Another place where you can dine in total confidence that nothing untoward will be on your plate is Daylesford Organics. There was considerable buzz among Tokyo foodies when this chic natural foods emporium opened last November near Omotesando Station, close to the U.N. University on Aoyama-dori.
Comprising a deli-bakery, a 20-seat cafe section and a food store, with a restaurant upstairs, this is the first outpost in Japan of the UK's poshest purveyor of natural foods. And with its bleached-pine decor and Scandinavian-design furniture, it's a perfect fit for this upscale neighborhood.
Think of Daylesford as Dean & Deluca with ecological green Wellington boots on. Apart from the crates of vegetables by the front door, everything is perfectly packaged (and most of it imported). And it comes with a premium price tag.
The heart of the shop is the bakery, with its tempting array of baked goods. The deli takeout snacks are not just tasty, they're prepared with department-store precision. The English-style organic chicken and potato pie is probably superior to just about anything you would taste in Blighty.
Likewise in the spacious, light-filled second-floor restaurant. Both lunch (from ¥1,800) and dinner (set meals from ¥4,200; also a la carte) are beautifully presented multicourse meals intended for people with plenty of time to linger. As the menu says: "Simple food, made from the freshest organic, seasonal ingredients." Mission accomplished, if you ask us.
Daylesford Organics, La Porte Aoyama, 5-51-8 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku; (03) 3486-0012; www.daylesford.jp. Nearest station: Omotesando (Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines), Exit B2. Open daily: deli-bakery 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; cafe 8 a.m.-9 p.m. (Sat., Sun. and hols. from 11 a.m.); shop 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; restaurant 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Sat., Sun. and hols. from 11 a.m.).