The absolute foodie dream came alive! Every big foodlover, when in Japan, needs to try the dangerous and poisonous Blowfish, or Fugu as they call it locally. So when I was in Tokyo, I had to do some searching for the best and safest place to go, since I was not planning of dying in Japan, however, it is a foodie dream to die while eating…. hahahaha Watch the living fish parts at youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dASTgszxgnA&feature=youtu.be

So I found this famous chain that has a few restaurants around Tokyo, and luckily also 1 in the area of my hotel in Ginza: http://www.torafugu.co.jp/en/ Besides that, they offer a menu that was within my Price range, because at the top level prices can be up to 200 euro/dollar for a menu! And this place has a tasting menu of around 70 euro/dollar, so being Dutch, that decided it all for me 😉 (maybe not smart to take the cheap option when ordering a deadly fish, but hey I survived…).

Had so much fun with the waitress and with my very old neighbour. This 80 year old man was out with his wife, but did not like her I guess…. he spent all night chatting with me, happy to share his English knowledge and tell all about the Fugu fish and other historical facts, he even shared all of his food with me…. So sorry for his wife, but he really made my night so much fun!

So what did I drink&eat?

• Have to start with the Hire-Sake, which is warm/hot Sake with the Blowfish fin in it, damn this warms you up. What a taste and what a lovely kind of drunk you get out of that….. not too bad, just a bit tipsy to get into the mood, ordered a second because it was perfect in harmony with the menu….(that was the only reason)
• Raw blowfish (Fugu sashimi) Which was very boring to be honest… a very tough and even chewy type of fish which in my opinion only was good because of the soy sauce…
• Lightly boiled blowfish, this was totally different, the quick boiling gives it a totally different structure and made all flavours pop out, very pure and lovely tasting.
• Charcoal grilled pieces of ultra fresh blowfish,  so fresh it still moved on my plate….pffff see the video on my instagram account: worlds_best_food_blog This was prepared at my table in a marinade of ginger, soy and garlic and then to be grilled over a table fire. I literally sucked every piece of the bone, because this was one of the best tasting fish I ever had!
• Deep fried blowfish, which was the biggest let-down after the rising line of quality… This could have been chicken as well for me…. Only tasted deep fried something…
• Not ordered but shared by my Japanese elderly best friend…. The Sperm sac in tempura….hahaha nice, creamy like fish sperm…. and also crispy fried skin with cayenne pepper, which was the perfect in between snack!

See below pictures and judgement below them:

Look at the Sake, with the Fugu fins inside…. wow that was a drink to remember!

Some fresh fish skin cracklings got it from my neighbour…

My new best friend Suzuki helped me all the way!

I’m guessing not his first day at the job…. 🙂

I have learned that fish never swim sideways….

Good & Bad points:

+++++ Amazing service, nice surrounding, clear menu, fun experience

——– The fish seemed to be less fresh in the tank…. slowly dying, like a Fugu cemetery…!! And why so quick? A pay money for a night out, everywhere in Asia they rush the dinner which is really a shame…

 

Scoring Points:

Food: Good: perfect and disappointing parts together, however the overall food experience was unique and fresh, so no bad points, just some parts were not for my tasting… 8.9 out of 10

Cosiness: Just perfect at a high bar, good seats, good lighting, good atmosphere, 8.5 out of 10

Staff: As I was new to the full eating experience, I got my own private help, called Suzuki, like the motor cycle….hahaha she deserves a 10 out of 10 for smiling and helping

Price: I experienced it as pretty costly, but at the same time for this fish it was the cheapest option in the city or even the world! So I will give it a 8.8 out of 10

Overall, full review, amazing score of 9.1 out of 10