One Year Since the Opening of “Masashi Saito” in Azabu-Juban: The One-Man Chef's Journey of Trial and Error in Choosing the Perfect Non-Alcoholic Drink

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Azabu-Juban, there is a restaurant where, upon opening the door, a single counter stretches back into the depths of the space. With nothing to obstruct the view between the kitchen and the guests, the design allows diners to watch the entire process—from the preparation of the dishes to their plating—unfold right before their eyes. Chef Masashi Saito is the sole person responsible for everything here: the cooking, the service, and the drinks.

“Masashi Saito” is a French-inspired restaurant that opened in 2025. Operating on a reservation-only basis, limited to two parties per day, and run entirely by a single chef, it maintains a unique sense of tranquility even in the highly competitive Azabu-Juban neighborhood. There is no set menu; instead, a course is crafted using seasonal ingredients—the 11-course dinner menu is constantly updated for each new group of guests.

Having spent many years working at prestigious Tokyo restaurants such as “Chef Matsuo” and “La TABLE de Joel Robuchon,” and having also worked on the front lines of drink programs supervised by sommeliers, this is the first time Chef Saito has taken on this “face-to-face with the customer” business model since going independent. In a setting without a sommelier or service staff, how are non-alcoholic drinks handled? What became clear through our interview was a coherent philosophy behind drink selection—one honed precisely because he operates the business single-handedly.

Moving to Tokyo at 19, honing his skills in French cuisine, and then striking out on his own

A native of Saitama Prefecture, Chef Saito has been a part of Tokyo’s culinary scene for nearly 19 years since moving to the city at the age of 19. He began working in the field before the Michelin Guide arrived in Japan and subsequently worked his way through renowned French restaurants. Reflecting on his career, Mr. Saito said:

“It wasn’t that I had a strong desire to own my own restaurant someday. I just ended up opening this place as things unfolded.”

The concept behind Masashi Saito is simple: reservations only, a maximum of two parties per day, and a one-man operation. Of the eight counter seats, he uses a maximum of six. Private bookings are available for groups of four or more. The menu consists of a single omakase course, crafted using the freshest ingredients of the day. The dinner menu features 11 courses, and the restaurant began serving lunch this year.

“Almost all of our guests come here trusting us to decide the menu. It feels like they really have faith in us.”

For regular customers who visit once a month, he sometimes prepares dishes different from what he served them last time. In the live atmosphere of the counter, he strives to continually exceed the expectations of guests who entrust their meal to him.

Because I run the place alone, I’ve chosen not to “expand” the menu

I source ingredients from all over the country. The course menu is put together based on the day’s freshest catches, incorporating seafood, meat, vegetables, and even ingredients from France. Given this approach to the food, the drink menu tends to be “narrowed down” rather than “expanded.”

“Since I’m running the place solo, it’s difficult to prepare all the drinks in advance. While there are restaurants out there that make their own drinks through trial and error, I find it quite challenging to create non-alcoholic beverages that are delicious enough to work as pairings.”

Chef Saito himself is a chef who actively experiments with homemade drinks, trying out various cold-brewed sencha teas. Currently, his menu also features Kuromojicha and Awa Bancha. In other words, Chef Saito is a chef who “can make his own drinks.” Given that, his reasons for choosing bottled drinks are clear: quality and ease of service. Both must be at a level where they can be seamlessly integrated into the course.

I’ve stopped serving non-alcoholic beer

A symbolic decision was to remove non-alcoholic beer from the menu.

“I served it for a year, but it was ordered only once. Rather than keeping it on the menu just for the sake of it, I’d rather recommend our sparkling hojicha tea instead. That brings more surprise and joy to our customers.”

Although it had been included on the menu as an alternative to beer for customers visiting for business lunches, Chef Saito felt it was difficult to see it as a product with added value as a non-alcoholic beer. Chef Saito believes that since he is charging for it, he wants to serve something he can confidently stand behind.

While this “subtractive” approach to the menu was born out of the physical constraints of running the shop single-handedly, it has actually served to enhance the quality and depth of every single drink.

It’s not just about “stocking products,” but “exploring a shared vision”

Masashi Saito has been serving Apoptosis sparkling tea since the restaurant opened in 2025. While finalizing the drink menu during the launch phase, Chef Saito discovered the product, and it has remained a staple of the non-alcoholic lineup ever since. What Chef Saito values most about Apoptosis is their approach—rather than simply delivering products, they work closely with the chef to select beverages that align with his vision.

“I want to know about all kinds of non-alcoholic options. But I don’t have the time to go out and search for them all myself, so it’s a huge help when they come by and introduce me to what’s available right now.”

