Mirei

The French painter Jean-François Millet was the inspiration behind the restaurant's name—Western culture being a major influence in the owner-chef Yuzo Nakao's hometown of Nagasaki, an international port city for centuries. Recognising that no two people have the same tastes, he welcomes guests with a varied à la carte menu. Make a point of ordering the pureed soup of young onions, peaches, chestnuts and Kyoto yams which bursts with imagination and the colours of the seasons.

What sets it apart:

• A la carte freedom at a Michelin-star counter, you can order lightly or build a full sequence.
• Seasonal pureed soups that change with the calendar, vegetables and fruit treated with the same seriousness as fish.
• A playful house signature in the baked nama-fu with blue cheese, plus a service style that offers to split single dishes for the table.

Signature ingredients and anchors of the kitchen:

• Seasonal vegetable and fruit soups, ground into smooth, vividly flavoured bowls.
• Rice-bran pickled cucumber (nukazuke), used to sharpen potato salad Mirei-style.
• Nama-fu, baked and paired with blue cheese for a savoury, slightly unexpected note.
• Small, shareable plates designed for a la carte ordering, with the kitchen happy to split portions when asked.

A counter restaurant where the owner-chef serves a varied a la carte menu that runs from simple comfort dishes to more elaborate plates, letting guests build their own meal. Seasonal markers include soups made from ground vegetables and fruit, a potato salad finished with cucumber pickled in rice bran, and baked nama-fu with blue cheese as a playful savoury course.