Cafe Gitane @ Ebisu

Avocado toast with smoked salmon, sour cream and salmon roe

Smoked salmon Eggs Benedict on wholemeal muffins with salad

Beef pastrami Eggs Benedict with truffle sauce and salad

Beef pastrami Eggs Benedict with truffle sauce and salad

Assorted charcuterie board

Assorted cheese board

Fresh truffle carbonara fettuccine

Grilled New Zealand lamb chops with couscous

New York cheesecake with vanilla ice cream

Hailing from New York City’s Nolita district, since its 2017 opening the Tokyo branch of Cafe Gitane has been popular with diners who enjoy a touch of American urban-chic, classic cafe-bar cuisine, natural wines and creative cocktails.

In recent years the menu has expanded beyond its Moroccan-French origins to provide a wider range of brunch, lunch and dinner offerings, while maintaining a focus on classics such as avocado toast, Eggs Benedict, seasonal oysters, pastas and charcoal-grilled dishes.

The New York cheesecake and ricotta pancakes come highly recommended, too.

Cafe Gitane

03 5734 1306

 

Umbilical @ Sangenjaya

Foie gras and strawberry macaron

Prosciutto and salami

Iwata salmon in yoghurt sauce

Pâté de campagne

Assorted homestyle pickles

Kale, cheese and walnut salad

Firefly squid in onion mousse

Asparagus, mushroom and aubergine sauté

Anago and shiso tempura

Squid tempura with seasonal vegetables

Bouillabaisse

Roast duck with seasonal vegetables

Hokkaido venison with seasonal vegetables

Arguably the classiest act in Sangenjaya’s “san-kaku” neighbourhood, Umbilical is a cosy bistro specialising in Franco-Japanese fusion dishes, with a leaning towards seafood and seasonal produce from Iwate, paired with some excellent natural wines.

A la carte and course options, including a chef’s omakase, are available, with favourites being the delightful strawberry and foie gras macarons, flavoursome bouillabaisse, and tender Hokkaido venison.

Umbilical

03 3413 3478

 

Tiger & Dragon @ Meguro

Tataki kyūri

Pītan tōfu

Pītan tōfu

Hiyashi wantan

Mārāmen

Shiru nashi dandan men

A relatively recent addition to Meguro’s flourishing dining scene, Tiger & Dragon opened in May 2024 to serve up deliciously spicy Chinese Dandan noodles, “tapas” dishes and organic wines, enabling diners to “savour a range of flavours” in a relaxed, contemporary setting.

This svelte restaurant is a cut above surrounding machi-chūka establishments, offering a limited menu of carefully prepared, and often tongue-numbingly spicy, dishes such as the mārāmen and shiru nashi dandan men. Chilled wanton dumplings and pītan tōfu help bring the temperature down.

Tiger & Dragon

03 6420 0114