The selection of restaurants for MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2025 was announced on 17 October 2024.
We asked several of our inspectors to look back on the year just passed and select, from their many dining experiences in Tokyo, the dishes they found especially memorable.
The list the inspectors shared with us was as varied as the Tokyo culinary scene they observed. Some were dishes that could only be savoured in a particular season. Others were products of venerable tradition, while still others sprang from the unique experience and sensibility of the chefs who created them.
Consommé of game fowl with ultimate daikon
hakunei
This light-yellow soup announces the start of your prix fixe meal. The word ‘consommé’ derives from a French word meaning ‘completed’, and here the flavour of game fowl joins the daikon radish in consummate unison. The whiteness of the daikon is a colour that has been sacred in Japan since ancient times, and signals the purity of heart of the young chef.
Peach beignet
Yama
Peaches deep-fried in a matcha batter, accompanied by the tartness of apricot jam to play with the flavour. The fruit is of the highest quality, so is delicious on its own, but the adroit juxtaposition of warm and cold raises it to perfection. This single dish encapsulates the value a talented chef can add by elevating each ingredient.
Soy milk blancmange with potato ice cream
Florilège
Food sustainability is the message in the plant-based ingredients of this dish. The result is a dessert that is kind to the environment and healthful, with an exceptional taste. Potato ice cream, soy-milk mousse and sliced black truffle form a three-part harmony you’ll always remember.
Kadomorokoshi
Tempura Motoyoshi
A square tempura item to herald the arrival of summer. Kernels of corn are plucked from the cob one by one, held together with a corn paste, and deep-fried. The batter is infused with liquid nitrogen to impart a delicate texture. This revolutionary cooking method overturns the conventions of tempura.
Tuna nigiri
Sanosushi
The star topping of Edo sushi embodied in a single piece. Through close-knit relationships with uncompromising wholesalers, Sanosushi obtains a favourite cut known as harakami (upper belly). The cut is thick and generous, the texture soft and delicate. Flavour and aroma linger pleasingly.
‘Bounty of Aichi’ Duck
SÉZANNE
In a nod to Peking duck, duck from the eastern Mikawa area of Aichi is hung out to dry then basted with honey before grilling. The rich liver sauce is an homage to classic French cooking. In this distillation of Japanese, Chinese and French culinary cultures, SÉZANNE brings forth a dish that is truly one-of-a-kind.
Top Image: Ⓒ Sanosushi
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