Cocon

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎁 Innovative ✖️ 🇦🇺 Australian / 📍 Nakameguro

📓 Visits: 4 (2022-2023)

Masataka Kuriwaki, has a great CV including time at 3-Star Mirazur in France and several years at Amour in Ebisu which held a Michelin Star in the Tokyo Guide from 2013 to 2019.  But it's perhaps his year-long stint at Bennelong in the Sydney Opera House that's had the biggest influence on his career to date, with him choosing to serve innovative food with an Australian accent at his first own restaurant.  Chef's menu is ten courses for JPY 11,000 at lunch or dinner or 7 courses for JPY 6,600 at lunch or JPY 8,800 at dinner.

The restaurant is located on the fourth floor of an uninviting building close to Nakameguro station but inside it's an oasis of cool with one side of the restaurant all glass letting in a huge amount of natural light in the day and granting a view of Kurikawa-san's expansive foliage and urban herb garden.  80s funk/RnB drowns out any sound from the trains.  You'll likely be seated at the 6-seat counter as the table that seats up to four has been unused on all my visits.  Twice I've been the only diner.  Otherwise, it's not strictly a simultaneous start but it's ended up working out that way though those two times I finished my main ahead of the other diners so was served my desserts ahead of them.

Each time I've had the 6K lunch.  The meal begins with a tartar of Australian kangaroo, macadamia nuts and quail egg.  A large portion, perfect temperature, no sinew and full of flavour.  Could easily be mistaken for beef.  9/10.  Next 2-3 "starters".  I put that in quotes because with most of these including a quality protein, they could, perhaps as slightly larger portions, easily qualify as fish or main courses.  After fish and meat, not one but two desserts which can be brilliant.  (Kuriwaki-san has been experimenting with dessert-only course menus.  Follow the restaurant on Instagram for announcements.)  Menu and comments/scores for each dish below.

📅 Visit July 2023

🕛 Lunch course 6,000

Kangaroo tartar (9.5)
Fruit tomato, clam juice gazpacho, olive oil powder, tsubugai (9.5)
Miyazaki jidori sumiyaki, red pepper, coconut sauce, jasmine rice (8.5)
Hirame, Italian green almonds, beurre blanc (8)
Duck sumiyaki, tropical fruit sauce, pineapple and mustard, mango (7.5)
Stout ice-cream  (7.5/8)
Passion fruit chiboust, nata de coco, mascarpone, mango mousse, tougan

🍷 Pairing (no alcohol)

Hazlenut syrup, honey
Fermented strawberry, jasmine tea, grape juice
Hoppy, non-alcoholic rum
Herb tea, forest syrup
Mate, fermented pineapple

💴 Damage: 12,000 (6000 + drinks @ 3000 + 10% + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h15m

Hirame was a bit sweet and needed to be hotter.  Duck was far too sweet.  Wanted the ice-cream creamier and less bitter.

📅 Visit February 2023

🕛 Lunch course 6,000

Kangaroo tartar (9)
Raw oyster, sansai, turnip jelly, shiso (9)
Jerusalem artichoke boiled, puree, chips; pineapple (8.5)
Tasmanian salmon, pork and hojicha broth, yurine, renkon, mugi moichi, nori (8.5)
Monkfish, chorizo, Spring veg, shrimp sauce (8)
Shamo, Jerusalem artichoke vanilla puree, Marsala sauce (8)
Apple, mascarpone, orange wine jelly, panko, Indonesian pepper (7.5)
Kome gyunyu, raspberry, raspberry sauce, mixed grains, chocolate, azuki (7.5-8)

🍷 Pairing

Grape reduction, yuzu, honey, vinegar
Vigna Lenuzza, Ribolla Gialla
2020, Bencze, Harslevelu
Jasmine tea, roasted barley
2007, Cascina Degli Ulivi, La Merla Bianca
2020, Maurer Oszkar, Crazy Lud

Apple in first dessert a bit tasteless.  Second dessert a bit of a breakfast dish.  Would never have ordered a dish of Jerusalem artichoke and pineapple if I saw it on a menu but it really worked.  Always eat something here I've never had before.

