This restaurant is a first-of-its-kind venture from UK-born furniture and interiors retailer the Conran Shop. Orby aims to reflect the passion for good food of the brand’s late founder Sir Terence Conran, and is found just across from the Conran Shop’s latest Tokyo store in Azabudai Hills Tower Plaza. The restaurant’s moniker is itself a tribute to Sir Conran, taken from his middle name.
Overseeing the project is Shin Nakahara, a key figure in Japan’s own interior design scene. Besides his current role as president of the Conran Shop Japan, Nakahara is part of the team behind Playmountain, a Tokyo shop whose great influence belies its compact size. Orby’s interior is every bit as stylish as expected: understated natural tones are flooded with light via expansive floor-to-ceiling windows during the day.
Head chef Makoto Konno, of acclaimed Tokyo bistros Uguisu and Organ, has put together a French bistro-style menu in which around 20 percent of the elements are derived from the often-underrated cuisine of the Conran Shop’s homeland. The prix fixe lunch (¥4,400) comprises an entrée, main dish and dessert, with vegan options also offered. Dinner, meanwhile, is a delectable eight-course affair priced at ¥11,000. A fine eye for design extends right down to the tableware, which has been custom-made in Japan’s pottery heartland of Mashiko, Tochigi prefecture.