Freshness Delivered to Your Table! Indulge in the Exquisite Selections of Conrad Tokyo!
The most sought-after breakfast dishes｜They'll surely whet your appetite
Good morning! As the saying goes: 'Breakfast should be good and filling, never skimpy.' This unforgettable maxim comes from — hey, yours truly, a belly-conscious lady. Let's put aside dieting, intermittent fasting, and low-carb for now, and savor the lavish breakfast at Conrad Tokyo, impressive in both hardware and software!
Let's start with the lounge. Located on the 37th floor, after exiting the elevator and turning left, you'll find the executive lounge stretching along both sides of the corridor. The right side offers a bay view, while the left side shows the city view.
Food stations and the check-in counter are on the city-view side. The bay-view side, with its spectacular scenery, was expanded during the hotel's 2017 renovation, increasing the lounge from 43 seats to the current 77. The executive lounge is open daily from 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, offering both a buffet and à la carte options for breakfast. The lounge has quite a few foreign staff members, so English is quite good. They also make an effort to remember your preferences and name after just one day, from your coffee order to the dishes you've ordered.
First up, the natto mushroom omelet is a lounge exclusive! Rich, smooth, and fluffy — I give it full marks! Other items include: Eastern and Western cold dishes, white rice, congee, common Western breakfast sides (bacon, ham, hash browns, potato wedges, etc.), siu mai, shrimp dumplings, fruit, cereals, salad, yogurt, fresh-squeezed juices, and more. The fruit is peeled, seeded, and cut to a five-star standard — very sweet and fresh!
The eggs Benedict are decent; the poached eggs are perfectly shaped and cooked, with a rich yolk oozing when cut. The English muffin base is a bit too soft for my taste — I prefer the top slightly crisped. One bite with ham, hollandaise sauce, and yolk — ah, so divine! Calories can wait until tomorrow~
Dining here offers a distant view of Tokyo Bay and the Hamarikyu Gardens below — truly a feast for both taste and sight! Basically, the lounge was packed every day during my stay. I experienced both city-view and bay-view seating. I personally find the city view quite ordinary... If you have the chance to stay, I strongly recommend the bay view! But if you don't have the budget or an upgrade to a bay-view room, don't worry — you can enjoy it at the lounge! (Of course, that's provided you have or purchase executive lounge access.) However, a gentle reminder: the lounge space isn't very large, and the tables aren't wide, so it can feel more cramped when crowded.
Next up is the in-depth review of the downstairs breakfast! Ready to join me on a taste sensation? Cerise, located on the 28th floor, was Gordon Ramsay's first choice when he entered the Asian market, offering French-style cuisine.
Since the hotel's occupancy rate is 100% every day, there are really a lot of people coming down for breakfast (the lounge too!). However, arriving before 9 AM, I didn't encounter long queues; the line only formed outside after I was seated. After announcing your room number at the entrance, a host leads you to your seat and asks if you'd like coffee or tea. The restaurant's staff assignments are well-organized; every single one is enthusiastic, friendly, and polite! Shout out to Yuka and Natsuko! The interior decoration is elegant and understated, and the dishes are quite diverse!
Upon entering, you first encounter the traditional Japanese breakfast, based on 'one soup, three sides,' with various side dishes: miso soup, white rice, tamagoyaki, mentaiko, pickled radish, seaweed strands, tempura, grilled fish, nori, natto, and other pickled items. This section has long queues every day!
I used to think I didn't love traditional Japanese breakfast, especially eating white rice first thing in the morning, but this time I couldn't stop — I was hooked! One mouthful of fragrant rice, one bite of pickled sides, and the pop of mentaiko between my teeth — my appetite instantly awakened! Having grilled fish for breakfast also made me feel energized, and the fatigue of waking up early vanished! The ocean flavors surged against my taste buds — unexpectedly delicious!
Next, the Western hot dishes: During my week-long stay, only the two dishes closest to the entrance changed. One of Cerise's chefs makes authentic and flavorful Indian cuisine — the tandoori mushroom skewers were fragrant and delicious!
The open kitchen's Chef Table lets you enjoy the sight of chefs wielding spatulas and plating with graceful movements while savoring the food, and you get to understand the meticulous process behind each dish~
I also want to give special praise to the cleanliness of the buffet counters: Even though the restaurant is always crowded and hard to get a seat, the staff never panics. Both Japanese and foreign restaurant managers constantly patrol, checking, smiling, serving guests, and ensuring smooth communication between front and back. One day, the manager was quick to open the seats in the opposite Kazahana restaurant before it got full, ready for the next wave of guests. In terms of ordering, serving, table turnover, queue management, and staff scheduling, Cerise's catering management is among the best I've seen!
I highly recommend the Western salad! The leafy greens are very fresh and thoroughly washed! Some cold dishes really won me over, like the broccoli with goat cheese ~
With lettuce, arugula, kale, endive, spinach, etc., it's quite a generous salad section, and the cherry tomatoes are so sweet! Besides the common apples, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, and watermelon, there's also highly sought-after Japanese melon.
Super beautiful and cute glass terrarium mini salads being 'planted'!
Four to five fresh juices are offered daily. Besides the usual flavors, there are also freshly squeezed specials, with real ingredients — so delicious! However, a drawback of these bottle openings is that they tend to leak easily, leaving sticky bottles for later guests. Also, when the restaurant is packed, the order of juice bottles inevitably gets mixed up, not matching the labels in front (though most can be distinguished by color, there were a couple of days with two bottles of very similar-colored mixed vegetable and fruit juices; you only knew which was which after taking a sip XDDDDD). Moreover, placing the juice station in the far left corner of the salad section is a bit awkward, as queues form on both sides, creating an inconvenient flow.
