When a restaurant is so popular you have to reserve as much as a month in advance, there¡¯s always a concern it may not live up to all the anticipation. But no need to worry at Mimosa, when you (eventually) get to your table there.

Chef Toshiro Minami already had a strong fan base well before he opened Mimosa last July. That¡¯s not surprising, given his pedigree as the man behind the wok for almost seven years at °ä³ó±ð´Ú¡¯²õ, the legendary (and still very much alive) Chinese restaurant in backstreet Shinjuku Gyoenmae.

But the main reason why tables at Minami¡¯s compact second-floor premises are still in such hot demand is because he¡¯s serving some of the most satisfying Shanghai food in Tokyo. Just as at °ä³ó±ð´Ú¡¯²õ, his cooking is authentic in its seasonings and infused with a Japanese lightness of touch. But here at Mimosa he has taken this approach to the next level.