Here we go again. Like much of the rest of Japan, Tokyo is back on an emergency footing. We, along with all the restaurants across the city, are facing the same old restrictions: reduced hours, early closing times and limits on serving alcohol.
Clearly, the pandemic is nowhere close to being over. And, for the time being, nor is winter. Even so, as we pivot back to takeout menus or deliveries from our local favorite eateries, there’s no harm in dreaming of better times and warmer climates while we wait for this latest wave to recede. That gets just a little bit easier when you’re savoring a spread from Byblos.
Tokyo’s newest Lebanese restaurant is just nine months old, but it has pedigree aplenty to go with those beguiling aromas of cumin and coriander seed, fenugreek, mint and sumac. Chef Nazih Ameta spent eight years as chef at the Lebanese Embassy here in Tokyo. Later, he gained a devoted following as the man behind the counter at the Arabic restaurant Shukran Nakai, in northwest Shinjuku Ward.