💴 Damage: 12,000 (6000 + drinks @ 4000 + 10% + 10%)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h30m

📅 Visit September 2022

🕛 Lunch course 6,000

Kangaroo tartar (9)
Tachiuo, yagara, myoga, nira (8.5)
Fromage blanc, kuri, kiwi, ebi, edamame, mange tout, pea shoots (8)
Beef shabu, hamaguri dashi, star anise, congee (9/9.5)
Itoyori en papillote, kinshinsai, mak ken pepper (9)
Kamo sumibiyaki, gobo, okahijiki, Kyoho, PX sauce (7.5)
Shine Muscat, coriander mousse, shin shoga jelly, nata de coco, meringue, white chocolate cookie (9.5)
White balsamic jelly, fig, cheesecake mousse, hojicha tuile (9)

🍷 Pairing

Sparkling wine, Catalunya
Lemon kombucha
White wine, Greece
Mugi-cha, grape, sesame
Orange wine, Slovenia
Alain Milliat red grape, beetroot juice

Tartar, tachiuo and sauce in kamo were a bit sweet.  Duck was bit tough and I've had much better but can't complain at this price and I got a double-size portion.

💴 Damage: 12,000 (6000 + drinks @ 4500 + tax)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h45m

📅 Visit May 2022

🕛 Lunch course 6,000

Kangaroo tartar (9)
Aori ika, sansai, cashew paste, hazelnut sauce (7.5)
Barley 'risotto', braised boneless lamb, Spring cabbage, beer sauce (7.5)
Skate (8)
Yamagata pork sumibiyaki (8)
White chocolate mousse, candied carrots, citrus, cumin jelly (8.5, 10 as a pre-dessert)
Rice pudding, strawberry compote, citrus, raisin, yurine, rice milk mousse (8.5)

I got the wing of skate whereas everyone else got the middle which is fine.  A little dry in some parts and could have done with a minute less in the pan but all edible and rarely served in Japan.  Pork had great flavour to start with.  Garnish was fine but not so inspiring.

💴 Damage: 9,000 (6000 + 2 drinks @ 1100 each + tax)
⏱️ Time taken: 1h45m

There's no drink menu.  Chef mixes his own non-alcoholic drinks which are priced at JPY 1,100 each.  Alcohol is available by the glass but I recommend requesting a pairing.  A full alcohol pairing with the lunch course is JPY 4,500 but if you don't want to be smashed at lunch you can request more non-alcoholic drinks and it will work out cheaper.  Chef pours you a glass of water as soon as you sit down (why can't all restaurants do this?)  Cold brew coffee is included in the course.  I've enjoyed all the drinks I've had.

Kurikawa-san, 36, runs the restaurant single-handedly but, even with drinks to mix and pairings to set-up, works very quickly and all my meals have been under two hours.  Time is saved with self-service cutlery.  All the dishes and drinks are properly explained.  Kurikawa-san can speak a little English.

There's originality in almost every dish here and excellence in the cooking but I feel like the food has been getting steadily sweeter with every visit to the point now where I've slightly lowered my score and taken a pause.  That said, 7-8 courses for JPY 6,600 is less than JPY 1,000 a course.  This is ridiculously good value for cooking of this quality.  Cocon might be the most under-appreciated new opening in Tokyo in 2021 and is certainly one of the most original.

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1317/A131701/13262403/ 

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.15 (value: 5.0) 

📱 Booking: 🟩 Easy.  Next day or advance via Tabelog or Pocket Concierge or same-day or advance via phone.

📍 Location: 

4F Chiyo Nakameguro Building Annex, 3-8-3 Kami-Meguro.  4F multi-tenant building.  1 min from Nakameguro station.
Map data ©2022 Google

📶 Free WiFi? ✅ Yes