Modern Chinese Ryo

There is perhaps no greater meeting in culinary philosophy than this: the unparalleled freshness of domestic Japanese produce, meat and seafood, with the centuries-long history of Chinese culinary technique. That is the exact premise of Modern Chinese Ryo in Roppongi, run by Chef Ryo Someya, a modern master of traditional Chinese cuisine. Chef Someya’s name is instantly associated in gourmet circles with luxury restaurants, including Momotaro in the Hotel Nikko Osaka, Koh-En in the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel, Xiang Tao in the Ritz-Carlton Osaka, and more. It was in all these establishments that Chef Someya perfected his skills in traditional Chinese cuisine. Now, having full creative control in Modern Chinese Ryo, he is free to explore the full range of possibilities that this base of Chinese cuisine affords him. For instance, one of the restaurant’s signatures, the Argentine red shrimp and sea urchin cream sauce, is an inspired fusion of Italian sea urchin pasta and Chinese prawn with mayonnaise. Chef Someya doesn’t believe in cutting corners, making everything at his restaurant by himself from scratch, from the mayonnaise to the spicy bean paste, so as to let his guests to be able to taste the care put into each dish. And this luxury is no more evident than in his signature dish: Chinese-style egg fried rice is made into a risotto with Ezo abalone and black truffle, then adorned with spiny lobster and Peking duck. Other standouts include Cantonese-style Kesennuma blue shark fin in shang-tang broth, and the fiery Mao Zedong chicken with poultry from Miyazaki Prefecture. Diners can finish their meal with a glass of Shaoxing wine from Chef Someya’s extensive collection. It is an assembly of beauty; each is aged from between 10 to 20 years, and personally chosen for their mellow flavor and lingering aftertaste. Such a decadent meal demands an equally decadent interior in which to partake it. Modern Chinese Ryo certainly fits the bill, with a burgundy-accented, leather-heavy atmosphere that is luxurious, yet never formal or stuffy. Guests can choose to recline in candlelit sunken kotatsu-style seating, or perch themselves at the 10-seat marble counter. ※ Smoking is allowed in all areas of Modern Chinese Ryo. As such, diners under 20 are not permitted on the premises.