Everyone likes Naka-Meguro. With its languid tree-lined creek, quirky bars and design boutiques and easygoing low-rise ambience — away from the station, at any rate — it's one of the Tokyo locales we all wish we lived in. Best of all, Nakame (as those in the know call it) has some excellent little neighborhood restaurants. A new favorite of ours is Rue de Shuri.
"Little" is the operative word here. Tucked away off the main drag, nestling on the first floor of a new but unremarkable apartment block, Rue de Shuri is barely bigger than the average ramen counter. Were it not for the French tricolor hanging outside from the token eaves, you'd never give it a second glance. And that would be your loss.
How tiny is Rue de Shuri? Let's just say that if the table by the window is occupied, you have to turn sideways to squeeze past as you enter through the front door. Inside, you'll find three small tables shoehorned in tightly, plus a raised counter area looking straight into an open kitchen the size of a yacht's galley. Even for a basic bistro, this would feel overly intimate. But check out the cuisine: Rue de Shuri rivals many French restaurants 10 times its size.