As Japanese cuisine permeates across the globe, it's inspiring some compelling fusions. One standout example is Censu, a Hong Kong restaurant that elevates the izakaya to casual luxury level while freely blending French, Chinese and Japanese cooking. Since opening in 2021, it has been consistently fully booked with queues snaking outside. The success of this venture has inspired founder Shun Sato to bring the concept back to his native Japan.
Censu Tokyo, located just across from Meiji Park, is helmed by chef Fumiyuki Kinsu, who trained at a Michelin-starred French restaurant before further honing his craft at Censu Hong Kong. Here, the stylish yet relaxing interior is an ‘HK x Tokyo’ fusion in which plentiful Japanese cedar wood meets elements emblematic of Hong Kong, such as neon tubes. Counter seating on the first floor allows glimpses of Kinsu and his team as they cook, while on the second storey, table options include terrace seating illuminated by sizeable paper lanterns.
On the menu you’ll find some acclaimed dishes from the original Censu: Hong Kong Wing (¥1,380) consists of deep-fried chicken tossed with fried and aromatised chilli peppers, while the inquisitively named Censu Cheese Burger? (¥980) is a spring roll stuffed with, yes, the ingredients normally found inside a cheese burger.
To these staples, Kinsu has added dishes exclusive to Censu Tokyo. Highlights among these include an interpretation of the traditional Hong Kong ‘drunken clam’ (¥1,480) in which clams are marinated in rice wine, plum wine and whiskey. Kinsu’s version, in place of the jasmine used in HK recipes, is instead infused with cherry blossom leaves. Speaking of rice wine, Censu Tokyo offers its own exclusive sake alongside a list of brews from premium makers across Japan.
Text by Darren Gore