To celebrate me getting my Permanent Residency, Mrs IKIMASHO recently took me out for lunch at Simplicité in Daikanyama – a fantastic little 1 Michelin Star restaurant with an intuitive focus on fish. Fine Dining is something we have both come to enjoy a few times a year, and there is no shortage of options in this city. For more than a decade, Tokyo has maintained the accolade as the city with the most starred restaurants in the world. The food at Simplicité was exceptional, and I would not hesitate to go back. Thank you to my wife for such a wonderful surprise!
The name of the restaurant is based upon the idea that its people, ingredients, and food should be ‘Simplicite’. By the way, the food descriptions below aren’t exactly what they were listed as on the menu so sorry if my captions aren’t quite as elegant as the Japanese! 
Sea charcuterie (assortment of appetizers) including smoked/cured salmon; seasoned yuba (tofu skin); smoked octopus; white fish wrapped in shiso leaf. Seated in a small, private room we were first brought this plate to share. 
Some canapés followed. Tuna and salmon over cheese and biscuit topped with caviar and squid. 
An olive liquid madeleine sitting on black squid ink crumb. Once you bit into this, the taste of pure olive exploded in your mouth. It was bizarre yet amazing. 
Lightly seared tilefish smoked with branches. Once the lid was lifted, the smoke added a nice bit of theatre to the room. 
Fugu (puffer fish) with lily bulbs 
Squid ink and basil butter for the bread that was baked in-house 
Aori ika (giant squid) with basil sauce, fried shrimp senbei cracker, quinoa and black squid ink sauce 
Sawara (Japanese Spanish mackerel) with asari clams, basil oil, kumquat gel and fish broth 
Guinea fowl in a red wine sauce, with cauliflower and fried lotus root 
Oni gurumi (Japanese walnut) ice cream topped with liqueured cherries, walnuts and a chocolate biscuit crumb 
Raspberry choux cream
IKIMASHO! 