Takase

Tucked into a side street near Yoyogi Station, Takase is a traditional kappo counter specialising in multi-course fugu feasts and seasonal kaiseki. Evening courses open with translucent jellied fugu skin brimming with concentrated umami, followed by broad platters of paper-thin fugu sashimi. Diners can enjoy the firm, delicate flesh seasoned with salt or house-blended ponzu, or coat it in the accompanying rich monkfish liver (ankimo), a pairing that accentuates the meat's pristine sweetness and springy chew.

The cooked courses that follow show off a varied culinary range. Grilled fugu seared atop volcanic lava plates puffs up moist and fragrant with scallions, while generous pieces of fugu karaage offer a crisp exterior yielding to tender, juicy meat. After savouring creamy grilled milt (shirako) and gentle fugu-chiri hot pot, the meal culminates in a signature zosui cooked patiently from raw rice grains so that every kernel absorbs the savoury broth, enjoyed alongside a warm cup of aromatic hirezake.

Beyond its evening course menus, Takase also provides an appealing daytime selection. Lunch options include the reasonably priced Kiri fugu course, the Take kaiseki course, and hearty rice bowls such as a thick kakiage tendom packed with prawns and bay scallops, rounded out with house-made desserts. Given the intimate, calm dining room, reserving a table ahead of time is well worthwhile for dinner.