Alternative

Restaurant Details

As its name would suggest, Alternative is a restaurant that’s simply different.

The entire concept of the restaurant is seemingly paradoxical in itself; a family restaurant for adults? But its head chef Saito Takayuki, impossibly, makes it work.

He started his culinary career in Mikage Juenne in Kobe and Shibuya’s La Blanche, before continuing his training overseas at Michelin-starred French institution Le Benaton. His return to Japan saw him serving in the kitchens of L’art et la maniere and Provinage, eventually taking over the latter and renaming it Alternative.

And providing an Alternative is exactly what he does. In spite of his extensive expertise in the French culinary ways (l’art et la maniere, ironically), Chef Saito also infuses Chinese and Japanese elements for a style all his own, that he simply calls “Saito style”. And true enough, Saito style is a style all its own; something that can be found nowhere else but Alternative.

In true Alternative fashion, the restaurant also eschews the usual practice of putting meat at the center of the meal, but instead puts the spotlight on vegetables instead with several vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. The first step in the culinary process, Chef Saito says, is to visit farmers to inspect their products and discover their specialties. This lets him choose the best ingredients and produce for their respective seasons.

And just like the seasons, so does the specialty at Alternative change. For example, spring’s highlight is the distinctively-titled asparagus Kandinsky, named for the expressionist painter. From the tip to the base of the stem, each part of the asparagus has a different taste, and so Chef Saito takes advantage of this to make a beautiful galaxy of varying tastes, textures and colors.

Winter, by contrast, features an amaebi sweet shrimp tataki with Muromachi-era Jingoemon potato — the latter produced by only one farm in the whole of Japan. The sweet flesh of the shrimp is augmented by the thick, earthy flavor of the Jingoemon: a truly comprehensive combination of Japan’s earthly and oceanic bounties.

Alternative Remarks

• Alternative accepts single diners only for dinner services. Reservations for lunch service require a minimum party size of 2. Please confirm before making a reservation.

• Children must be included in the number of guests when making a reservation. Please indicate if a children’s menu option is required, and for how many guests, as well as any allergy restrictions.

• Counter seating is only available for guests ordering the Saito’s Wonderland course. Guests with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies should inform the restaurant beforehand. The restaurant might not be able to accommodate guests who make same-day requests.

• The restaurant reserves the right to refuse reservations to guests who have excessive dietary restrictions, particularly those of fish or vegetables.

• The course menu content listed below is an example, and is subject to change based on seasonal availability.

• The restaurant cannot always guarantee that it can provide guests with their preferred seating options after a reservation due to availability.

• The pictures provided are for illustrative purposes.

Alternative Business Days

Alternative Address

T-building 1F, 5-12-24 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0072

Alternative Access Info

• Alternative is located a 10-minute walk from Hiro-o Station, a 13-minute walk from Shirokane-Takanawa Station, or a 5-minute taxi ride from Ebisu Station.

Alternative Phone Number

Alternative Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 2 days before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.