Akasaka Momonoki

Dining at Akasaka Momonoki is an experience fit for royalty — and it has to be, considering its located in Kioicho, across the Akasaka area that has become a hotspot for Tokyo’s most politically powerful and affluent. Despite this, the restaurant firmly holds its ground to offer an exhilarating take on Cantonese cuisine with dishes that are boldly flavorful and vibrantly executed. Conger eel prepared Shanghai-style, fried eggplant with chili peppers — menu might echo the fiery zest of stir-fries (the kind you would find in China’s spirited street food scene), but the underlying ingredients are surprisingly delicate and precious. Shipments of Kyoto-grown vegetables and rare, exclusive ingredients originating from the Chinese terroir arrive regularly, while the restaurant’s fragile stock of prawns depends on an exclusive vendor at Toyosu Market. The flavors still echo traditional Cantonese classics, while varieties of Chinese cuisine are interspersed throughout. Consider the sweet and sour pork, a dish where every Chinese household might boast its own version: the head chef perfected the recipe and cooked it with Chinese tamari soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar. There’s also that refined, modern ambiance that juxtaposes with the establishment’s Chinese cooking. Picture this: tables draped in white linen, floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of Tokyo’s government district and a well-dressed host ready to usher you in.