Crony (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Mom and I always have a meal together on the final days of a trip to catch up with each other. That tradition got bumped up to Day Three of this trip to Tokyo thanks to the incredible demand at our dinner venue. Two-Michelin-starred Crony was an itch I’ve wanted to scratch for a long time but securing a reservation there was no easy feat. Fortunately before the trip, I managed to snag a table for tonight when Jelloman and little one went off for their own adventure at the beloved Pokemon Café.  

Crony was opened in 2016 by Chef Michihiro Haruta (春田 理宏) and sommelier Kazutaka Ozawa. The pair has worked together for nearly 15 years building a strong partnership along the way. Chef Haruta honed his craft at world-renowned restaurants including Ledoyen (Paris), Kadeau (Copenhagen) and Saison (San Francisco). He is best known for blending French, Scandinavian and North American cooking techniques into his contemporary cuisine.

Tucked away on a quiet street corner near Tokyo Tower, the cozy Scandinavian-style restaurant spread across two thoughtfully designed floors.

Its minimalist aesthetic, natural wood accents, and soft lighting created an inviting atmosphere that felt both refined and intimate.

First up, a welcome dish of roasted tea was served before the meal. This was particularly comforting after we just completed a slow walk from Tokyo Tower under the freezing cold weather. As our server explained, it was the first brew of tea leaves from a collection of limited edition roasted tea designed by the Maruhachi Tea Factory, called "Noma".

Snow crab, shimotsuke naganegi – The meal began with a few lovely little nibbles. The first was a delicious spring roll filled with snow crab meat and shimotsuke naganegi purée. The dish featured the shimotsuke naganegi, a variety of Japanese leek celebrated for its unique sweetness and tenderness, which was the perfect match with the delicate flavor of the snow crab. Probably my favorite dish of the evening.

Potato soufflé – The hollow potato soufflé was showered with truffle shavings on top. Very crispy like having a potato chip.

Yellowtail chisyato – The winter yellowtail was served on a crispy tartlet along with salty radish and shiso flowers. Very nice mouthfeel. 

Omu milk products cream cheese – A deep-fried doughnut filled with cream cheese, and topped elegantly with caviar and gold leaf. 

These things (fried dough with cream cheese) are always very addictive.

Sweet shrimp, gensuke daikon – The sweet shrimp was paired with a slightly tangy daikon consommé. The light acidity provided a nice contrast to the natural sweetness of the shrimp.

Yamanishi farm's lily bulb truffles – The lily bulb has been deep-fried in a light and fluffy batter.

The light and flaky batter added a pleasing texture to the diced lily bulb while the variations of Japanese onions and black truffle provided a delightful finishing touch.

Scallop, kelp – Sea scallops were served in what looked like a chawanmushi, or Japanese steamed egg custard with different textures of kombu, including charred kombu oil and a creamy kombu sauce on top. Not bad.

We had a variety of dishes served within a short period of time so it was time for a short break. Our server took this opportunity to introduce us to the restaurant’s signature sake sourdough; all this happening while they started getting our fish course ready.

The sourdough was exceptional. It was crispy on the outside, soft and slightly chewy inside.

Isaki fish (grunt fish) – This was brilliantly cooked, a little raw in the middle while the skin was perfectly crispy. The presentation was minimalist with Japanese mustard spinach and a pool of tomato water sauce on the side.

Shimanto beer wagyu, small turnip – The succulent Shimanto beer wagyu from Kochi Prefecture (高知県) was served medium was garnished with a simple turnip. I really enjoyed the light Japanese pepper sauce which allowed the flavors of the wagyu to shine.

The wagyu came with a small bowl of beef soup with drops of garlic oil.

Raclette – This looked like a small pre-dessert, a playful "cheese plate" featuring a small cheese ball made with cheese from Hokkaido.

Amao amaretto – The first of our two desserts. This came with confit strawberry "noodles" from Fukuoka, finished off with a scoop of milk ice-cream and amaretto sauce.

Maruhachi tea processing roasted tea "noma", hon-mirin – An ice-cream made from the same tea leaves from the welcome drink using a second and third brew. When life comes full circle! 

Four beautiful migrandises to end the meal with, starting with this honey macaron.

Slo salt factory's salted caramel candy.

The smoked madeleine came with some nice smoky flavors.

Airy gâteau au chocolate.

I thought the kitchen did an incredible job of pacing tonight. With so many dishes on the degustation menu, it could be tricky at times but they delivered in spades. Several dishes really stood out tonight including the snow crab spring roll and yellowtail tart; and no dishes I disliked which is always a plus. Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal and I'm sure mom had nothing but praises as well. After a long long day, I decided to quickly settle the bill and arranged for a driver to send us back to the hotel.  

P.S. In case you're wondering, "Crony" means lifelong friends or friendship and in their context, it refers to the circle of producers, staff and of course the guests.

Food Rating: 7.9/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: 1-20-3 Higashiazabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Akabanebashi

Tel: +81 3-6712-5085

Website: http://www.fft-crony.jp/

Opening Hours: 6:00pm - 11:00pm (Mon - Sat)

S. Pellegrino Asia's 50 Best Restaurants: 30th (2025)