Tamayura @ Higashimurayama

Shimeharitsuru Gold Label Daiginjo

Sashimi moriawase

Grilled yellowtail with smelt fish and milt frite

Sakura shrimp dumpling with daikon in yuzu infused broth

Chef Tamagawa

Freshwater eel and burdock claypot rice

Tamayura is wonderful little Japanese kappo restaurant in the western Tokyo Metro area.

Occasional visits over the years have witnessed the development and refinement of Chef Tamagawa’s keen sense of seasonal ingredients, flavours and presentation, along with the pleasure he takes in providing considered sake pairings for each dish. 

A variety of omakase courses are available, as well as an option to bring your own ingredients; if after a day’s fishing or hunting you fancy enjoying your catch without the hassle of cooking it, Tamagawa-san is your man.

Tamayura

042 306 3055

 

Osteria Boccano @ Motosumiyoshi

Fried eggs with zucchini and pecorino cheese

Sardine confit in olive oil and vinegar

Five mushrooms pasta

Grilled A5 wagyū steak

Crème Brûlée

Osteria Boccano is a comfortable and surprisingly accomplished basement Italian restaurant on Motosumiyoshi’s bustling Bremen Steet shōtengai.

The menu offers little in the way of surprises, but the quality ingredients, deft cooking and generous portions provide excellent cost performance and reason enough for repeat visits. 

A popular destination, especially among local ladies-that-dine, reservations are recommended. 

Osteria Boccano

044 411 1003

 

Mark's Tokyo @ Meguro

Daikon radish and turnip soup with homemade focaccia and Shodoshima olive oil

Seared Hokkaido scallops with yuzu koshō and tomatoes

Homemade ‘grown-ups’’ macaroni cheese

Kuroge wagyū short ribs with roasted figs and mashed potato

Homemade ice cream with popcorn sprinkles and caramel crumble

Having never gotten around to visiting the brief but adored Mark’s Table in Ginza, it was a happy day when news of owner-chef Mark Sekita’s second coming in nearby Meguro reached us. 

Located on a quiet side street just a few doors from Locale, Mark’s Tokyo is small yet comfortably appointed space in which kitchen, counter and chef take center stage in a convivial (and eminently repeatable) experience akin to dining at Mark’s own kitchen table.

He brings his Japanese-Italian lineage and culinary experience in the kitchens of New York together to create ‘Japanese-inspired modern American cuisine.’ The several course options (although not currently available an à la carte menu is apparently in the works) utilize ingredients locally sourced throughout Japan to create simple yet refined dishes that elevate the seemingly mundane, such as the ‘grown ups’ mac and cheese,’ to the sublime. 

Mark’s Tokyo

03 6417 0664

 

Bistro Boléro @ Nakameguro

Red seam bream escabèche

Foie gras and lentil terrine with brioche

Sautéed cod in fish soup

Shirako cheese frite

Duck confit

Grilled beef steak with mustard sauce

Beef cheeks stewed in red wine

Créme brûlée

Cheesecake with lemon yogurt sorbet

Chestnut cake with Japanese chestnut ice cream

Chocolates

Bistro Boléro is housed within a tastefully refurbished two-story minkan property located betwixt Nakemeguro and Yutenji. The ground floor centers on a lively counter seating area around an open kitchen, while the upper floor offers a more spacious individual table setting, with occasional partitions, beneath a vaulted open-beamed ceiling.

Since the pandemic, à la carte menus have been unavailable, but a selection of lunch and dinner courses have been put together to suit a variety of appetites and purses. The resident sommelier keeps a respectable cellar, including some deliciously sweet Jurançon wines.

Chef Ichikawa’s Bib Gourmand-winning cooking utilizes produce sourced throughout Japan to create dishes infused with the ‘inspiration of the day.’ The result is enjoyable, generously portioned bistro fare that although not always exciting, rarely disappoints. 

Bistro Boléro

03 6712 2390

 

Arcadia @ Hiroo

Chilled pea soup

Zensai moriawase of basashi carpaccio, anago frites, cauliflower mousse, roast duck and leek quiche

Fried white fish with pickled red cabbage

Raisin bread, herb grissini and fried nori dough

Handmade tagliatelle mushroom ragu sauce

Handmade tagliatelle bolognese

Oyster risotto

Salmon on puréed potato

Hokkaido venison with lotus root, Japanese taro and turnip

Hokkaido pork roast

Bonet with Earl Grey gelato

Chocolate cake with Muscat and cream

Arcadia is a cosy little Italian restaurant, with a focus on the seasonal ingredients of Aomori, that’s really found its groove in the couple of years since it opened.

Owner-chef Fujita’s (previously of Ebisu’s ALMA) lunch courses arguably offer some of the best cooking and cost performance in Hiroo. A variety of antipasti, handmade pastas, risottos, fish and grilled meats are complimented with fresh-baked chestnut and olive breads, grissini and fried dough, followed by neat little desserts. 

High frequency lunchers may be invited to order from the delicious à la carte evening menu to keep things interesting.

Arcadia

03 6456 4376