Ginza Wakyo

Vessels are inherently created for the purpose of presenting food. A plate or bowl that does not hold food is therefore incomplete. Ginza Wakyo’s head chef Takashi Ozawa creates his dishes with this philosophy in mind. To him, the crockery on which a dish is served is just as integral to the holistic makeup of the dish as any ingredient or condiment. He personally sources each plate, bowl and cup used to serve food at Ginza Wakyo, directly from the artisan who makes it. In the act of layering his food on top of each plate, he is contributing to the life story of the crockery: creating a once-in-a-lifetime piece of art that, once consumed, can never be identically replicated. The experience of eating is thus a joint effort between him and the artisan who crafted the plate, making it his responsibility to convey the artisan’s passion to the guests who consume his food. It is this unconventional culinary philosophy that drives the theme of Chef Ozawa’s restaurant. The relentless formality of most Japanese restaurants can be off-putting, he thinks. Thus is Ginza Wakyo a warm space for guests to enjoy his unorthodox spin on traditional Japanese cuisine — and themselves — without judgment. One dish that particularly exemplifies Ginza Wakyo is the house specialty, “anpan” bread. The dish is a playful pun on the ubiquitous red bean bread familiar to every Japanese person, because the “an” in this anpan doesn’t come from anko red beans — it refers to “ankimo”, or monkfish livers. Creamy and savory, it’s a perfect “toast” to kick off a course menu meal at Ginza Wakyo, perfectly complementing the yeasty aroma of champagne and wine, or the bitter hops of a beer. Guests looking for an actual champagne toast to start their meal won’t be disappointed either, with Ginza Wakyo’s extensive selection of sakes and wines.