There are a plethora of restaurants in Tokyo well hidden from the main dori. Fortunately though, word-of-mouth can do a lot for business, as is the case with the newest Daidaiya branch, a spacious yet elusive upscale eatery located on the ninth floor of the Bellevie Akasaka building at Akasaka Mitsuke stn. 

Deciding on the main dining area (private tatami rooms are also available), we were led into an inviting room sparsely decorated with warmly lit shoji(paper screens) and cool earthy stone floors. Not surprisingly, the menu also reflected the prevailing theme, juxtaposing traditional Japanese ingredients with a more modern palate. 

Turning down the attractive ¥5000 price fix course, we decided to live dangerously and ordered the exotic-sounding stewed wild duck with apple compote and gorgonzola sauce (¥1200) straight off of the a la carte menu. It didn't disappoint; the sweetness of the compote beautifully complimented the savory juices of the duck and tangy Gorgonzola. The lightly broiled fatty tuna (toro) with Japanese pickles (¥2200) surpassed our already high expectations. Accompanied by a delicate unidentified pepper sauce, the tuna, wrapped in pickled daikon, was simply perfection. Amidst our raves, the steamed udon for two (¥1000) arrived, and we quickly slurped up the firm, homemade noodles. Though lacking the overcooked sliminess of standard processed udon, the noodles, we decided, were prepared the way God had intended. 

Passing on the highly recommended beef tongue with scallions and peppers (¥1600), our attention was distracted by the nouvelle sushi selection. A culinary rampage ensued as we sampled: Japanese ginger (¥200 per piece), salmon with citron pickled daikon (¥400), horse mackerel with sesame sauce (¥300), eggplant with miso (¥200) and zucchini tempura with spicy tomato sauce (¥300). All were chopstick-licking good, but the zucchini tempura scored top marks for its cultural audacity and melt-in-your-mouth texture.