Inspired by Fernand Point’s dictum, ‘Chefs, return to your roots’, Kotaro Hasegawa opened a restaurant in the area where he was born and raised. The name ‘Downtown Cuisine’ reflects his desire to win the favour of his native Tokyo shitamachi, or ‘downtown’. To imbue his restaurant with a Japanese essence, Hasegawa supplies chopsticks side-by-side with cutlery and serves portions on Japanese crockery. From Satake Shopping Street, a new French cuisine is announcing itself to the world.