Higashiyama Muku

Table-EX's top recommendation for a new restaurant in Tokyo is the Japanese cuisine restaurant, Higashiyama Muku.

Chef-owner Mishima, spent seven years as head chef at the Japanese restaurant Tsuruju in Kanagawa Prefecture before branching out on his own in 2023. He opened a Japanese cuisine restaurant in the trendy Naka-Meguro area of Tokyo, where stylish locals gather, to showcase his unique culinary vision.

As sushi and kaiseki restaurants across Tokyo are raising prices significantly following COVID, Mishima's unique approach, emphasizing top quality yet offering prices below 20,000 yen, is making waves in Tokyo.

Mishima's culinary philosophy revolves around "meticulously elevating seemingly common ingredients and dishes to extraordinary quality."

For the broth, Mishima insists on using aged kombu from Okui Kaiseido, stored for 9 years, and bonito carefully caught by Ukaishoten in Hongo. Mishima's meticulous approach extends to one of the restaurant's specialties, suppon (softshell turtle), where he explains, "For grilling, I use fatty male suppon from Nagasaki, and for making soup, I alternate between the flavorful suppon from Hattori Nakamura farm"

Mishima's cooking style is all about simplicity. He avoids unnecessary decorations and seasonings, focusing on the main ingredients to bring out their charm. His approach is different from both Tokyo's kaiseki restaurants, which tend to add flavors, and Kyoto's kaiseki restaurants, which focus on subtracting elements. Instead, Mishima is carving out his own unique path in the culinary world.

The philosophy of stripping away the unnecessary is reflected in the interior design as well. The decor-free interior exudes an extremely minimalist atmosphere.

After finishing their two-hour meal in the clean and refreshing atmosphere of the restaurant, diners are inexplicably filled with a mysterious sense of exhilaration, as if their hearts have been cleansed.

The regulars have kept this place a secret, saying, 'It's bound to become popular, so I don't want to share it with anyone.' However, word-of-mouth has spread gradually, and now reservations need to be made far in advance. Don't miss the chance to experience the great potential of this newcomer.