Say the words ‘chain’ and ‘restaurants’ and neon-lit motorway canteens may well spring to mind. Firmly entrenched at the more style-conscious end of the chain restaurant spectrum, the Shunju group marks the classiest of collaborations with one of Japan’s most prolific designers: Takashi Sugimoto of Super Potato.

At Shunju Yurari in Ebisu, the sparkling décor consisting of abstract fractured walls of shards of light and clear glass bubbles. But even that’s not enough to distract from the restaurant’s main attraction: the food. Famous for its contemporary take on traditional ‘washoku’ cuisine, the restaurant happily mixes European and Asian influences on a firmly Japanese base.

Ingredients are seasonal and sourced from farms and harbours across Japan, with highlights including the charcoal fire grilled pork from Uonuma. The menu is fortified further by an expansive 250-strong wine list.

Other Shunju in the stylish chain include Shunju Daichi no Chikara in Roppongi and Shunju Tameikesanno with its 27th floor Shinjuku views.