Aquavit

Contemporary Scandinavian cuisine was woefully underrepresented in Tokyo before the opening of Aquavit a few years back, so Satterwhite feels privileged to enjoy chef Marcus Samuelsson's modern Swedish recipes. 

“The cooking is inspired and full of pleasant surprises, and a welcome bit of diversity in the French- and Italian-dominated world of Tokyo European restaurants,” he says.

The lunchtime menu in particular celebrates Aquavit's Scandinavian roots, with skillful renditions of classic dishes like Toast Skagen (Danish-style shrimp salad), Swedish Meatballs (served with a creamy gravy and lingonberries), and Beef Rydberg (diced beef tenderloin with sauteed onions and potatoes, egg yolk and mustard cream). 

The menu gets more elaborate at dinnertime, with offerings like the foie gras ganache with cured and dried duck and apple compote, Satterwhite’s top recommendation, and marinated Norway salmon with smoked avocado, lumpfish caviar cream and zucchini.

“Any discussion of Aquavit would be incomplete without mention of their signature drinks list though,” says Satterwhite. Home-made aquavits include exotic flavors like pear-vanilla-black pepper; horseradish; and mango-chili pepper. 

“An Aquavit tasting of three varieties is a very refreshing way to start or finish the meal."

Best to tuck into the aquavit and aquavit-based cocktails while you're seated in a gigantic Austin Powers-style chair in the formidably stylish lounge area. 

Both lounge and dining room feature sleek Japanese- and Scandinavian-inspired design, with contemporary artwork hanging from the walls.