Food is a vital link in the chain that makes the INTERSECT BY LEXUS experience a memorable and treasured one. Reflecting the essence of their luxury lifestyle brand through gastronomy, Lexus has conceived spaces where inspiration lives, business ideas are born, partnerships are nurtured and minds synergised. From haute cuisine to café-style eats and tea-time treats, every dining experience in each of the three global INTERSECT BY LEXUS locations has been finessed to facilitate one-of-a-kind, everlasting memories.
INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO is the brand’s maiden venue managed by Tetsuya Kono, who spent nearly two decades perfecting its refined yet casual and luxury dining experience. Situated in the chic Minami Aoyama district of Tokyo, INTERSECT BY LEXUS-TOKYO is a culinary haven at the heart of a cosmopolitan metropolis. The café offers a relaxed coffeehouse atmosphere serving freshly-ground, world-renowned Norwegian FUGLEN coffee beverages, while the bistro offers creative cuisine in an elevated yet comfortable setting.
The gastronomic mastermind behind the INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO bistro is Daichi Tajima, a respected Japanese chef whose passion for produce ensures that all the bistro’s ingredients are conscientiously chosen, and procured in season from trusted foreign sources or domestic farmers under the concept of “local production for local consumption.”
Tajima’s gourmet creations are celebrated for their imaginative fusion of international and local flavors and ingredients, including French, Italian, and Japanese cuisine suitable for both meat-eaters and vegetarians. One example of the Chef’s culinary innovation is his sukiyaki (table-top pot of mixed vegetables and sliced beef) dish: instead of using shouyu (soy sauce) or dashi (stock made of fish flakes), as is customary, Tajima uses a Frenc
Daichi expands on how food plays an integral role in the INTERSECT BY LEXUS experience: “Food is one of the space’s elements, and, of course, the most important aspect of the dining experience. But I regard it as just one of a range of key facets that intersect with other elements. Interior design, for example, can contribute to how food tastes, and good music can make food taste better.”
“The choice of ingredients and their quality is of course important but, before everything else, the food has to be tasty, and equally important is to maintain a feeling of luxury through style. We work with suppliers we’ve met and cook dishes to best represent the freshness of their ingredients, including organic farmers in Hokkaido. We want to continue working with local farmers like them. That is healthy and it is luxury.”
In addition to inventive food menus, the INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO bistro also offers a fine selection of experimental alcoholic beverages designed to heighten the dining experience, including original cocktails such as the Espresso Martini or the Twinkle Highball, as well as a unique, branded wine grown in Australia.
The INTERSECT BY LEXUS dining experience is further enhanced through multi-sensory stimuli, which extends to the design of the venue, its auxiliary lighting and music and even the specially selected plates, explains Tajima: “We collaborated with Japanese designer SyuRo to create plates that were specially made to complement the presentation of the food, which, because my background is in French cooking, is influenced by the elegance of classic French cuisine.”
It is this holistic approach to dining that set the INTERSECT BY LEXUS venues apart from other culinary establishments. This is especially true at the Dubai location, where service levels in the United Arab Emirates itself are very high, explains INTERSECT BY LEXUS – DUBAI Head Halil Asar: “We don’t focus on being just a fine-dining venue. Rather, we aim to be a luxury venue that offers an amazing experience through the touchpoints we have. Guests come to dine and relax, to socialize, or to have business lunches. Good food is central to these interactions.”
The restaurant lounge and café at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – DUBAI is a multifaceted dining environment, suitable for casual catch-ups, quick coffee breaks, and formal client meetings. The culinary offerings mirror this versatility, showcasing a variety of healthy, uncomplicated dishes made using the highest-quality organic produce from around the globe. The multi-award-wining venue is also frequently requested for private functions such as fashion shows, product launches and motivational future talks covering topics like mobility, hospitality, customer experience and brand communications.
The menu centers around detail and flavor to align with the palates of its cosmopolitan clientele. The beverage selection pays homage to the Lexus brand’s essence in its dedication to serving the finest handcrafted goods, such as organic beans from third wave roastery, RAW Coffee Company. An assortment of Avantcha teas provides an equally organic, fair-trade, and single-origin alternative for non-coffee drinkers. With INTERSECT BY LEXUS – DUBAI’s location in the heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre, it is also a popular and renowned destination for NOMIKAI (the social hour after work).
INTERSECT BY LEXUS – NYC stands apart as an equally fascinating venue. Located in the trendy Meatpacking District and managed by Kirk Edmondson, the NYC branch does indeed provide a rare culinary experience that stands out among the other eateries in the Big Apple. In collaboration with the revered Union Square Hospitality Group, the INTERSECT BY LEXUS – NYC restaurant features a rotating chefs-in-residence program that showcases internationally acclaimed chefs. Every four to six months, a new chef brings their exclusive culinary vision to life in the space, putting food at INTERSECT BY LEXUS – NYC centerstage and allowing New Yorkers and globe-trotters alike to embark on fresh, innovative and exciting gastronomic journeys.
The INTERSECT BY LEXUS – NYC cocktail lounge, located adjacent to the restaurant, boasts a 360-degree round bar serving cocktails that complement the cuisine, from classics to signature creations. The sleek Café at ground-level offers dining options to rival those of the restaurant, featuring casual, eclectic foods and sweets.
With all three INTERSECT BY LEXUS venues flourishing in their respective cities, their success can be attributed to the fact that INTERSECT BY LEXUS is, above all, a place for customers to cherish as precious a space to sit, reflect and create.
To intersect is to cross paths, to have one or more points in common. INTERSECT BY LEXUS lies between home and office, a third place where creative minds can meet and share ideas. Exquisite dining, inspired design, fine furniture, beautiful music and tranquil fragrance – they all intersect with the brand Lexus.