On entering, we were transported to a Japan almost forgotten. A long stone-laid walkway led to the inner chamber, and it was almost impossible to tell whether we were in a Kichijoji department store or walking along a rain-kissed path meandering through the Gion in Kyoto.
After a ten-minute wait, we were lead to a private tatami room suitable for six, and luxurious for our party of two. Within half that time we had chosen two Ichiban Shibori draft beers (¥650) and the 14-course “Yururi” kaiseki menu (¥7,000).

The zensai appetizer, arriving in a wafer-thin paulownia wood box, consisted of three mouthfuls: roasted duck with karashi mustard, boiled aona (a green similar to spinach) and soft tofu with sesame. Ume no Hana is a tofu restaurant, and this was the beginning of a menu laden with tofu in its various guises.

Space not permitting, we can only give an overview of all the dishes that we ate, and it was certainly difficult choosing which of the 14 to include—but necessity is the mother of many things. The “main course” was a shabu shabu of beef with an assortment of vegetable shredded into pappardelle-like ribbons and yuba tofu (the soft skin taken from the soy milk as it boils to its eventual tofu end). The twist to this dish is the tofu milk that substitutes for the usual dashi. It plays a perfect foil to the tart accompaniment of ponzu. Interesting enough, but the best was yet to come.

Tofu shumai may sound bland, but to eat them is an epiphany, and I think James Joyce would agree. As we removed the lids to our individual steamers, a shiny vision of glistening chrysanthemum emerged. We bit in, and a soft moist mix of crab and tofu burst in our mouths. Spicy mustard punctuated the sweetness of the crab, and our eyes rolled back with delight. Our only criticism amongst the myriad of dishes was the penultimate course of inaniwa udon. We had arrived late, but the noodles had arrived bit earlier, clinging together with the defiance of the ill-tempered starch that it was.

Despite the lackluster finish, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase a baked tofu cheesecake (¥1,300) and shumai (5 for ¥630) for the road. An unavoidable but justified purchase to end an otherwise unjustifiable meal.