The Cocolo Chronicles

At the Table

Cooking, sake, ingredients — and the hands behind them. The taste of Japan, from the counter to the workshop.

SUZUCAFE

Published in At the Table on 19 January 2026

A new year, and new addresses to find. In Tokyo, even after several visits, wanting a coffee is sometimes enough to turn up something worth knowing. That is what happened to me in Shibuya, where I came across a café almost by accident and stayed put. This weekend I was looking for somewhere quiet and pleasant to have a coffee with a small group, and I came across SUZUCAFE Jinnan. Several couples were queuing at the door — a common enough sight in Japan, and usually a good sign: it means the kitchen is liked.

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Umezono Café & Gallery

Published in At the Table on 4 December 2025

One evening, walking home in Kyoto, I went into a café by accident, without knowing it would become a habit I would come to value. Since that day I have gone back whenever I can, when I need to stop and let a quiet, local, reassuring room do the work. It is a good place to slow down, eat something Japanese and sweet, and sit for a while outside the day. What I like most is where it is: the street is unexpectedly quiet given how close it stands to Nishiki market (a 7–10 minute walk) and the activity around

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Café Accueil Ebisu

Published in At the Table on 15 August 2025

Today the Cocolo Travel team went to Café Accueil, in the modern district of Ebisu. Its speciality: pancakes and sweets that give you a taste of Japan tuned to each season. [Café Accueil] (https://accueil.co.jp/ebisu/) Opening hours: 11:00-22:00 Price range: around 2000-3000 yen per person Ebisu, which takes its name from one of the most popular deities in the Japanese pantheon, has become a fixture of Tokyo life. Long known for the Yebisu brewery, it now carries an elegant, busy atmosphere that appeals to young

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Five Japanese dishes you probably haven't tried yet

Published in At the Table on 14 February 2025

Ramen, onigiri, sushi. These dishes stand for Japanese food abroad and need no introduction. But there are plenty of others, just as good, that you have most likely never tasted. Here are five Japanese dishes you probably don't know yet, and that are worth seeking out on a trip to Japan. Sukiyaki is a Japanese hotpot in which a range of ingredients — vegetables, noodles, meat, tofu — cook in a simmering broth. What sets it apart from other hotpots is the raw egg served alongside. The egg is the sauce: you dip each

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Five traditional Japanese sweets worth knowing

Published in At the Table on 14 February 2025

Wagashi: 和菓子 (和 wa = Japan; 菓子 kashi/gashi = confectionery) are, as the name says, traditional Japanese sweets. Japanese pastry chefs today are among the best in the world and Western cakes are much loved, but wagashi remain popular and you will have no trouble finding shops that sell them. Traditionally they are eaten during the tea ceremony, with matcha. The bitterness of the matcha balances how sweet they are, and the two together are the point. There are many kinds of wagashi. We have chosen the five most

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Five places to eat French food in Tokyo

Published in At the Table on 14 February 2025

Fancy a proper French meal during your stay in Japan? Finding somewhere affordable that still tastes the way it should can be difficult. So we took it upon ourselves to test a good many addresses, and here are the five we liked best in Tokyo: With two restaurants in Tokyo, one in Shinjuku and the other in Omotesando, Breizh café is a crêperie you may already know, because it exists in Paris too. You will find real Breton crêpes, good cider, and French and Japanese staff who are properly bilingual. Expect between

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