Location is everything, or so they say, when it comes to setting up a new restaurant. By which "they" usually mean a buzzy neighborhood with convenient access from the nearest station.
Try telling that to American chef Katy Cole. She subscribes to the "if you build it they will come" school of thought. Or in her case: If you create a warm space with a personal touch and some great food, they will certainly walk a few extra minutes away from Meguro's main drag.
Her restaurant, Locale, only opened at the beginning of October but already feels so comfortable and lived-in you'd be forgiven for thinking it's been there for years. And in a sense it has. That's because she's taken over the space previously occupied by chef Shin Harakawa and his much-loved (and mourned) Restaurant Beard.