Cover Tokyo’s best eats are often hiding in plain sight (Photo: João Mira/Pexels)
Tokyo’s best eats are often hiding in plain sight (Photo: João Mira/Pexels)
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From dry curry and squid-infused ramen to an eight-seat pasta omakase, here’s where this content creator goes when she’s in Tokyo
Tokyo has more great restaurants than any city has a right to. Navigating it takes someone who knows where the real magic hides. The city reveals itself in the curl of a perfect omelette over curry rice, in a seafood and sake bar where no photos are allowed, in the butter-heavy layers of a well-executed croissant, and in the hands of a single chef rolling out pasta for eight lucky diners.
Melissa Tse is the content creator behind @supertastermel, where she shares her experiences at fine dining restaurants and luxury hotels around the world. She currently splits her time between Hong Kong and Tokyo.
In this latest instalment of Pocket List, a series in which our community shares five essential recommendations from a destination of their choice, she takes us straight to the table, with five spots she visits every single time she’s in town.
In case you missed it: 5 ways to experience Kyoto according to food stylist and writer Gloria Chung
Above Melissa Tse, the content creator behind @supertastermel, shares her Pocket List of five essential Tokyo eats and drinks (Photo: Melissa Tse)
Melissa Tse, the content creator behind @supertastermel, shares her Pocket List of five essential Tokyo eats and drinks (Photo: Melissa Tse)
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Find comfort in Loup de Mer
Above A yoshoku gem specialising in comforting curry in Tokyo (Photo: Loup de Mer)
A yoshoku gem specialising in comforting curry in Tokyo (Photo: Loup de Mer)
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Loup de Mer is a yoshoku restaurant (Japanese-style western cuisine) that has mastered the art of curry. The dish to order is the dry curry, served with a cloud-like omelette draped over rice. For Tse, who splits her time between Hong Kong and Tokyo, this is the comfort food she craves the moment she lands. No ceremony. Just deep, savoury satisfaction.
Loup de Mer
Address: Saito Building 2F, 3-10-7 Uchikanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Follow the rules at Sanchokuya Taka
Above The restaurant offers a set course of fresh Japanese seafood (Photo: Sanchokuya Taka)
Above A sake lover’s heaven with rules worth following (Photo: Sanchokuya Taka)
The restaurant offers a set course of fresh Japanese seafood (Photo: Sanchokuya Taka)
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Tokyo is full of quirky hidden gems, and Sanchokuya Taka is one of the best. It’s a sake specialty restaurant offering a set course of fresh seafood, a paradise for anyone who loves good Japanese rice wine. But there are rules: only pour what you can drink, no photos, pay before the meal and gentlemen are required to sit while using the restroom. Reservations are a must. Follow the rules, and you’ll be rewarded with one of Tokyo’s most unique and memorable evenings.
Sanchokuya Taka
Address: B1/F, Lions Mansion Shibuya, 12-2 Maruyamacho, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0044, Japan
Fall for Jean François
Above Go for the chocolate croissant twist (Photo: Viennoiserie Jean François)
Go for the chocolate croissant twist (Photo: Viennoiserie Jean François)
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Chef Jean-François Lemercier is a recipient of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France award, a title that signals the highest level of pastry craftsmanship. At Viennoiserie Jean François, he turns out viennoiserie that draws queues before the doors open. The must-try is the chocolate croissant twist, made with bean-to-bar chocolate. Flaky, buttery, and deeply chocolatey. Go early. It sells out.
Viennoiserie Jean François (available across Tokyo, including:)
Address: B2/F, Ginza Six, 6 Chome−10−1, Chuo, Ginza, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Snag a seat at Fileja
Above An eight-seat pasta omakase run by a single Sardinia-trained chef (Photo: @supertastermel/Instagram)
Above A single tasting menu of handmade pastas, made and cooked in front of you (Photo: @supertastermel/Instagram)
An eight-seat pasta omakase run by a single Sardinia-trained chef (Photo: @supertastermel/Instagram)
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Fileja is the kind of place you tell your closest friends about and hope it doesn’t get too famous. It’s a casual Italian restaurant with just eight counter seats, offering a single tasting menu of handmade pastas. The chef spent a year learning his craft in Sardinia, and it shows. He works alone, rolling, cutting and cooking in front of you. Natural wines are available. The quality is remarkable for the price. Reservations are essential.
Fileja
Address: 2 Chome−13−1, Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-0041, Japan
Hunt down Shinbashi Matoi
Above A salaryman ramen gem hidden down a narrow alley (Photo: Shinbashi Matoi/Tabelog)
A salaryman ramen gem hidden down a narrow alley (Photo: Shinbashi Matoi/Tabelog)
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Tucked inside a narrow alley, Shinbashi Matoi is the kind of ramen shop beloved by local salarymen who work in the area. They're known for two broths: niboshi (dried sardine) and ikaboshi toripaitan (dried squid with chicken). Here, the must-try is the latter; the dried squid adds a rich, deep umami that lingers long after the bowl is empty. This is Tokyo ramen at its most honest and rewarding.
Shinbashi Matoi
Address: 1F, 3-13-2 Shinbashi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
A storyteller by day and a first-class food devourer by night, Fontaine is the Regional Dining Editor at Tatler Asia, overseeing dining content across all regions and shaping the brand’s editorial voice on food, chefs and culinary culture.
She is also Content Lead for Tatler Best and Co-jury Head for Tatler Best Hong Kong and Macau, guiding the awards’ editorial direction and evaluation process. With over a decade in the lifestyle and media industry spanning London and Hong Kong, she brings a cross-regional perspective to the table.
Follow her on Instagram at @fontimes.
