Kappo-Ajioka

Kappo-Ajioka Review

When prepared incorrectly, fugu, the highly poisonous puffer fish, is fatal, yet this doesn't stop people from trying it at this Tokyo branch of the Kansai fugu ryotei (puffer-fish restaurant). Licensed chefs prepare the fish in every way imaginable—raw, fried, stewed—using the fresh catch flown in straight from Shimonoseki, a prime fugu-fishing region. The overall flavor is subtle and somewhat nondescript—people are drawn more to the element of danger than the taste (fatalities are rare, but a few people in Japan die each year from fugu poisoning). Try the house specialty of suppon (Japanese turtle) and fugu nabe, fugu sashimi, or fugu no arayaki (grilled head and cheeks). Reservations must be made two days in advance to order fugu.