Nihonryori Otora (日本料理 お寅)
🇯🇵 Kaiseki / 📍 Hiroo
📓 Visits: 1
So I wasn't going to post this until I then saw the restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide (we don't know if it will be starred or Selected in 2027). They (Michelin, in their write-up) try to differentiate restaurants with a story. Unfortunately, especially once you've been, these are rarely interesting. The first question most punters will ask about a new restaurant is "where did the chef work before?" And that's where Otora does become interesting, because the chef is ex 3-Star Makimura (review here). So why doesn't the Michelin write-up say that? After all, it can't be a co-incidence that restaurants run by chefs who have worked in Starred kitchens get the nod, whereas others often don't. Maybe it's about not wanting to overstate expectations. So then lets look at this: 'from the chef of Mirazur in southern France' ... 'Having stretched out his roots in southern France and budded leaves of creativity, the chef has blossomed in Otemachi.' Poor grammar, something removed, something overlooked or just deceitful? The restaurant is named "CYCLE by Mauro Colagreco". "The chef of Mirazur" may have his name above the door in Otemachi, but he won't be cooking your dinner. And as for setting expectations (I went before the restaurant appeared in The Guide), my experience was poor.
To be clear, I was not expecting a Makimura-level experience at Otora. But I was hoping the chef could really cook. I liked the suppon dish. Cooked in a crepe and then deep fried in panko, always gonna be a winner. The hirame was good but the maguro did not have the best flavour. Tai hoho is a cheap cut of fish with a ton of bones and cartilage. Hardly the makings of a 3-Star dish (though that didn't stop Esaki) but it's arguably the tastiest part of the creature. That said, the soup was not great. Yuba and nanohana was strangely sweet. Sugar? Fugu karagge was a bit burned. The beef had no fat and needed a lot of chewing. Rice was tai chazukue. Not a favourite of mine, not the same quality as Makimura and a main ingredient that had been repeated.
As for the atmosphere, it's just one chef and a very junior restaurant assistant (could have been the chef's partner or friend).
I get that many people will be perfectly happy with Otora but I'm looking for the best quality or best value experiences. Right now, the generosity and enthusiasm of the chef is exceeding the quality of his ingredients and cooking ability.
📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1307/A130701/13314662/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.7
📱 Booking: 🟩 An easy booking via Tabelog, TableCheck or Omakase. If you're on your own there is more availability by phone or DM. No English spoken.
📍 Location:
4-5-4 Nishiazabu. 7 mins north from Hiroo Station Exit 4.
Map data ©2026 Google
📅 Visit February 2026
Fugu, fugu shirako
Suppon pan
Tai hoho owan
Hirame
Maguro
Yuba, nanohana
Fugu karagge
Takenoko, wakame
Fukushima rump
Tai chazuke
Strawbery daifuku
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