The Apoptosis team proposes products while prioritizing the chef’s vision for the dishes they want to create, the restaurant’s concept, and whether the chef can serve them to guests with confidence. They also provide information on new non-alcoholic products, trends, and international developments, gradually expanding the restaurant’s repertoire. It’s not just a delivery service; it’s a partnership.

It was within this relationship that HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA joined Masashi Saito’s lineup, following the sparkling tea. When Apoptosis suggested to Chef Saito, “We have an interesting kombucha,” it became the turning point that brought a new twist to their toast drinks.

After searching for kombucha across Japan, we discovered this unique Hokkaido brew

Apoptosis has been engaging with kombucha producers and brewers across Japan and conducting numerous tastings, all while keeping pace with global kombucha trends. Among the kombuchas we’ve discovered, HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA holds a special place—it’s what Apoptosis calls “luxury kombucha,” a brew where story and terroir come together.

A Tea Made from Grape Leaves, Born Precisely Because Tea Plants Cannot Grow in Hokkaido

The northern limit for commercial tea cultivation is generally considered to be the line connecting Murakami City in Niigata Prefecture and Daigo Town in Ibaraki Prefecture. In Hokkaido, where temperatures drop to nearly -20°C in winter, growing tea plants outdoors is extremely difficult. Although some projects continue to experiment, stable tea leaf production has rarely been achieved.

Born in Hokkaido, “Hokkaido TEA” takes an approach that redefines the very concept of tea. The raw material is the leaves of wine grapes grown at wineries. These leaves—which are removed during the wine-making processes of “bud thinning” and “leaf removal” and would normally be returned to the vineyard—are processed using the same oxidation and fermentation methods as black tea to create tea leaves. Made without using the tea plant, this is “cha-gai-cha” (tea made from non-tea plants)—yet it is a tea unique to Hokkaido, born in a land where tea cannot grow.

HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA is a carbonated beverage made by extracting this wine grape leaf tea, adding molasses, and fermenting it with a SCOBY (a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). For the 2025 vintage, the leaves were harvested in collaboration with seven Hokkaido wineries. The flavor profile—where the delicate acidity derived from wine grape leaves, the astringency and aroma of tea, and the depth from fermentation intertwine—sets it apart from typical kombucha based on black or green tea.

The non-alcoholic, caffeine-free design also proves practical in Chef Saito’s setting. It can be served as a celebratory drink to anyone—whether they’re concerned about caffeine, are pregnant, or are avoiding alcohol.

“When you drink it, you realize, ‘Oh, so this is what kombucha tastes like.’ It really is delicious, isn’t it?”

Chef Saito himself had never tried kombucha before encountering HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA. His reaction upon first tasting it—“Delicious”—was simple and sincere.

Luxury Kombucha: A Champagne Alternative for Toasts

On the other hand, the term “kombucha” still faces recognition challenges in Japan. While health-conscious customers are generally familiar with it due to growing interest in gut health and fermented foods, many others still associate it with “kombu tea” (kelp tea). However, for Chef Saito, who interacts with customers at the bar, discussing this drink has become an integral part of his service.

“First, I recommend kombucha to customers who don’t drink alcohol. It serves as a glamorous alternative to champagne for the toast, setting the tone for the meal, so it’s easy to recommend to those who enjoy sparkling beverages.”

Sometimes she pours two glasses from a bottle, and other times she serves the entire bottle to a party of two. The bottle’s design, which allows it to be placed on the table as a single unit, works flexibly in a small-staffed operation.

Rather than simply handing over a drink menu or offering set pairings, Chef Saito selects a drink tailored to the customer’s mood that day through conversation across the counter. He adopts a flexible, suggestive approach, asking, “If you’d like something carbonated, how about this?” or “This goes well with that dish.”

“For example, with a meat dish that has some fat, the bitterness and carbonation of hojicha help refresh the palate. This is less about pairing and more about balancing the flavors.”

To achieve this effect, it’s necessary to stock several types of drinks with distinct characteristics. At Masashi Saito, they stock several varieties from Apoptosis’s Sparkling Japanese Tea series—Apoptosis Green (Chakusaba Green Tea), Roasted Green (Hojicha), Rooibos, Black (Benifuki Black Tea), and Smoked Black (Smoked Black Tea)—and use them selectively depending on the course menu and the customer’s preferences.

Since Apoptosis’s sparkling teas are refrigerated products, for establishments that prefer to store items at room temperature, Apoptosis offers alternative options—specifically, non-alcoholic products that can be stored at room temperature. The specific offerings are flexibly adjusted to accommodate the refrigeration space and operational needs of each location.

