Kazutoshi Narita makes gorgeous desserts. They are lyrical flights of fancy, adorned with colorful swooshes and sprinkles, crisp shards, fragile foams and delicate, lacy sugar confections. Until recently, the only way you could taste them was at the end of a full meal of high-end French cuisine at Esquisse in Ginza, where Narita has been head patisserie chef for the past four and a half years. Now, though, Narita has his own place as well, Esquisse Cinq, where you can skip straight to the sweet course — or even treat yourself to two or three at a time.
The core of the menu is his "Grand Dessert" selection. Every day there is a choice of three dishes: his showpiece Sucre, an elaborate creation with all his sugary bells and whistles; another featuring a freshly made souffle straight from the oven; and a seasonal dessert, which currently is based around the flavors of the classic British Christmas pudding, but "far better than the real thing," according to Narita's staff.
If you like, you can add a pre-dessert to your choice, plus mignardises (bite-size confections) at the end. There are also colorful macarons and beautiful chocolates in exotic flavors such as yuzu-persimmon, which are available at the take-out counter. And if you're craving something a bit more savory, Narita also offers pancakes with a scoop of caviar.
