Dragon’s den offers fine fare

Finding a restaurant in Tokyo can be a little daunting: this is a city with over 65,000 restaurants and more Michelin stars than Paris.

At many of the top places the waiters speak little or no English and you can end up sat at a bar – awkward for business talk.

If you want to impress a client then I recommend Ryugin, a modern Japanese restaurant in the district of Roppongi, the expatriate heart of Tokyo.

Ryugin, which means ‘dragon’, has three Michelin stars, and chef Seiji Yamamoto creates beautiful food using exquisite ingredients.

Presentation is of a high standard, with dishes that look as good as they taste.

The particularly high-quality abalone is shipped from the chef’s home town daily, and at a recent meal I particularly enjoyed charcoal-grilled Japanese beef served with tender white asparagus and walnuts.

Desserts were also impressive, with orange souffle, served in a hollowed-out orange, having lovely flavour and texture.

Waiters speak good English, and the dining room is attractively decorated with pretty display plates from China and well-spaced tables.

This is a restaurant where you will get a real sense of top class Japanese food in an environment that is comfortable for a non-Japanese speaker.

For more reviews of the world’s top restaurants, visit andyhayler.com