Sick of small and darling in Hong Kong? Try small and darling in Tokyo. By Emmie Poon.

As an outsider, traveling in Tokyo can sometimes make you feel stupid. Inevitably, you feel like you are missing something—like there is some cool, hip thing everyone is talking about right under your nose, but you just can’t find it. Arranged as a warren of small, impenetrable neighborhoods, even experienced Tokyo hands can feel confused and alienated. It doesn’t help that the overwhelming trend here in the past few years has been to go smaller, more hidden and more local. This keeps a venue exclusive without having to impolitely turn people away at the door. Very Japanese. But for ignorant barbarians like us, it just makes things more difficult.

Compounding the problem is the smallness factor. Oops, didn’t see that tiny non-sign with a passing reference to the restaurant’s name in small font in the middle of this residential neighborhood? Back to Yoshinoya. (Say what you want about the size of things in Hong Kong, we have giant signs.) So on our latest visit, we’ve dug deep to find some of the coolest little boutique bars and restaurants that you should hit up next time you are in town to score some street cred with your travel companions. Some are hidden, some are easier to find, all are small and boutique-y.

Eating
We begin fairly obviously. But Cha Cha Hana is one of our favorite boutique restaurants in the city. Built in a small Showa-era house renovated in elegant modern Japanese style and tucked away only minutes behind the neon pandemonium of Shinjuku, Cha Cha Hana is a very pretty way to impress a first-timer. The nouvelle Japanese cuisine is just as exquisite, if a little small in portion (hey, you’re in Japan): the Camembert cheese tempura and the grilled Japanese yam served with egg and bonita flakes are both highly recommended.

Or if you need a little extra oomph to impress on a romantic excursion, take her to some the finest French dining in the city, at Cote D’or in Minato. Reserved and romantic, this restaurant feels intimate without the pretentiousness, which some say they reserve for the food. But what else would you expect from haute French with a Japanese twist? We particularly liked their preparation of fresh-market fish: try the buttered stingray. Also expect a wide selection of top-tier French wines, and prices to match.

And of course what’s a visit to Tokyo without a stop at a neighborhood izakaya? Impress your friends by taking them to Susano, a wonderful, stately izakaya a little off the beaten track of Roppongi (a well-trod track if there ever was one). About a five-minute walk from Roppongi Crossing, tucked away up the back stairs inside a residential building so unassuming you’ll walk right by it at first. But you’ll be glad you found it. The décor is traditional but with modern detail, and the food is classic. The fish is almost criminally fresh, served from the 10-foot aquarium near the entrance. This is an ideal place for a spot of early evening eating and drinking. And boy, the drinking is good. With dozens of sakes on offer, it may be hard to choose, but we recommend you splash out on the rare Higan from Niigata, if they have it in stock. And that leads us nicely to our next section...

Drinking
Smaller, intimate bars are much more common in Tokyo than in Hong Kong. Even one of their more popular (well, lesser hidden) bar strips, The Golden Gai, is a world away from Wyndham Street. The little shanty bars on this small stretch of Shinjuku are still sometimes still called “hostess clubs” though the clientele these days consists mostly of trendy, bohemian types. Slip into one that catches your fancy and sidle up to a cabal of prim, properly dressed art directors, photographers and textile artists if you dare. Though quiet, this street is far from a hidden destination.

For something a little harder to find, try Bar Piano, a tiny bolthole of a place in bustling Shibuya. Bar Piano is built around the baby grand in the middle of the room, and there is very little room beyond it. The limited space, highly eccentric clientele, and wide range of drinks including many fine whiskeys are more than enough to recommend Bar Piano for our list. The city’s oldest “western” pub, Kamiya Bar, is another good choice for a classic evening. Western mostly in name (oh, and in the long list of imported spirits), this quaint pub has been going strong in its current location since 1921. It has had plenty of time to establish that neighborhood pub feel—on our visit, all of the patrons (mostly locals) were clearly friends and acquaintances. The jocular atmosphere is easy to penetrate, and after a couple “Denki-Brans” (a mixture of gin, wine, brandy and Curaçao) we were good for a few “Lost in Translation” moments with the regulars.



Finally, the super-stylish Claska Lobby in the so-cool-it-hurts boutique hotel Claska is an incredibly well-designed way to pass an evening. The little boutique hotel in Meguro has generated quite a buzz for itself, thanks to its minimalist, Japanese design and soaring high ceilings. The bar, though rarely bustling, is often dotted with tables of beautiful people enjoying the fine sake and shoju from the extensive list. The hotel is worth a stop in and of itself—adjoining it is the Gallery & Shop Do, a small shop-cum-art space that features works from young up-and-coming Japanese designers, such as figurines, woodcarvings and paper folding materials.

But wait, what about the other million cute little boutique shops in Tokyo? You know, one of the most overwhelming shopping experiences in the world? Well, that’s a whole other story... 

Staying
We’ve already mentioned Claska as an authentic boutique hotel, but of course, we have a tendency to be a little fancier than that. Which is why we recommend the Four Seasons Marunouchi—it features all the high-end service you expect from the luxury chain, but in true boutique hotel fashion. Not to be mistaken with its larger and more famous sister hotel in Chinzan-so, the FS Marunouchi is hidden inside the back of an office building in the relatively quiet and subdued financial district of Marunouchi, just a few blocks from the Imperial Palace. Done up in a classy modern design, the hotel also has a lovely bar in the Lobby Lounge, where the ritzy guests and local bankers mingle—on our visit, one of our companions swore they were sitting directly across from Jude Law. The restaurant, Ekki Bar and Grill, really captures the intimate feel of a private kitchen, with small crowds, super-attentive service and truly delectable contemporary Japanese-infused western cuisine. Recommended dishes include the spicy Zuwaigani crab cake, and the succulent swordfish with couscous.



Though it can be a bit pricey (hey, it’s the Four Seasons), this hotel is an intimate, hidden gem in the middle of downtown Tokyo, ideal for a luxurious boutique weekend.

Flying
Cathay flies daily to Tokyo from $2,799.

Finding
Bar Piano, Nombei Yokocho, 1-25-10 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, 81-3-5467-0258

Cha Cha Hana, 1-1-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, 81-3-5292-2933

Claska Hotel, 1-3-18 Chuo-cho, Meguro-ku, 81-3-5773-8620, www.claska.com

Cote D’or, 1/F, Mita House, 5-2-18 Mita, Minato-ku, 81-3-3455-5145

The Golden Gai, in Shinjuku

Four Seasons Marunouchi, Pacific Century Place, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, 81-3-5222-7222

Kamiya Bar, 1-1-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, 81-3-3841-5400

Sasano, 2/F, 9-6-23 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 81-3-3475-6055