When it's hot and humid enough to feel like you're in the tropics, there's only one solution: Eat like you're there. Street food works well, but it's far more interesting when those familiar Southeast Asian flavors are given a touch of Tokyo sophistication.
In the past couple of years, An Di (andivietnamese.com) has led the way with its contemporary take on Vietnamese cuisine. Its laid-back but self-assured style is perfectly attuned to the way Tokyo does things these days, with an excellent cellar of natural wine to complement the beguiling herbs and spices of Indochina.
Mymot (mymot.jp/thai) takes a similar tack with Thai cuisine. This idiosyncratic little place close to the river in Meguro operates as a cooking school, specializing in the kind of dishes served in high-end Bangkok restaurants, refracted through a Japanese prism of elegance.
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