Den Kushi Flori
Den Kushi Flori pairs Zaiyu Hasegawa's playful precision with Hiroyasu Kawate's French technique.
Dip a charcoal-grilled skewer of ebi taro into a bowl of warm lobster bisque, the cream clinging briefly before slipping back. At Den Kushi Flori, Japanese sensibility and French technique meet, not on a white plate but on a stick. The counter-only restaurant brings together Zaiyu Hasegawa of Den and Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilège.
The usual ceremony of fine dining softens, leaving precision and quiet playfulness. Each dish is finished in front of you, a brush of sauce here, a final garnish just before it’s passed across the counter. Behind a row of donabe pots, a chef stirs with his back turned as smoke rises from the center grill. The scent of charcoal and sweet sauce hangs in the air as a skewered kamo meatball arrives glazed with negi, juicy and smoky.
The meal ends with a gentle dilemma: seasonal ice cream mochi with azuki, or flan topped with softly whipped cream. Either one makes for a soft landing before you walk back up the stairs.
Address: GEMS Aoyama CROSS B1A, 5-46-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
5-minute walk from Omotesando Station
Instagram: @denkushifulori
Love French-Japanese fusion? Check out Peter at The Peninsula Tokyo: French Technique, Japanese Soul
Craving more Japanese flavors? Try Dachibin
