This pristine restaurant in Azabu-Juban specializes in contemporary Spanish cuisine with a respectful nod to modern French gastronomy. Chef Seichi Honda spent nine years in France and Spain before returning to Japan to work at Ryugin and Sant Pau.

Artistically presented appetizers - ethereal zucchini ravioli veiled in paper-thin slices of pancetta, sprinkled with pickled basil seeds; perfectly cooked squid stuffed with minced shiitake and eringi mushrooms, atop a pool of cabbage sauce - aptly display the chef's verve and creativity.

The same lightness of touch is not immediately evident in the mains, however. A neat rectangle of tender pork tongue and pig's cheek, dusted in herbed breadcrumbs and grilled, was tasty but persistently salty.

Prix-fixe meals are Y4,800 at lunchtime and Y11,000 at dinnertime (expect a 10% service charge). The cellar stocks over 120 kinds of Spanish wine, with a number of bottles priced comfortably between Y4,000-7,000.