SPICE LAB TOKYO, a modern Indian cuisine restaurant in Ginza, is welcoming Yoshiyuki Okuno, owner-chef of Brianza Group, the Tokyo-based Italian restaurant group, as a guest chef. For three days only, from Monday, September 21 to Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (both national holidays), the two will offer their first joint collaboration course built around the theme of aroma, with reservations opening on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The historic Spice Road once carried spices from India to Europe, shaping the culinary traditions of the Mediterranean and Italy along the way. This collaboration brings together Chef Yoshiyuki Okuno, a pioneer of "Tokyo Italian" cuisine who blends authentic Italian technique with seasonal Japanese ingredients, and Tejas Sovani, the SPICE LAB TOKYO chef who brings a contemporary approach to India's traditional spice culture. Building on the deep historical ties between these two food cultures, the two chefs' skills and sensibilities come together in a special menu.
The collaboration menu features each chef's own signature dishes alongside limited items jointly developed especially for the event.
Lunch Course (8 Dishes)
Price: ¥14,000 (tax included, service charge separate)
Menu: Signature dishes from both chefs, a limited joint collaboration menu, and dessert.
Dinner Course (11 Dishes)
Price: ¥22,000 (tax included, service charge separate)
Menu: A full course woven from four collaboration dishes and signature dishes from both restaurants, offering layered flavors reminiscent of a journey along the Spice Road.
Yoshiyuki Okuno | Owner-Chef, Brianza Group
Born in 1972 into a family running a traditional Japanese restaurant in Wakayama Prefecture. After studying business administration in the United States, he turned to a career in cooking. He then moved to Italy, where he mastered regional cuisines and traditional techniques across eight regions, including Michelin-starred restaurants. In 2001, he opened Ristorante La Brianza. He now operates nine restaurants centered in Tokyo, alongside a wide range of activities including restaurant consulting and product development.
Chef Okuno's Comment
I'm very much looking forward to shaping new culinary possibilities where the traditional techniques of Italian cuisine meet the rich expressiveness of modern Indian cooking.
What makes this collaboration special is the harmony created when an Italian approach that draws out the best in each ingredient meets the layered magic of spices — a combination distinctly our own. As our individual strengths resonate with each other, we hope to deliver a dish with a story that hasn't existed before.
Through original aromas and complex flavors that shift with every dish, along with beautiful presentation, we hope guests will enjoy a special dining experience full of surprise and discovery that engages all five senses.
Tejas Sovani | Chef, SPICE LAB TOKYO
An up-and-coming Indian chef who served as head chef at the luxury resort group The Oberoi and trained at noma in Copenhagen. Since becoming Executive Chef of SPICE LAB TOKYO in 2019, he has continued to lead the brand, drawing on flexible sensibility and solid technique, along with a deep understanding of both Japanese and Indian culture, to create cuisine that is both authentic and avant-garde.
Chef Tejas's Comment
This autumn, I'm honored to welcome Chef Okuno of DepTh Brianza to SPICE LAB TOKYO for a three-day-only collaboration. We're bringing together Italian technique with our own Adaptive Indian Cuisine, preparing both restaurants' signature dishes as well as special menu items created just for this occasion.
Early in my career, I trained in an Italian kitchen, so Italian cuisine remains special to me. Rather than a simple fusion, I'm aiming for food where India and Italy's food cultures speak to one another.
I'm looking forward to the day when, gathered around one table, we can bring our two countries and cultures a little closer together.
Event Overview
Event Name: SPICE LAB TOKYO x Brianza Collaboration Dinner & Lunch
Dates: September 21 to 23, 2026 (Monday to Wednesday, both national holidays)
Venue: SPICE LAB TOKYO
Address: GICROS GINZA GEM 10F, 6-4-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Reservations Open: Thursday, August 20, 2026
Reservations: https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/spicelabtokyo/reserve?menu_lists=6a8545ba876dc1a3875e1011
SPICE LAB TOKYO
Address: GICROS GINZA GEMS 10F, 6-4-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Lunch 12:00 PM–3:00 PM (L.O. 1:00 PM) / Dinner 6:00 PM–11:00 PM (L.O. 8:30 PM)
Closed: Mondays
Website: https://spicelabtokyo.com/
Reservations: https://www.tablecheck.com/ja/shops/spicelabtokyo/reserve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spicelabtokyo/
