Torafugutei (とらふぐ亭) @ Shibuya, Tokyo

Fugu (or blowfish/pufferfish) is a Japanese delicacy, despite being the second most poisonous vertebrates in the world (according to trusty Wiki). It was on our must-try Japanese food list, so we dropped by this Fugu restaurant in Shibuya to get our fix. Apparently, fugu is highly lethal if not prepared properly, hence only licensed fugu chefs are allowed to prepare and serve fugu dishes, so it's relatively safe to eat fugu in Tokyo!

It's about a 10 min walk from Shibuya station, but it is easy to spot the restaurant- it has a huge pufferfish sign hanging atop of its entrance, and there is a fish tank where you can spot live pufferfish.

This restaurant have fugu course meals where they will present all the various methods of serving fugu to you. For 4980 yen, you can have kawa-sashi (parboiled skin sashimi) , fugusashi (fugu sashimi), fugu-nabe (where you dip fugu meat, bones and vegetable in a hotpot) and deep fried fugu. Pay a little more (7000 yen) and you will get shirako (fish milt- or crudely put, the male pufferfish testicle).

I'm not sure how to appreciate fugu- it's essentially tasteless but you get to taste it in a variety of cooking styles and condiments. It is also said that raw fugu can possibly cause intoxication, light-headedness and numbness of lips, but I didn't really experience that, except that for a little prickling sensation on my tongue as I chewed on the super elastic fugu sashimi. (maybe it was just my imagination going wild).

After you've completed your fugu courses, the waiter will utilize the leftover hotpot soup broth from cooking fugu to create their special blowfish broth porridge! It's a simple dish which you add salt, soy sauce to taste as it boils.

Eating fugu is definitely an experience and dining here will help strike off one item from your Must Eat Food Challenge list!

Thank you Wise Guy (RERG) for bringing me here!

Address: 5-6 Maruyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Website: http://www.torafugu.co.jp