Chiso Kondo

In Chiso Kondo, nothing is as important as the central ingredient. Every dish crafted by head chef Akihiro Kondo is created according to a theme, centered around a single ingredient that aims to highlight its natural flavor. Autumn, for instance, introduces a menu centered around one of Japan’s signature mushrooms, the matsutake. Sweetfish and freshwater eel are featured in the summer to provide some respite from the sweltering heat. Chiso Kondo does so in order to highlight the freshness of the produce, catch and meat used in his restaurant, all of which are personally sourced from all over Japan. Each individual dish may feature a specific ingredient, but Chef Kondo aims to explore said element in an entirely different way with each course, allowing diners to discover different and unexpected dimensions of each ingredient. This concept is an extension of Chef Kondo’s initial Arakicho establishment, Washoku Kondo, which he founded in 2012. Six years later, looking to further expand the appeal of Japanese cuisine and challenge his own culinary abilities, he created Chiso Kondo—a place in which he hopes to let even more patrons experience the “extraordinary” of Japanese cuisine through piping hot kappo dishes, prepared directly in front of the customer.