Mejiro Shunkoutei Marunouchi

Michelin-featured chef and yoshoku legend Saito Motoshiro has done it again. After securing a permanent lodging in the Michelin Guide for his flagship in Mejiro since 2017 (nine years and counting), he's opening his second store in the swanky Marunouchi district, offering white-collar diners a taste of home among the area’s historic structures and towering skyscrapers. It is here that Saito is bringing the story of "novel and nostalgic" Western food once again, combining traditional and modern cooking practices. He put a special focus on yoshoku — a Japanese-inspired hybrid cuisine that blossomed in the late 1800s to 19000s. As with his flagship, Saito entrusts the head chef role to his trusted right-hand man, Koga Tatsuhiko, who helped secure the Bib Gourmand award for their original location. Under Koga’s direction, expect homestyle yoshoku dishes elevated through gourmet practices and ingredients. Think comfort, think family cooking — but with a French-trained rendition. Beef cutlets are coated in a special panko and cooked to a precise temperature, resulting in a perfectly medium-rare interior. Whole wagyu beef is coarsely ground into a hamburger steak, served with dollops of red wine-based demi-glace sauce. Beef stews offer hearty comfort in a bowl. Koga also takes cues from his Gallic background: most plates feature sauces like Dijon mustard, wasabi, soy sauce and Worcestershire. Items are presented simply, without avant-garde plating. And yet they shine in their unadorned elegance. Lunch and dinner courses follow a Western-style progression, starting with a salad, but thoughtful touches, such as the inclusion of rice, remind diners that the restaurant remains deeply connected to its Japanese roots. Wines, ranging from orange to rose, red to white, invite guests to linger a little longer — just like they would at home.