Congratulatory bouquets were arrayed in profusion outside the entrance to Sincere last month, marking its opening in the quiet residential backstreets north of Harajuku. Sometimes those auspicious flowers — sent by well-wishers at the start of any new venture — can seem like mere ritual gestures of support. But here they represented a true celebration: the return of chef Shinsuke Ishii.

After a year in the wilderness he is back in action, and it has been a long and frustrating wait for him. At the beginning of 2015, he was in charge of the kitchen at one of Tokyo's most popular — and hardest to book — French restaurants, the brilliant little Bacar. But following its sudden closure in March 2015 (due to its owner's ill health), Ishii was in limbo. Now he has a restaurant and a kitchen to call his own. And what a great location he has found.

Looking out on a quiet basement-level patio, the dining room is spacious and comfortable, especially if you're sitting at the plush banquette running the length of the back wall. The tables are all oriented so that as you eat, you look toward the substantial open kitchen, where Ishii puts on quite a show.