Wami Daisuke

Most first-time visitors to Wami Daisuke likely walk right past it at least once. Located in a residential area of Tokyo’s Shirokane district, the restaurant simply looks like a particularly nice house from the exterior. The only clue that it might be a restaurant is the presence of its name, written unobtrusively on the corner of the white noren curtain draped across its entrance. But few houses in Shirokane can claim to have seen the clientele that Wami Daisuke does on a regular basis. Some of the most powerful people in Japan have ducked beneath that curtain, from actors and idols to high-flying executives and members of parliament. For those in the know, this “house” is one of Minato Ward’s most revered establishments for business and pleasure alike. Chef Daisuke Inoue’s vision for his restaurant was for it to be a “community-rooted establishment”: someplace small and intimate. And it started as just that, with limited counter seating and tatami mat flooring. As demand grew and word of the restaurant spread, Wami Daisuke underwent extensive renovations to incorporate several private rooms, each with its own different ambience. The restaurant’s popularity skyrocketed to the point where it even started a separate branch a few blocks away, featuring exclusively private room seating. But the restaurant has in no way sacrificed that initial sense of familiarity that Chef Inoue strove for when he first started it. Extensive use of natural wood and traditional Kyoto ryotei design cues immediately call to mind classic Japanese hospitality. Having cut his teeth at a Kyoto restaurant before becoming head chef of a local Shirokane-dai restaurant, Chef Inoue’s cuisine echoes said tradition through traditional Kyoto-style cuisine, or “kyo-ryori” as it is known. And customer feedback continues to be of the utmost importance: for instance, his sake menu started out heavily focused on pairings with food. However, after customers suggested widening the range of his sake, he came to realize the importance of letting diners discover their own preferences — leading to the 30-plus varieties that now adorn the restaurant’s shelf.