Fugu is the Kobe beef of the sea: impressive and often expensive, it is the epitome of fine Japanese cuisine. But while we all love Kobe beef, how many of us have actually been to and enjoyed dining at a fugu restaurant? The high price tag and questionable reputation of the blowfish ("isn't it deadly poisonous?") have been barriers for both Japanese and foreigners. Luckily for the adventurous eaters as well as classy diners of Tokyo, newly opened Kuromonto in Minami Aoyama is setting a new standard in fugu fare, without necessarily costing a fortune.
Leafing through the menu, we found detailed English instructions on how to enjoy the blowfish. Strongly recommended was hot hirezake (¥1,000), a mild sake uniquely enhanced by the earthy fragrance and flavor of grilled fugu fins. In addition to the a la carte menu, Kuromonto offers several courses (¥6,500-¥12,000) to satisfy the palate and the wallet, each course offering the same basic navigation with varying degrees of embellishment. Two amber slices of nikogori (jellied collagen from the fugu skin) started off our most inexpensive course: supple and slightly sweet, they melted in our mouths. Full-flavored herring and taro potatoes, simmered in soy sauce and mirin, arrived next, making way for the much-anticipated fugu sashimi. Also called tessa, the paper-thin delicacy was arranged traditionally to resemble chrysanthemum petals, and had a tender, poultry-like texture. With a squeeze of fresh sudachi citrus, Japanese chives wrapped into each slice, and the preferred condiment of fine sea salt (the ponzu sauce being too pungent), the tessa was fugu at its finest.
Regardless of the fully occupied floor, our servers were melodically and unobtrusively orchestrating our meal, gauging correctly the pauses between each dish. The latter half of our dinner began with fugu no karaage (deep-fried fugu) and because the blowfish contains almost no fat, we eagerly welcomed this pleasantly adipose interpretation. Meaty pieces of fugu and vegetables were simmered in a shining copper pot for the grand finale of fugu chiri nabe (hot pot of fugu), the gentle broth soothing our evening to a close. With seasonal delicacies shirako (fugu milt, ¥1,000-¥2,200) and Beaujolais (¥800/glass) available in December, even the few remaining weeks of 2003 may find us back at the festive Kuromonto.