Tsumugi — Restaurant in Tokyo

Came here twice, once in the afternoon and once in the morning.

The morning breakfast is more sought after. We arrived 10 mins before opening without reservation on a Thursday. There were around 10 people in the queue before us. They seat people with the reservation and then the first 10 unreserved people in the first sitting at 8am. After that, you had to take a number ticket and wait for the seating at 8.30am. So we missed out on the first seating but were first in line for the second seating. We eventually got seated at 8.40am. I would highly recommend booking to avoid the stress and the wait.

Once we got seated you could choose from two different breakfast sets but why wouldn't you get the 18 dish Japanese style breakfast? It's gorgeously presented and had so many different bits to try. The Japanese do tiny dishes so well. It's always meticulously crafted and plated. I also loved that if you wanted to know what deliciousness you were eating, you could lift up the little dishes to see the name underneath. The set was 2200 yen and came with tea. If you want a congee/ rice porridge refill, it's an extra 200 yen.

For the afternoon, we had popped in for some warm drinks to warm up. We ordered matcha lattes and an afternoon sweet set. I honestly am not 100% sure what was in the set. It had two mochi balls, a small pile of red bean and a piece of sugared sweet potato. In the bowl was a gooey mochi like substance in more matcha and some creamy like substance. We just added it all together and enjoyed.

Both times we came, the staff were lovely. I would say that they're probably more stressed in the morning given that they seem the busiest then, and they have to deal with waiting people, so...

We arrived about 20 mins before they opened. There was a line but it was not extensive. They split the line into two about 10 mins before opening the doors, one for reservations and one for walk-ins.

At opening time they promptly took in the reservations to be seated and filled any empty places with walkins. We didn't get the first seating so the remaining walk-ins had to get a ticket and wait for someone to finish (we were #10). This took another 25 mins or so. So around 45 mins total before we got a seat as an early walk in.

The staff were friendly but mainly spoke in Japanese when giving instructions which caused some confusion for the various tourists with no reservations moving into the wrong queues, but no big deal. They were all friendly and polite.

The food was not super filling however the presentation and variety of different tastes and textures was a culinary experience. Not all 18 dishes may be to everyone's taste but there will surely be something you love on each tray!

It is also quite good value in my eyes purely for the variety in dishes you receive. You will leave satisfied but not stuffed.

They have an on-site shop and options to order for take away.

Note: the porridge has free refills but...

I was extremely disappointed with the service. Despite arriving early, I had to wait over an hour to be seated, even though there were several empty tables. The staff insisted on prioritizing those with reservations, which is understandable, but it was frustrating to see empty tables for so long.

When I was finally seated, it was at a table that had been vacant for at least 30 minutes. I ordered the Japanese breakfast with 18 kinds, but after waiting another 30 minutes, the staff informed me that the menu was sold out. To make matters worse, I noticed that other customers who ordered after me were served their meals. This led me to suspect that the staff didn't place my order initially, which was incredibly disappointing and a waste of my time.

However, one staff member was very kind and proactively followed up with the kitchen to arrange something for me, even though the breakfast service time had already passed. I appreciate this staff member's effort.

Overall, the service was inefficient and poorly managed. I hope the restaurant can improve its reservation and seating process to avoid such negative experiences...