Chef Yoskesuga has worked for over a decade to earn and maintain as the protégé of Joel Robcheon, a familiar face to Michelin stars and once the world’s most Michelin star chef. However, when it was time for him to start his own restaurant, Sugarabo, in 2015, he turned his back on critics.
“I’ve seen a lot of behind-the-scenes work at Michelin,” Suga said. “So, in good and bad ways, I gradually lost interest…and more than that, I developed a strong desire to not be appreciated by others. Don’t work in a way that requires verification from the guidebook.”
“We serve our customers, but don’t cook for critics,” he added.
But get the table. Ten years after its opening, SugaLab is unaccessible to almost everyone.
The restaurant’s table policy is “first class kotowari” or “not a first-time customer without referrals”, which has endured the old practices of Japan’s most admired and by its nature a secret facility. These restaurants are almost entirely loved by regular customers and may be allowed to bring guests, but there is no guarantee that guests will be allowed to return.
Sugalabo requires you to invite or recommend diners from existing patrons. There is no online booking system, no opening hours, only private phone numbers known to a select few, and return times to the bar and dining table with 20 covers.
Ten years later, the guest list may have grown, but the restaurant is less exclusive. “We’re not trying to become Snobby,” Suga insisted. Instead, it comes down to the guest experience.
“We are very intentional about welcoming people who know what we are doing and what our preferences are,” he explained. For example, guests in Taiwan or California may be used for different levels of seasoning. “If you allow completely random guests, you won’t be able to meet each person’s expectations in the same way.”
Beyond their palates, Sugarabo also wants to know what the meal brings to the table. “We are trying to understand their background, whether they are doctors, lawyers, financials, or journalists.
The goal is to build a two-way relationship with the guests. “In the restaurant business, if no one comes back to eat, that’s over. If you can build a trustworthy relationship, it’s sustainable.”
Sugalabo’s exclusive door policy and Omakase (Chef’s Choice) menu are a delightful power inversion of Western dining culture, where hospitality works in honor of its customers.
Controlling measures for chefs allows Suga Free Reign to showcase the best agricultural products the country has to offer.
“My background is fundamentally rooted in French cuisine,” he said. His grandfather was a passenger head chef across the Pacific Ocean between Kansai prefecture and Kobe, California, before opening a restaurant in Nagoya. Suga’s father later inherited the restaurant and dedicated the menu to French cuisine (Suga’s brothers run the restaurant today). “I decided to study French cuisine. That led me to France where I trained under Robcon.”
Sugarabo is not shy about the staples of French haat dishes, such as lobster, foie gras and wine, but the chef knew he couldn’t become the entire restaurant identity.
“I am deeply grateful for everything that France has given me, but the fact is that I live in Japan now. So I’m focusing on incorporating local Japanese products and using them as a complement to French influence.”
One way he accepts his country is through the hyperseason menu. “Japan is so rich in materials, we work in what we can call “microseason,”” he explained.
Suga uses peaches as an example. Each variety only peaks for one week. Therefore, peaches will be on the menu for 6-8 weeks, and Sugalabo will use 6-8 types. “The ability to enjoy the best form and the limited time available – that’s the true luxury,” the chef believes.
Each month, the restaurant closes for three days, with staff traveling around the country and meeting and networking with suppliers. “We believe that when producers know who will use their products, they will send us the best,” Suga said. “There’s a certain kind of love in it.”
Even Sugarabo’s signature dishes cured the ham with curry rice – a spin in the Japanese tradition of rice served at the end of the meal – embodying the Suga spirit. The grains are grown in their own rice fields.
The chef’s philosophy has earned him praisers, including luxury brands. In 2020 he opened Sugarabo V in Osaka, the first restaurant in the Lewis Vuitton store (also runs an invitation or committee reservation policy). Suga has opened the more unofficial Walk-In Conceptle Cafe V at its Lewis Vuitton branch in Osaka and Tokyo.
The cafe serves dishes such as cold corn potage and peach coup desserts. Even the heels, this may be as close as you can reach a full Sugalab experience.
SugaLab and Japan are not alone when it comes to broader, restrictive door policies. Since the 1970s, New York’s Rao has not accepted reservations and has instead bequeathed “table rights” to select regulars. Also, London’s Le Beaujolais Club, founded in the 70s, is a member-only restaurant (invited only) under what claims to be the city’s oldest French wine bar.
Alongside these institutions there are plenty of private restaurants that cater to the wealthy and social elite. However, the idea of allowing tens of thousands of dollars to be granted to a dining room looks like Gauche compared to Sugalabo’s process.
Despite its exclusiveness, the cost of this food standard meal is not excessive, with the menu price being around $500 (with an additional charge for wine pairing and service charges).
Suga insists he is not snobby. However, guests have no choice but to get an ego boost. Before they bite, they know they were guided by their elite.
