江西飯店(原「金喜悦」)

Kousei Hanten, formerly known as Kin Kifuku, is one of Tokyo's uncommon restaurants dedicated to the Hakka cooking of Jiangxi province. The chef-owner, who came to Japan in 2019 and opened the shop in 2024, set out to fill a gap he saw in the city's Chinese food scene by serving the food of his home. It sits on the third floor of the Panda Gourmet City building in west Ikebukuro, a few minutes from the station. The kitchen's signature is the kokyo tofu, golden and crisp on the outside and soft and juicy within, a dish diners find hard to forget. Other standouts include a slow-simmered pairing of collagen-rich chicken feet with Jiangxi-style preserved mustard, and a range of soy-and-chilli-forward plates that echo the cooking of neighbouring Hunan and Anhui. Shaoxing wine and a broad drinks list accompany the food, and the sleek dining room offers private rooms and full-venue hire for banquets. For anyone keen to explore beyond the familiar Sichuan and Cantonese menus of Ikebukuro, Kousei Hanten offers a genuinely distinctive regional experience. The room's calm, grown-up atmosphere makes it as suited to a business dinner as to an adventurous meal with friends. Book a table and let the chef walk you through a cuisine that most of Tokyo has yet to taste.