Although it is not easy to find, a trip to Abysse is more than worth the detour. Set in a backstreet in Minato, the restaurant occupies the same venue that once hosted Florilege before they moved into their current location. Open only since March 2015, it is already one of the places you can not miss when in Tokyo.

Abysse is the brain child of 30-year-old Chef Patron Kotaro Meguro who previously worked at Le Petit Nice in Marseille and at Quintessence in Tokyo. Through his experience he developed his profound love for seafood, hence the name of the restaurant.

Serving almost no meat, Chef Patron Meguro and his small team bring dishes in so many creative ways that you almost do not realise you are eating mainly seafood. The cooking style is predominantly French although the use of local Japanese fish gives it a much lighter twist. Similarly, the service is classy with white gloves but does not feel formal at all.

The dining room itself is rather small and can only host up to twenty people including the private room. There are no windows and the overall look and feel is rather dark just due to the lack of windows. However, this darkness in combination with the ocean themed tableware perfectly matches the name of the restaurant and makes for a most pleasant dining experience.

Perhaps, what makes this restaurant stand out the most, are the sharply priced menus. At lunch time there is a six course menu and for dinner there is a nine course version, both at prices almost impossible to beat at this quality level in Tokyo.

Less than two years old and already this outstanding, Abysse is most certainly a place to keep an eye on.

Written by Sebastiaan