Based on a week of observation, the bread selection never changed. Chocolate croissant, plain croissant, almond croissant, nut croissant, muffin, English muffin, stollen, red bean buns, etc. In Japan, besides my beloved croissants, I had to try the red bean bun! Living up to its reputation as the national bread, the filling not only contains soft, moist Japanese red beans but also fresh cream! One bite of the soft, sweet outer layer, the rich bean aroma, and the light, mild fresh cream — oishii ~
Oh, and I'm not sure if it's due to the holiday season or a complete change, but the traditional Japanese breakfast in the form of a bento box, previously on the à la carte menu, is no longer offered. It's all buffet now! It's a bit of a shame not to have the hotel's carefully selected carvings and plating, but the flavors are still delicious! Japanese food lovers won't be disappointed!
Seated by a floor-to-ceiling window that's 7 meters high, you can enjoy the Shiodome cityscape while eating! All ingredients are very fresh, and you can watch skilled chefs preparing dishes right in front of you. I recommend setting aside at least an hour to savor all these wonderful breakfasts — no kidding! In fact, if you have a good appetite, two hours wouldn't be too much~
Now for the highlight — let's delve into Cerise's à la carte menu!
First, on the left is the lobster and mushroom omelet, resting on a base of lobster soup made from simmered shells. What could be more satisfying and less wasteful? The flavor is mild, paired with a silky omelet and a bite of succulent lobster meat — such blissful guilt! In the middle top is the German baby pancake. Literally translated, it's often mistaken for a 'Dutch baby pancake,' but according to its origin, it comes from the old German name 'Deutsch'! A hot, thick iron skillet pancake with a dense, chewy texture; paired with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, rich custard and fresh cream sweetness rising at the end, with fleeting tartness from the berries — so comforting! On the right is the egg white omelet, which has a higher ingredient cost but low calories. Many desserts use egg yolks, so a lot of egg whites accumulate, but they are hard to preserve. An egg white has about one-third the calories of a yolk! Making an egg white omelet visually appealing is relatively difficult, showcasing the chefs' skill!
Below in the photo is the croffle that won my heart: Croissant + Waffle = Croffle, something between a croissant and a waffle. The waffle has a rich egg aroma, accompanied by poached egg, bacon, Parmesan cheese, and truffle oil. Creamy and cheesy — a dish cheese lovers will enjoy! Above is the smoked salmon eggs benedict — I'm not sure of the official Chinese translation for this egg dish? Egg slut? Promiscuous egg? Anyway, smooth poached eggs on a thick bed of mashed potatoes, different from the famous LA restaurant's version, this one has cheddar cheese gratin, giving it a stronger flavor.
In one week, only one day I wasn't seated by the window; the lack of natural light made it a bit dimmer, but this area is closer to the food stations. Don't be fooled by the plain appearance of the stir-fried tofu — it's still delicious! Seasoned only with onion, green pepper, pepper, and salt, it looks ordinary but the ingredients blend harmoniously. It clears heat, moisturizes dryness, and provides protein — a great vegetarian option. And importantly, it comes with my beloved avocado! The French toast on the lower left is no slouch either. Making truly perfect French toast is quite labor-intensive — it's not just soaking in egg and milk, then frying and baking. Golden and slightly crispy on the surface, fluffy like a cloud, the egg-milk mixture perfectly absorbed, and just the right amount of powdered sugar — the golden ratio French toast is irresistible. Next time you visit Conrad Tokyo, make sure to try it!
One day I didn't order tofu, but I asked the staff if I could have avocado with the croffle, and they were so generous! I love avocado! By the way, these à la carte dishes can be made in smaller portions upon request. So, indulge yourself!
Cerise's high ceiling design makes the restaurant spacious and bright, creating the most comfortable dining environment. The large windows offer stunning views of Tokyo's skyscrapers, and the exquisite dishes are no less impressive, truly meeting the expected standards of the Conrad brand. Look up at the white wall inscribed with Nietzsche's words, roughly translated: 'Instinct. When your house is on fire, you forget to have dinner. Yes, but you make up for it later on the ashes.' This seems unrelated to the restaurant's style — what fire? What ashes? Is eating innate, hunger instinct? I guess the restaurant's intention isn't to make guests ponder the philosophy of this quote, but rather to encourage everyone to savor the dishes earnestly, maintaining a culture of loving to eat, being able to eat, enjoying eating, and even understanding food.
In terms of items, the lounge and Cerise breakfasts are about 87% similar, but of course, the downstairs offers more abundance. Although the variety may not feel overwhelming, if you prefer a leisurely dining atmosphere, attentive service, and want to enjoy the incredible Tokyo Bay view while eating, then the lounge breakfast is for you. If you like plenty of choices, a vibrant dining environment, and enjoy watching chefs showcase their cooking skills like I do, then don't hesitate — come to Cerise. Both venues maintain high quality and ingredients without cutting corners, each shining in its own role — perfect coordination. (Gluttons can also visit both!)
Visited: December 2019
Service: ★★★★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★★☆
Taste: ★★★★★★
Want to see more? Follow the public account '天晴营业中 A Good Day Always ☀️'
