, the squid tender and yielding.Another bite features\u00a0Japanese tiger\u00a0prawns\u00a0(Kuruma Ebi), seared just enough for color, presented taco-style with nasturtium leaves, saffron cream, and caramelized onion pur\u00e9e\u2014two seafood morsels, each astoundingly sweet.<\/p>\n
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Turnip and White Squid Tartlet<\/p>\n
Then is a black truffle\u00a0pomme souffl\u00e9. This reminded me of\u00a0the\u00a0cooking competition show\u00a0\u201cTop Chef\u201d which\u00a0I often watch, where this classic French dish drives contestants to despair: thin potato slices are first fried at low temperature, cooled, then fried again at\u00a0a higher temperature\u00a0so they puff\u00a0up\u2014\u00a0if\u00a0the temperatures and timing are perfectly controlled. Crony\u2019s\u00a0pomme souffl\u00e9\u00a0is\u00a0fully puffed, crisp and feather-light, sprinkled with salt to heighten the earthy\u00a0potato\u00a0aroma.<\/p>\n
The final amuse-bouche, a cream cheese\u2013filled fried dough, is a regular on the menu. The fried dough is pillowy-soft,stuffed with\u00a0cream cheese\u00a0made from fresh milk from Fukuoka. The silky-smooth cream cheese\u00a0melts\u00a0on the tongue in a wave of lactic tang and buttery richness.\u00a0As someone who usually is not a fan of\u00a0fried food,\u00a0I\u00a0was\u00a0impressed. The\u00a0caviar on top together with the filled\u00a0fried dough\u00a0also\u00a0brought to\u00a0my\u00a0mind Disfrutar\u2019s signature\u00a0Panchino Filled with Caviar\u00a0in Spain.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/640-7.png\")
cream cheese\u2013filled fried dough<\/p>\n
After these small bites, my palate was fully awakened. Next came sugar snap peas served with lightly seared clams and a broth slowly simmered from\u00a0clams and pea\u00a0pods, lifted by dill oil\u2014delicate and elegant. Another dish paired white eggplant with a\u00a0Japanese steamed egg (chawanmushi), summer black truffle lending restraint to spotlight the eggplant\u2019s natural sweetness.<\/p>\n
Then came the zucchini\u00a0flower\u00a0I had been waiting for. I\u2019ve always preferred the flower to\u00a0zucchini\u00a0itself for its texture and versatility, though it\u2019s rarer\u00a0in Asia. Crony stuffed the\u00a0zucchini flower\u00a0with Hokkaido sweet shrimp, coated and fried it\u00a0like a\u00a0tempura. Slicing it open released a plume of steam; though piping hot, the shrimp\u2019s fragrance made it impossible to wait. The crisp shell locked in the juices,\u00a0with foamy sauce\u00a0am\u00e9ricaine\u00a0made with\u00a0shrimp shells\u00a0and black garlic paste\u00a0as sweet as molasses, I was so in love with this \u201ctempura\u201d.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/640-8.png\")
Zucchini Tempura Stuffed With Sweet Shrimp<\/p>\n
Whenever\u00a0I visit\u00a0a restaurant,\u00a0bread is always a big thing for me.\u00a0While the ingredients are simply flour, yeast, and water, each\u00a0restaurant\u2019s creativity yields entirely different results. Crony\u2019s bread is leavened with sake\u00a0lees (sake kasu)\u00a0yeast, with a thick,\u00a0caramelized\u00a0crust and a moist,\u00a0chewy\u00a0interior\u00a0that reveals a delicate, fermented sweetness the longer you chew. The whipped butter blended yogurt and sake kasu, making it airy, bright, and gently tangy. Sommelier Mr. Ozawa paired it with \u201cGoutte D\u2019Argent Chardonnay,\u201d a white wine fermented with Japanese sake yeast. It had pronounced honey and\u00a0toasty\u00a0notes,\u00a0with rounded mouthfeel\u00a0and a sake-like finish.\u00a0Its\u00a0slight\u00a0acidity\u00a0also\u00a0balances\u00a0the\u00a0richness from the\u00a0butter.<\/p>\n
I teared\u00a0the bread, spreading generous amount of butter on top,\u00a0then took a\u00a0sip\u00a0of\u00a0the wine\u2014\u00a0these three paired so well together that I was even moved. I could\u00a0finally\u00a0understand why the French are so obsessed with bread and butter. Even more intriguing, the wine came from\u00a0Vi\u00f1a\u00a0Marty in Chile, produced by a French winemaker with sake yeast from Japan, and its label was designed by the\u00a0Japanese\u00a0author of the wine manga\u00a0Drops of God.\u00a0I never knew the story behind a bottle of wine could be so multicultural and diverse.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Then the\u00a0main courses arrived. The isaki grunt fish from was larger\u00a0and\u00a0fattier\u00a0than wild-caught ones this time of year. The skin was seared crackling-crisp while the flesh remained\u00a0semi-raw, dressed only in salt and a reduction from the fish bones\u2014pure, unadulterated flavor.The venison loin was cooked perfectly pink in the center with a faint char on the edges. Delicious as it was, what won my heart was the humble braised venison belly beside it\u2014bursting with warm, gentle gaminess and a subtle nutty aroma. Paired with caramelized new onions\u00a0(shin-tamanegi)\u00a0and a glossy sauce reduced from the meat\u2019s juices, it was sweet, savory, and unforgettable.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/640-10.png\")
Venison<\/p>\n
