BEARD

There’s a copy of Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food amongst a small stack of books on the window shelf of the space that is BEARD in the back streets of Meguro. It’s a sure introduction to just what you will experience as a diner here. It’s simple food. It’s fresh ingredients done well.
We arrived promptly for their Sunday-​only brunch service shortly after 10am. I’d read that there’s often a line and sure enough, not long after we were seated, a line began to form. BEARD also serve dinners throughout the week and these reservations are made well in advance making brunch your best bet if you’ve forgotten to book in advance like we had.
The menu is tightly edited and by eliminating choice the decision is easy. I opted for the chicken pita with coriander and he went for the lamb burger.
For me, the beauty of BEARD is that you’re in close enough proximity to the shoe-​box sized kitchen to watch chef Shin Harakawa carefully construct each meal. It’s elegant and graceful. It’s mesmerizing.
Our meals are delivered to our table in the time you’d expect a lamb burger and chicken pita to be made by one chef. It’s important to note this isn’t a rushed brunch. If you’re in a hurry this won’t be your cup of tea. He proclaims that its the «best burger I’ve ever had. Can I order a second? I’m never eating rubbish burgers again.» My pita is clean tasting. There’s grated carrot, tender chicken and ample coriander to complete the trifecta.
The coffee is filter brewed to order in a Hario V60 and on our visit they were using Little Nap beans.
For the experience alone, Beard is a must do. For inspiration to find joy in cooking again, the reminder of the beauty of food done well — there’s no value that can be placed on that!