Two Dishes Paired with HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA, as Experienced During Our Visit

On the day of our visit, Chef Saito served two dishes from the dinner menu as pairings for HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA. The composition clearly revealed the chef’s thought process: how to pair a single non-alcoholic beverage with two dishes that differ in temperature, ingredients, and aroma.

First Course: Three Types of Appetizers

A dish featuring foie gras terrine sandwiched between beet sablés, served with strawberry confiture. A dish pairing sweet shrimp from Ishikawa Prefecture with a cauliflower mousse simmered in coconut milk, accented with lime zest and Basque chili peppers. And a dish featuring gougères—choux pastry infused with cheese—topped with shaved black truffle. This trio, which clearly highlights the distinct character and aroma of each ingredient, serves as the perfect opening to the course.

HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA brings the same festive flair as a glass of champagne, while its delicate acidity derived from grape leaves and natural effervescence perfectly complement three distinct dishes: the richness of foie gras, the subtle sweetness of sweet shrimp, and the earthy depth of truffles. The label design, created by an artist, subtly conveys the drink’s refined character as a non-alcoholic beverage.

Second Course: A Dish Featuring Fresh Spring Onions

This dish combines thinly sliced onion chips with caviar and rapeseed flower buds, lightly bound together with the aroma of lemon. Inside lies a smooth, velvety onion mousse. Beneath that lies a layer of snow crab mixed with rapeseed flowers, creating a multi-layered interplay of textures and aromas with every bite. It is a dish with a delicate layered structure that evokes the arrival of spring.

Here, too, HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA complements the dish. The saltiness of the caviar, the subtle bitterness of the rapeseed blossoms, the sweetness of the hairy crab, and the refreshing zest of the lemon—it embraces each of these elements, with the delicate acidity derived from grape leaves and the depth of fermentation gently accompanying them. This was an opportunity to once again appreciate the depth of this luxurious kombucha—its ability to complement both a vibrant appetizer served as a toast and a dish with such a delicate structure, two very different culinary approaches.

The Criteria for Drink Selection by a Solo Chef

In kitchens without a sommelier, the chef takes full responsibility for selecting beverages. When we reviewed the reasons why Chef Saito continues to use Apoptosis products during our interview, they boiled down to the following three points.

① Flavor he finds satisfying

“If I don’t think it tastes good myself, I can’t serve it to customers”—this is the standard Chef Saito repeatedly emphasized during our interview. The Apoptosis team also avoids pushing products; instead, they center their dialogue on whether the chef can serve them with genuine conviction. This approach is what has fostered a long-lasting relationship between the kitchen and the curators.

② Ease of Operation and Alignment with the Restaurant’s Aesthetic

Apoptosis’s non-alcoholic offerings include both products that can be stored at room temperature, such as HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA, and refrigerated items like the Sparkling Japanese Tea series. We work together to determine which products to stock and how to incorporate them, taking into account each store’s refrigeration space and operational structure.

③ The Ability to Offer a “Story” to Customers

For many customers, HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA is their first experience with kombucha. A bottle born from tea made using wine grape leaves—this story serves as a conversation starter at the counter. The fact that it is non-alcoholic and caffeine-free is another reason why it was selected as “a drink we can recommend to anyone.” Within Chef Saito’s conversational style with customers, this beverage is more than just a drink; it also helps enrich the experience of each dish.

“It really makes me happy when customers say, ‘This is my first time trying it’ or ‘This is delicious.’ I’m truly grateful to be able to serve a drink like this.”

To fellow chefs and sommeliers working behind the counter

Single-person operations, small-staffed operations, or restaurants without a sommelier—this practical business model, which the food and beverage industry has adopted in recent years, is quietly spreading not only in Tokyo but across the country. Labor costs, staffing challenges, and the chef’s own philosophy of “wanting to serve guests within my own line of sight.” As these factors converge, the number of restaurants operating with a counter-service model continues to grow.

In such settings, the question of how to handle non-alcoholic beverages isn’t simply a choice between making them in-house or relying on external ready-to-drink (RTD) products. It is precisely because chefs like Chef Saito can prepare their own cold-brewed sencha or herbal teas that the decision to entrust the selection to an expert carries significant weight. Choosing pre-made drinks allows them to devote their time and focus to cooking and conversing with guests—a rational approach for a one-person operation.

