Mercure Tokyo Ginza

The young kitchen team is a blur of motion at this counter kappo establishment. Believing that dining should be fun, the owner greets guests warmly, fostering a congenial atmosphere. The menu sparkles with originality. Oil-cooked dishes, a must-try, extend beyond deep-fried foods. Tsukuri are par-cooked in oil, in a technique known as aburadoshi. Tempura is fried before your eyes, so their aroma and sizzle reach you before the food does. Kakiage, tempura shrimp over rice in a clay pot, draws the meal to a close.

Menu items are named after the traditional 24 divisions of the seasons, following the celestial longitude of the sun. Ingredients take on a poetic expression as well, and scenes of intersection between nature and human activity convey a wealth of feeling: people preparing food, or eating it. The feelings such images evoke will vary from person to person. Through the sensibilities of Lionel Beccat, we feel the bonds between humanity and nature.

‘L’Osier’ means ‘The Willow’. The name comes from the willow trees that once symbolised Ginza and is a nod to the shop’s founding location. When the doors open, guests are greeted by a glass artwork depicting a willow tree. Half a century has passed since the restaurant opened, but it has never stopped innovating. Chef Olivier Chaignon cultivates relationships with producers around the country, creating French cuisine at the cutting edge of the era.

The chef’s love of beef began when he was a boy, when his father would cook thick-cut steaks for him. He is a beef evangelist, proclaiming its appeal to the world. His decision to create a ‘meat kappo’ arose from his training in kaiseki. Wagyu beef is used in every Japanese preparation style, including nigiri sushi, char-grilled and shabu-shabu. The beauty of the traditional building, the kimono-clad service and the colourful dinnerware all add to the ambience. Through beef cuisine, Oniku Karyu is spreading the word about Japanese culture.

Standing at a counter made from a 700-year-old cypress, Toru Okuda celebrates the vitality of nature through his cooking. The shop boasts water from Okuda’s native Shizuoka, fish from Suruga Bay and wasabi and tea from his home prefecture as well. His heartfelt respect and love for Japanese food led him to open a branch in Paris to spread the gospel of true Japanese cuisine. Opening a fish restaurant in a country without a culture of ikejime was a bold move. By proclaiming food in which Japan can take pride before the world, Okuda is leading one of the world’s great cuisines into an exciting f

Fumio Kondo breathes new life into classic Edo tempura by incorporating vegetables. He popularized the idea that tempura is, in essence, a form of steaming. Working backward from the frying time, he prepares ingredients just before frying to preserve freshness and vibrancy. As the coated tempura pieces steam in their own moisture, flavours of coating and tempura piece merge into one. Kondo’s quiet, unwavering focus as he tends to the pot speaks to the pride he takes in his craft.

A sign with a crane’s head in profile against the sun marks the modern Japanese exterior. Enter the dining room, and piped jazz music fills an interior decorated with Western paintings. Red and white keynotes in the décor denote the rising sun. Cuisine is ‘modern classic’, a theme born of the sensibility the chef cultivated overseas. The aim is to offer modulation in temperature, beguiling aromas, and a light, comfortable feeling after dining. Refined items of refreshing originality suggest the future of Japanese cuisine.