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In the backstreets of
Aoyama you will find the certified bloke-free zone of
Fumotoya. This little find is marked on the outside by its fabric draped stairs leading down to a modern basement restaurant, of quite generous proportions, that leads out to a covered basement terrace.
Being a bloke-free zone, the service
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(even from the blokes) is very fussy and attentive. Once the nerves of talking to a couple of
gaijin guys wore off there was even the odd glimmer of friendliness. Of course, I didn't go there to make friends, but to eat. Their particular
shtick is a fusion of French food and...
soba. It sounds a bit odd but actually what they have pulled off is as close to a genuine fusion as you'll
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find for lunch in Tokyo. For around 2,600 yen you can order their lunch set which is exceptionally good value considering the quality and the quantity.
The first dish was an amuse of a slice of pork with soy balsamic, a crouton with
mascarpone and
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nut and some baby scallop. A dash of apricot and strawberry coulis was splashed on the side to liven up the flavour. The
entrée was a plate of tuna steak chunks and some bamboo shoots served with and pumpkin
purée and a piquant
mizuna oil. The main course was a duck
confit topped with deep fried
soba and accompanied by little bread rolls made from
soba flour. Then came the
soba, for which there are three hot and three cold choices. I ordered mine cold with
zuwari crab and jelly and my dining partner ordered his hot with
yuba. As if that wasn't enough the dessert cart was nex
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t and I had a nice caramel pound cake, a chocolate cheesecake and a fluffy, plain cheesecake which was served with a big dollop of cream.
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Yes! (or do i mean yes,
yes YES!) It was sinful for a Saturday lunch but uniformly yummy. I also ordered a couple of glasses of their Israeli house white which comes from the occupied Golan Heights.
Hmmm - politically charged wine with my lunch, and not bad at all. Anyway, even if you're a bloke you should give this one a go. The servings definitely are enough to satisfy and the experience is definitely one step above the mundane.
http://www.fumotoya.com/aoyama/Tel: 03-5469-2220
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