A faint, smoky fragrance filled the air as we strolled past the bamboo-lined outdoor terrace and into The Oak Door. Inside, soft spotlights and jazz set the scene-strictly for adults-and prompt, cordial attention instantly confirmed our expectations of the Grand Hyatt's premier restaurant at Roppongi Hills.

Escorted past crackling wood-burning ovens, a banquet of fresh meats, vegetables and bread, and a team of chefs working amid aromas of rosemary and thyme, we eventually nestled into the heavy wooden bench at our table. All around us couples were engrossed in candlelit conversation over bottles of New World wine. 

Eager to catch up, we began browsing the list from their extensive cellar (over 30 chardonnays alone) and nibbling on a basket of complimentary piping-hot fresh-from-the-oven sourdough bread. As the Oak Door Bloody Mary (¥1,400) sounded a bit ambitious to start off the evening, we went with a simple house Mondavi Cabernet (¥1,200) instead. 

The starter of two simple, pan-fried crab cakes (¥1,800), with their creamy crab filling and fresh tomato relish, were more flavorful than initially met the eye. But the Romaine lettuce in black pepper garlic dressing (¥1,200) failed to live up to our visions of crisp freshness and the dish of sopping leaves hidden under so many bits of salty bacon was left almost untouched. The roasted sweet peppers with cherry tomatoes (disappointingly not prepared in the wood-burning ovens, ¥800) fared better, but we couldn't help but chastise ourselves for overlooking the wood-roasted mushrooms (¥800).

Lacking confidence after our choice of salad, we consulted with our informed and English-speaking waiter, who directed our attention to the wood-burning oven. True to his word, the pan-roasted Hokkaido scallops (¥2,000) and rack of Australian lamb (¥2,500) were in a league of their own. The three jumbo scallops with rosemary and thyme had us oohing and aahing, arriving fresh from the oven with butter still searing on the pan. Not to be outdone, the hearty plate of aromatic and tender lamb came furnished with a set of porcini, wine and green-pepper sauces and horseradish, allowing for a bit of creative fun. We were certain that the smoky, herb flavors of the ovens would have done equal justice to the beef, poultry or fish options on the menu.

Overindulging left us with room only to ogle the freshly baked fruit tarts (¥1,500) on our way out. But our thoughts that we'd just had a taste of the good life were nevertheless confirmed-as we were leaving, we passed Simon LeBon and company on their way in.