Preceding the current worldwide love for ‘Japandi’ style (a blend of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics) by decades, Japan has long had a great fondness for Nordic design. Tokyo’s latest example of this is ØC, a crêpe-focused café tucked away on a quiet residential street in Yoyogi-Uehara. Here, minimalist Scandi-style furniture brings pops of colour to a calmingly subdued interior, with these characteristic tables and chairs extending out onto a small covered terrace.
The culinary pedigree of the man behind ØC Tokyo, Masaki Tai, makes this a spot that foodies and design aficionados alike will want to check out. Tai was part of the team responsible for Meguro restaurant Kabi, acclaimed for its innovative use of fermentation and pickling.
Tai’s experience of eating crêpes in Paris inspired him to take up the challenge of creating his own recipe. His subsequent experimentation has resulted in a signature crêpe (¥1,320), whose simplicity allows the attention paid to ingredients and preparation to shine through. Thin yet surprisingly chewy dough is imbued with a golden-brown hue, while the richness of unsalted butter and the crunchiness of brown sugar combine to make each mouthful a delight.
Also on offer is a selection of crêpe-based lunches, such as Danish-sourced roast pork served with seasonal root vegetables, that use mostly organic ingredients. Coffee, meanwhile, is made with beans from popular Copenhagen café Prolog.