EAT > Abysse, Ebisu Tokyo (19/20)

Abysse in Ebisu is that rare fine-dining room where Tokyo’s elegance, French technique, and Japan’s coastal abundance converge in a single, quietly dramatic arc. Anchored by seafood and the seasons, chef Kotaro Meguro’s cooking feels both deeply considered and instinctive, like a tide that knows exactly when to rise and fall.

AMBIENCE >

Slip into Abysse from the backstreets between Ebisu and Daikanyama and the city noise falls away, replaced by a low, cinematic hush that feels closer to an underwater chapel than a neighbourhood restaurant. Deep, inky tones, dark linens and timber details echo the “abyss” by name, while soft, directional lighting pools gently over each table, turning the room into a sequence of small, self-contained stages.

There is an open intimacy to the space—close enough to catch the choreography of the kitchen, far enough that the room never feels crowded—with a measured soundtrack and a calm, almost tidal pacing between courses. Service lands in that sweet spot between formal and relaxed: jackets and white-glove precision where it counts, but an easy willingness to chat about fish provenance, technique, or the merits of a particular grower Champagne.

EAT >

Abysse is, unequivocally, a restaurant about the sea—a seafood-driven tasting menu where almost every plate explores Japan’s waters through a French lens, often with a quiet nod to forest and mountain. Expect a progression that might move from delicate striped jack brightened with kelp, yuzu jelly and pink pepper warmth, to supple crustaceans or shellfish layered with bitter greens, herbs, or a whisper of tea for lift.

Textures are where Meguro’s cooking really finds its voice: silken confits against crisp vegetables, glossed sauces that carry depth without weight, and occasional flourishes like a potato blini crowned with salmon roe and salted yolk richness that feel both indulgent and rigorously controlled. Across longer dinner formats—up to 13 plates—the menu swells and recedes in intensity, building satisfying peaks without ever losing its through-line of clarity and restraint.

Portions are tuned to the experience rather than the clock—this is a two to three-hour commitment—but the rhythm holds, and the kitchen’s ability to stretch seafood into something almost architectural never tips into gimmickry. For those who like to plan around appetite (and jetlag), there are shorter courses at dinner and a slightly more modest 11-course lunch; all feel sharp value given the technique, produce and Michelin-star polish in play.

DRINK >

The wine list at Abysse reads like a compact atlas of maritime-friendly bottles: a strong French backbone, Burgundy and Champagne well represented, with thoughtful picks from further afield to track the menu’s shifts in salinity, sweetness and smoke. More than 200 labels give the sommelier plenty of room to move, and pairing flights are calibrated with the same sense of balance that defines the food—never just mirroring flavours, but adding acidity, texture or savour to frame each course.

By-the-glass options are serious enough to sustain a shorter menu without committing to a full bottle, while non-drinkers are looked after with tea and soft pairings that feel deliberate rather than afterthought. This is a place where asking for something mineral, saline, or a little oxidative will likely trigger a short, enthusiastic digression and a bottle pulled from the deeper end of the cellar.

The cellar and wine list is a point of difference in a city with the most Michelin star restaurants in the world, there Abysse provide selections that are equally worthy to the delicious plates.

CONCLUSION >

Abysse is one of those Tokyo dining rooms that stays with you long after the last course—less because of any single “hero” dish and more for the cumulative sense of control, place and personality on the plate. For seafood lovers, it is essential; for anyone curious about how French technique can be reimagined through Japanese waters and seasons, it is quietly revelatory.

Come for a long dinner of modern marine minimalism, or a lunch that stretches luxuriously into afternoon; either way, book ahead and give yourself over to Meguro’s tide. Abysse feels like a restaurant operating exactly where it wants to be—confident, precise and fully at ease in the depths it chooses to explore.

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Image Credit | ALMANAK

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