What Apoptosis offers is not just the products themselves, but the curation and information behind them. Luxury kombucha with a local story, such as HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA; a diverse range of sparkling teas that complement the flow of a meal, like the Sparkling Japanese Tea series; and daily updates on non-alcoholic beverage trends—it is this approach of exploring these offerings alongside the vision a chef wants to create that may be the very essence of what makes Apoptosis such a “lifesaver” for culinary professionals like Chef Saito.

[Key Points from Masashi Saito]

① A streamlined drink menu, not an extensive one

As symbolized by the decision to remove non-alcoholic beer from the menu, the approach is to offer a select few drinks that the chef can serve with confidence, rather than offering a wide variety. The physical constraints of running the restaurant solo have been turned into an opportunity to enhance the quality of each individual drink.

② A Trusted Selection Chosen by the Chef’s Own Palate

In an environment without a sommelier, only products that the chef has personally tasted and approved are included in the course. Because he is a chef capable of handling homemade drinks like cold-brewed sencha, only those that truly satisfy him remain on the menu and are recommended to guests.

③ A Drink Chosen Through Conversation, Not Pairing

Rather than fixed pairing sets, the style involves selecting a drink through conversation and suggestions across the counter. By stocking multiple sparkling teas and kombuchas with distinct personalities, we enable flexible recommendations.

④ The Story of Luxury Kombucha

HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA is a kombucha born from an idea unique to Hokkaido, where tea plants do not grow. It is non-alcoholic, caffeine-free, and can be stored at room temperature. It fits seamlessly into the operations of a single-staffed shop while fostering conversation with customers across the counter.

[Apoptosis Products Currently in Use at Masashi Saito]

1. HOKKAIDO TEA KOMBUCHA

   
   

   

   
   

   This kombucha is made using “Cha-gai-cha,” a tea-like beverage crafted from the leaves of Hokkaido wine grapes. It upcycles the leaves removed during the winery’s bud thinning and leaf removal processes; the 2025 vintage incorporates leaves from seven wineries. The delicate acidity derived from the grapes, combined with the astringency, aroma, and depth of flavor characteristic of tea, unfolds alongside the natural effervescence produced by SCOBY fermentation. Non-alcoholic and caffeine-free, it can be stored at room temperature. As a “luxury kombucha” that combines the story of the land with rarity, Masashi Saito serves it as a toast.

   
   

2. Sparkling Japanese Tea -Apoptosis Green-

   
   

   

   
   

   Made with tea leaves from Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, cultivated using the “Chakusaba Farming Method,” which has been designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). It features a refreshing aroma reminiscent of wild grasses and flowers, a gentle umami and natural sweetness from the tea leaves, and a clean finish followed by a lingering aftertaste with just the right amount of astringency and depth. This is a staple in our series, combining the traditional flavor of Japanese tea with the pleasant sensation of effervescent bubbles.

   
   

3. Sparkling Japanese Tea -Roasted Green-

   
   

   

   
   

   The aromatic roasted notes and light carbonation make this a perfect palate cleanser for rich, fatty meat dishes. Chef Saito actively recommends this beer as an alternative to non-alcoholic beer.

   
   

4. Sparkling Japanese Tea -Rooibos-

   
   

   

   
   

   The aroma of rare rooibos green tea is complemented by herbal notes, evoking the scent of blueberries and cranberries. It has a sophisticated, unsweetened flavor and is caffeine-free.

   
   

5. Sparkling Japanese Tea -Black-

   
   

   

   
   

   A sparkling tea that highlights the unique complexity and full-bodied character of “Benifuki,” a Japanese black tea variety. Much like rosé wine, it pairs well with a wide range of dishes and is an excellent choice for the middle or later courses of a meal.

   
   

6. Sparkling Japanese Tea -Smoked Black-

   
   

   

   
   

   A rich, full-bodied sparkling tea with a fragrant smoky aroma and a concentrated umami flavor reminiscent of bacon and bonito flakes. It is made with a generous amount of smoked black tea leaves produced in-house by the tea plantation, capturing every nuance of the aroma in the bottle. It pairs perfectly with meat dishes and smoked foods.

If you’d like to learn about the latest trends in non-alcoholic beverages or try our recommended drinks, please contact us.

Apoptosis develops, curates, and provides a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages for hotels and restaurants. We do more than just deliver products—we offer proposals tailored to the vision of your chefs, your establishment’s concept, and your operational structure, as well as the latest information on non-alcoholic beverage trends. Feel free to contact us via the Contact page.

https://www.apoptosisday.com/contact

Restaurant Information:

Masashi Saito

THE CITY Azabu-Juban LIBERTA 6F, 3-10-2 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0045

With the cooperation of Chef Masashi Saito

Date of Interview: March 2026