I recalled my first visit to Crony last year. It was\u00a0delicious\u00a0of course, but this time\u00a0it\u2019s definitely more impressive. Beyond the meticulous detail, every dish\u2019s flavor felt more distinctive, each ingredient shining unmistakably. I found myself eagerly anticipating dessert.<\/p>\n
The first\u00a0dessert\u00a0was a fig panna cotta.\u00a0Figs\u00a0from Aichi Prefecture\u00a0brought honeyed herbal aromas and a trace of\u00a0milkiness, pairing beautifully with the creamy\u00a0panna cotta. Elderflowers were so precisely arranged they bordered on surreal, and the ripe plum sauce added a refreshing acidity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so good\u2014and not too sweet!\u201d someone murmured. We all laughed\u2014\u201cnot too sweet\u201d is, after all, the highest praise an Asian can give to dessert. As a huge fan of figs, I couldn't agree more.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/640-11.png\")
Fig Panna Cotta<\/p>\n
Remember the first cup of tea? The leftover tea leaves was reused to make an ice cream, then incorporated again into cookie crumbs beneath. Finished with mirin syrup, the tea\u2019s fragrance was subtle yet persistent, while the leaf-shaped sugar shards and tea\u00a0cookie\u00a0crumbles\u00a0added texture\u2014a genuine example of deliciousness and sustainability.<\/p>\n
The petits fours were four exquisite little treats. Many restaurants end with mediocre petits fours, but Crony\u2019s finale held its own.\u00a0The most memorable\u00a0one\u00a0was the smoked madeleine: the chef repurposed offcuts from the wooden plates into smoking chips, imparting a unique toasty aroma. Usually, the madeleines\u00a0are too buttery for me, but here the smoke balanced the richness and left a lingering warmth.\u00a0I\u2019ve never thought that I would crave madeleines like this.<\/p>\n
Another was a\u00a0chocolate cake (gateau au chocolat)\u00a0with a remarkable texture.\u00a0It was light as\u00a0a cloud and\u00a0cool to the touch,\u00a0melting instantly\u00a0and leaving\u00a0a bittersweet cocoa and fruity\u00a0aftertaste. Perhaps\u00a0naming it as\u00a0\u201cmousse au\u00a0chocolat\u201d would\u00a0do it justice as well.<\/p>\n
Before my visit\u00a0to Crony, I wondered: How would this blend of Japanese, French, and Nordic\u00a0cuisines\u00a0manifest?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always loved trying fusion cuisine, but sometimes it goes wrong\u2014novelty for novelty\u2019s sake. Crony is the opposite: rooted firmly in French technique, showcasing Japanese produce, and taking inspiration from Nordic elements\u00a0(like the elderflowers\u00a0of fig panna cotta,\u00a0were\u00a0sourced locally in Ishikawa). These days, seasonal local ingredients are common, but when international elements each leave their distinct mark on the plate, it\u2019s something truly rare. As dinner ended, I felt I finally understood what makes Crony so special.<\/p>\n
Chef\u00a0Michihiro Haruta\u00a0had\u00a0worked at several three-star restaurants (Ledoyen in Paris, Quintessence in Tokyo, Maaemo in Oslo\u00a0etc.), crafting food that transcends borders, balancing beauty and flavor. In recent years, Crony has steadily risen: earning\u00a0its first\u00a0Michelin star in 2018,\u00a0promoted to\u00a0two stars in 2021,\u00a0awarded with\u00a0a Green Star in 2023, and debuting at No. 30 on Asia\u2019s 50 Best Restaurants this year.\u00a0Restaurant manager and Sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa, who had also worked at\u00a0Quintessence, is\u00a0one of Japan\u2019s top wine experts and was\u00a0named Asia\u2019s Best Sommelier of 2025\u2014a title he absolutely deserves (that\u00a0Goutte D\u2019Argent\u00a0Chardonnay pairing was unforgettable).<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tastytrip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/640-4.jpg\")
Chef Michihiro Haruta (Left) \/Restaurant Manager & Sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa (Right)@byfood<\/p>\n
Crony\u00a0literally\u00a0means \u201ca lifelong friend\u201d\u2014signifying the deep connections among the team, their suppliers, and the guests. Indeed, the cozy, Scandinavian vibe, as well as thoughtful team and memorable dishes, it felt like dining at a dear friend\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
As I\u00a0stepped out of the restaurant, I glanced back through the tall glass windows. Downstairs, the kitchen was in full swing, while diners upstairs clinked their glasses. For a moment, it felt like a parallel universe.And just as I was still daydreaming about that smoked madeleine, I turned to see Tokyo Tower lighting up the night sky.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t want to end my evening any other way.<\/p>\n
Author:Patty Chuang<\/p>\n
Images: Patty Chuang\/crony\/byfood\n\u200d\u200d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve always loved trying fusion cuisine, but sometimes it goes wrong\u2014novelty for novelty\u2019s sake. Crony is the opposite: rooted firmly in French technique, showcasing Japanese produce, and taking inspiration from Nordic elements.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,3],"tags":[66,15,72,43],"class_list":["post-3459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-food","tag-66","tag-15","tag-72","tag-43"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n