Clubs in Tokyo

Bars in Tokyo

Restaurants in Tokyo

Nobu Tokyo 6-10-17 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (5467 0022) Omotesando station, then a ten-min walk. Open restaurant 11.30am-3.30pm (last order 2.30pm) Mon-Fri; 6-11.30pm (doors close at 10pm) daily. Bar 5.30pm-4am (last order 3.30am) Mon-Sat; 5.30-11.30pm (last order 11pm) Sun. Average lunch ¥5,000, dinner ¥8,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in English. Nobu Matsuhisa started as a sushi chef in Tokyo before striking out for Peru, Argentina and the US. His restaurant Nobu electrified jaded New York palates and set the standard for nouvelle Japanese cuisine. In addition to restaurants in New York, London, Beverly Hills and Aspen, Nobu comes home to Japan in an elegant, sophisticated setting serving world-class fusion cuisine. Black cod with miso is purportedly actor Robert De Niro's favourite, though Nobu is most renowned for his sushi rolls. La' Grotta Celeste Aoyama Centre Bldg 1F, 3-8-40 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (3401 1261) Omotesando station. Open 11.30am-3pm, 5.30-11pm, daily. Average lunch ¥1,000-¥1,800; dinner ¥5,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in Italian. A place for a special-occasion splurge, with excellent service and exquisite Italian food in a lovely pink-hued setting. It's hard to decide which is better: the grotto room with its brick lattice walls and Italianate ceiling fresco or the centre room with a view of the open kitchen and its wood-burning stove. Tokyo Salon 5-47-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku (3407 6865)Omotesando station. Open 11am-11pm daily. Average ¥3,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in English. Chef Dante Fazzina would prefer to have his cuisine classified as Mediterranean, but no matter; he'll fulfil any request and happily adapt his cooking to whatever culinary trip you're on. At night a member's club, the yearly fee of ¥10,000 allows you entrée to one of the most creative spaces in Tokyo. Large wooden chairs, a tatami room, exquisite flower arrangements, live music and events, dozens of candles and intimately prepared food make this one of the un-stuffiest clubs on earth. Try the sublime baked aubergine, lively vegetable soup or a mixed antipasto platter. Open to non-members until 5pm, and during special events. Vision Network/Las Chicas 5-47-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku (3407 6865)Omotesando station. Open 11am-11pm daily. Average lunch ¥1,000; dinner ¥4,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in English. The most creative, foreigner-friendly space in town, Vision Network is a gorgeous complex encompassing several restaurants and bars (Las Chicas, Tokyo Salon, Nude and Crome) that host revolving exhibitions of local talent. The bilingual staff (mostly Australian) are friendly and helpful, and so on the cutting edge of fashion as to constitute an exhibition themselves. Potato wedges with sour cream and Thai chilli sauce, cheesy polenta chips or homemade bread with real butter are all meals in themselves, perfect mates for earthy, sensuous Australian wines. Chez Pierre 1-23-10 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (3475 1400) Aoyama-itchome station. Open 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10pm, Tue-Sun. Average ¥7,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in French. Charming, unpretentious mom and pop place serving French provincial cuisine. The inside is warm and inviting, while the floor-to-ceiling windows of the café terrace are perfect for lingering over tea and pastries. The seafood is popular. Recommended wines, carefully selected, change regularly. Zakuro TBS Kaikan Bldg B1, 5-3-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku (3582 6841) Akasaka-mitsuke station. Open 11am-11pm daily. Average ¥9,000. Credit all major cards. Menu in English. Branches 4-6-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku (3535 4421). Ginza station; Nihon Jitensha Kaikan, 1-9-15 Akasaka, Minato-ku (3582 2661). Akasaka station; Shin Nihonbashi Bldg B1, 3-8-2 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku (3271 3791). Nihonbashi station; Shin Yaesu Bldg B1, 1-7-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku (3563 5031). Kyobashi station; Chiba Bin Bldg B1, Nihonbashi-muromachi 1-5-3, Chuo-ku (3241 4841). Mitsukoshimae station. A casual restaurant that captures the best of Japan's traditional haute cuisine: shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, tempura and dishes inspired by fresh seasonal bounties, served in private or common western-style dining rooms, tempura bar or private tatami rooms.