When you first settle in at Mikawa Zezankyo it's the plush decor you see at first. The wide counter, the comfortable seats, the walls a restful shade of green, the picture window with its view onto a tiny modern rock garden...
But then you see the odd touches: the incongruous European antiques, the stained glass up on one wall, the ceiling papered with kimono stencils...
And then there's the hat...
This is the extractor fan hood, made of polished copper in the shape of a fedora — apparently the kind of hat that chef Saotome likes to wear when he steps out in style.
Saotome commissioned a score of artisans to decorate his restaurant and it shows. It's all a bit of a mishmash. There's plenty more of the same upstairs on the 3rd floor, where Saotome has a gallery of antiques (he's especially keen on Chinese and Japanese bronzes). He has a tea room that's about the opposite of zen, with no stinting on the lavish ostentation.
If you've ever visited the Roppongi Hills branch of Mikawa, the birds in this illustration may look familiar — same artist, though here the sparrows have been given some 3-D counterparts on the floor in front.
The second floor — used by larger groups — seems eminently restrained in comparison: tatami floors, washi-covered doors, fusuma screens with subtle illustrations in sumi ink...
Full address and details on my JT post here...
But the map's still not visible, so here's a google maps link...
