Natsuko Shoji knows how to make an impression. On the evening of her debut as one of Japan’s ambassadors for Dom Perignon Rose Champagne in December, the 33-year-old chef sports electric-pink Nike high tops and a bespoke chef’s jacket. For two nights only, Shoji has taken leave of Été, her bijou restaurant in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, to transform Sogetsu Plaza, inside the headquarters of the Sogetsu Foundation ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) institution, into a spectacular culinary theater.
From the entrance, a neon rope snakes a glowing magenta path up the stone steps of the minimalist space designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi. At the top of the open platform, guests sip glasses of Dom Perignon Rose 2008 as they listen to a piece of music composed exclusively for the wine.
Upstairs, in a glass-enclosed room overlooking the plaza, the main event unfolds in a symphony of six stunning courses. A blooming flower, painstakingly composed of individual grapefruit vesicles accented with purple shiso (perilla) buds and a gold-leaf covered cherry tomato, conceals a layered composition of sea bream tartare flavored with gazpacho. Silky flan, intricately cut into a delicate chrysanthemum, floats atop fried turnip cake in a broth dotted with black truffle snowflakes.