Jfree (Kagurazaka) / Creator of otherworldly delicacies

This January, a French restaurant fitting for the Kagurazaka area, "Jfree," opened. Chef Tsubasa Jinnai, who has honed his skills at a number of prestigious restaurants, captivates diners with a variety of heartwarming dishes.

Free creativity leads to joy

Tsubasa Jinnai
Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1989. After graduating from the French branch of Tsuji Culinary Institute, he trained for three and a half years at the two-star Florilege and three-star Quintessence restaurants, before serving as head chef at the members-only restaurant Akasaka Shozan. After a year at L'EAU during the day and Hiroya at night, he opened his own restaurant, Jfree.

　The dishes exude a dignified presence. Each plate that Jinnai Tsubasa presents over the counter is elegant and clean. There is nothing flashy or glamorous about the food, but it leaves you feeling quietly uplifted.

　He says that he acquired these sensitive plating techniques in the kitchen of Florilege. "The balance between the color of the dish and the ingredients and sauces is important. At the same time, I learned how to express my own personality through cooking." His next training place, Quintessence, was where he mastered how to handle ingredients. At Jfree, the restaurant focuses on ingredients from his hometown of Miyazaki, with which he has built a deep relationship of trust, such as Tsuma Jidori chicken, Miyazaki beef, Kirishima Kurobuta pork, Nishimera salmon, and vegetables from Kajinami Farm, and the menu is created based on the principle of "not erasing the ingredients."

　When you bring the food to your mouth, you feel as if you are firmly grasping the ingredients in your hands, and the food seeps into your body, creating a deep sense of relief. This is possible because Jinnai has thoroughly studied Japanese cuisine, having demonstrated his skills as head chef at Akasaka Shozan. While the techniques of French cuisine are at the base, the elements of Japanese cuisine hidden throughout the dish gently resonate with the diners. For a year before opening his restaurant, he learned how to run a small restaurant at L'EAU and how to serve customers at the counter at Hiroya.

　With his brilliant career, one gets the impression that he has been a chef all his life, but when he says, "The truth is, I don't like cooking. I never wanted to be a chef..." I'm taken aback for a moment. However, his next words, "I just love making people happy," make sense. The sincerity and motivation he has for cooking are born from this passion.

　Because he cooks everything himself and is shy, he isn't particularly talkative, but the food on his plate speaks for itself. However, we highly recommend enjoying a conversation with Jinnai towards the end of the course. His words, spun slowly and carefully, are just as captivating as the food, and you're sure to find yourself falling even more in love with "Jfree."

Jfree

AY2 Building 2-S, 2-11-7 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tel.03-6457-5547
Closed Sundays and Mondays
18:00 AM – 22:30 PM (L.O. 20:00 PM)
Course: 17,500 yen (10% service charge not included)