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There are dinners that satisfy hunger, dinners that create memories, and then there are dinners that transcend into art. My evening at mesm Tokyo for the Cinderella Dinner belongs firmly to the last category. It was a night where food became story, where a hotel restaurant transformed into a stage, and where each course carried the poetry of a fairy tale..
mesm Tokyo, part of the Autograph Collection, is located in Takeshiba overlooking Tokyo Bay. The name comes from the word “mesmerize,” and that is exactly what the hotel aims to do. From the vibrant lobby filled with art to the sweeping views of Hamarikyu Gardens, it sets the scene for moments that stay with you. Yet it is in Chef’s Theatre, the hotel’s French dining restaurant, that this philosophy reaches its peak. With its lively open kitchen and bold artistic interior, the restaurant brings haute cuisine into a world of storytelling and sensory experience.
The Cinderella Dinner is a seasonal program created in collaboration with the New National Theatre of Tokyo. Inspired by Frederick Ashton’s ballet Cinderella, it follows the story of transformation and enchantment through food. Each course is named and designed after iconic moments or symbols from the ballet, making the meal unfold like a performance in chapters. It is not only dining; it is theatre. I was fortunate enough to experience this evening in a private room, an intimate space that offered elegance, calm, and exclusivity. What made it even more extraordinary was that the entire menu was prepared in a fully vegan version for me. Every dish carried the same artistry, and the adaptations felt so natural that it was easy to forget this wasn’t the original version. This inclusivity, paired with attention to detail, showed me that mesm Tokyo’s idea of luxury is not just indulgence, but also accessibility.
The menu itself read like the cast list of a ballet. One of the most enchanting surprises came before dessert, when a small sculpture in the shape of a Glass Slipper appeared. What struck me most was that every course was a work of art on its own, not just in taste but in presentation. Plates arrived like paintings, full of color, symmetry, and small symbolic details. A carriage carved from vegetables, a slipper shimmering like crystal. It was as if the kitchen had become an atelier where flavor and form were woven into one. The service added another layer of magic. Each dish was introduced with its title and story, like a narrator guiding me through scenes of a ballet. The staff explained the symbolism behind the ingredients and the flow of the evening without breaking its rhythm. Their presence was refined, attentive, and deeply in tune with the performance happening on the plate. During the evening I also had the privilege of meeting Executive Chef Kaori Kumamoto, the creative force behind mesm Tokyo’s dining concept.
The atmosphere of Chef’s Theatre itself reinforced the narrative. At night the windows framed Tokyo’s glittering skyline, casting a glow across the room that felt almost like starlight. During the day, diners can see the tranquil greenery of Hamarikyu Gardens, a reminder that Tokyo is a city of contrasts. This balance between urban energy and natural calm mirrored Cinderella’s own journey from hardship to grace.
The Cinderella Dinner is available as both lunch and dinner. Reservations are essential, especially for private rooms, and dietary preferences should be communicated in advance so that the chefs can prepare with their signature artistry. What makes this experience stand out in a city as abundant with fine dining as Tokyo is its combination of luxury and storytelling. Many restaurants deliver exquisite flavors, but mesm Tokyo adds a narrative layer that makes the dinner feel alive. It is not simply about eating but about being carried into a world where food is theatre, where artistry is tasted as much as it is seen, and where inclusivity means that even a fully vegan menu can be as enchanting as any traditional version.
As I left the private room that evening, I felt as though I had stepped out of a dream. The image of the glass slipper stayed bright in my mind, and the memory of a pumpkin carriage on my plate made me smile. The Cinderella Dinner at mesm Tokyo is not just a dining program, it is a fairy tale staged in flavors, textures, and artistry, and it proves that luxury can be magical, inclusive, and unforgettable all at once.
