Japanese Cuisine Toku

It can be daunting to venture into a Japanese restaurant if you can’t speak the language very well or read kanji. Sometimes it’s all about the courage to just walk in and go on a culinary adventure—it’s not the destination that’s important, it’s the journey.

You don’t necessarily need to converse to enjoy good cuisine: food is a language all its own that can be shared between people regardless of their native tongue. So it is with Toku, a hidden gem on a side street in Tokyo’s Roppongi area. While it has no English signage or menu (though they are producing one as of this writing), its intimate counter seating, foreigner-friendly course menu and welcoming chef will have you exploring all manner of delicious Japanese dishes. By meal’s end, you won’t feel much like a stranger in a strange land anymore, but more a well-fed local.

The meal starts with a presentation of the very reasonably priced course menu (¥5,000). Though it’s in kanji and kana, all you need to know is that on the left side is your choice of main—either sukiyaki or a fish shabu shabu—and on the right page are the entrees. The top section on the right allows you to choose three of six small appetizers. The selection includes hijiki (dark seaweed), udo (ginseng-like root), hotaru ika (baby squid), kabocha (pumpkin), daikon with karashi (mustard) and ponzu (citrus soy sauce) as well as pickled onions and tomatoes. If you’re dining as a pair—just get all of them. If the food sounds challenging, it’s not. Just remember these are very small side dishes and all are delicious.

For example, the humble steamed daikon practically melts in the mouth, with the ponzu sauce completely mellowing the spicy mustard into a surprisingly sweet and uniquely Japanese taste sensation. Even the baby squid, served with a miso sauce, is tender and soft with a delicate flavor—this is not the rubbery and chewy ika you may be used to.

Your friendly chef can speak a little English, and will go out of his way to help you navigate the menu. Allow him to pair your food with the appropriate nihonshu (Japanese sake) for the dish to get the most out of your adventure—and truly stimulate the taste buds. If you’re a little nervous when you enter, order a nama (draft) beer (¥500 on top of the set menu charge), have a few healthy gulps and then settle in for the ride.

With a semi-open kitchen design, the chefs at Toku prepare everything behind the long, pale wood counter. Watching them slice, dice and carefully create your meal—piece by meticulous piece—is to watch master craftsmen at work. This is evidence that you are in safe hands on this journey of exploration, and that your guides know the lay of the land well. The light wood of the counter furnishes most of the restaurant’s decor, which gives it a natural, warm and downright homey ambiance.

The section on the menu below the appetizers is sashimi—fresh, raw fish. Choose two selections or just have the chef serve his recommendations. Standouts, though, are the maguro (tuna), madai (sea bream) and yari ika (spear squid). If you’re not a big fan of squid, once again, the team defy expectations: this a very small and fresh morsel served (and recommended) to eat with just a spritz of fresh lemon. You haven’t eaten it like this before.

When the mains come, the sukiyaki—the slightly sweet beef stew with vegetables and added noodles—really needs no introduction. The tai (sea bream) shabu shabu, on the other hand, does.

The meal is served with a plate of sashimi and a simmering pot of dashi (soup stock) filled with fresh herbs and vegetables that is set on a portable burner. Don’t eat the sashimi raw. As per the chef’s recommendations, take a slice of the fish with your chopsticks and dip it into the broth (or swish it back-and-forth) precisely four times. Then dip it in the accompanying ponzu (to which you’ve already added some vegetables from the soup). The “four times” rule may seem a bit random, but it works—the fish isn’t overcooked, but neither is it raw. The fresh vegetables impart an almost Vietnamese taste, but only slightly—this is, after all, traditional Japanese dining.

To finish off your dining experience, the chef will bring out some tea and a specialty of the house for dessert: homemade kakigori, or shaved ice. With a choice of chocolate or matcha (green tea), this slightly different take on shaved ice has a delicate, creamy texture (there’s some whole milk frozen in the mixture) that imparts a soft sweetness to balance out the bitter matcha or cocoa powder liberally dusted on top. Normally a childhood summer favorite in Japan, this little dish has a grown-up feel, but will leave you grinning like a middle schooler. A truly Japanese end to a satisfying journey through some of the country's cuisine—expertly guided by masters of the craft.

Japanese Cuisine Toku 1F Five Bldg., 5-18-20 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel: 050-5785-9347 Hours: Mon-Fri, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch); Mon-Sat 5:30-10:30 p.m. (dinner); closed Sundays Google Map

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