Tofuya Ukai, one of my favorite restaurants in the world, is famous for its tofu. It took me awhile living in Asia before I came to appreciate the subtle taste of tofu and this place helped me learn to love it.
It is an "only in Japan" experience. In the heart of the city, minutes from Roppongi and at the very foot of Tokyo Tower near my apartment, you round a corner and find yourself in front of a samurai-era merchant's residence, its low-slung wooden gateway announced by an imposing white lantern and a tall banner fluttering in the wind.
The core of the premises is a 200-year-old sake brewery transplanted from Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, massive polished beams, thick-walled warehouse, and all. The rooms are in traditional zashiki-style, with simple, spare furnishings, tatami floors and leg wells. The layout is carefully designed so that all rooms have views over the inner garden, with its thatched grill house and wooden waterwheel turning lazily. Tokyo Tower remains totally out of sight.
Given such remarkable surroundings, it would be easy to surmise that the food here is perhaps of secondary importance. Not so. As the name suggests, the menu revolves around tofu, incorporated into refined kaiseki cuisine
What distinguishes Tofuya Ukai from other restaurants of this ilk is that they produce all their own tofu. It's made at their own in-house workshop in Owadamachi, in the foothills of the Okutama mountains behind Hachioji. The beans are grown in Hokkaido; the local water is famous for its purity; the tofu is made and delivered daily.
The menu is seasonal, changing every two months. Here are some of the highlights of our recent nine-course lunch:
Age-dengaku: Thin strips of deep-fried tofu (abura-age), grilled over charcoal and basted with a special sweet-savory miso sauce. Prepared in the thatched grill house visible in the center of the inner garden, this is delivered to the table in stacks of handsome boxes of red lacquer. The squares of golden abura-age are warm and crisp, their flavor hinting lightly of the charcoal grill. These are slivers, barely even a couple of bites each, yet their simple subtlety lingers in the memory.
The hassun course: Seasonal tidbits, beautifully arranged to highlight the artistry of the kitchen. The standouts here were delectable morsels of wagyu beef from the Ukai ranch in Hyogo Prefecture, simmered with ginger (think gyudon for the gods); and wild fuki (butterbur) stems, steamed and anointed with a white shira-ae dressing, the gently fibrous texture balanced by the creamy mix of tofu and white miso.
Tosui-tofu: The house special is a chunky ceramic nabe hot pot heated over charcoal in the center of the table, containing blocks of smooth tofu in a thick white soup of soy milk, and topped with fresh-made soy-milk skin. The soup is so rich with dashi stock that no extra seasoning is needed, and the tofu slips down like a smooth, savory custard.
Are you a tofu lover? How do you like to eat it?
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Comments (22)
mmmm I lovee tofu :D
I LOVE tofu... I eat it out of a package from the grocery store tho...
I wish there was like a tofu restaurant round where I live... but no such luck .
I like mine on salads and stuff... or I cook it up in a stir fry.
I'm no tofu specialist soo its pretty simple.
Your 9course lunch (may I say I've never heard of nine courses at lunch but sounds good) sounds like it was relly good.
i love tofu. i've ate pumpkin tofu (which looked like pumpkin jello) and tea jello. sooooo good.
Tofu's good, and healthy! :) I'll eat it however it's prepared.
I've been wanting to try tofu, but I'm a little scared of it. And I have no idea what to do with it (how to prepare it)
i eat tofu though i wouldnt say i love it. age-dengaku sounds so good though
The Hassun course sounds delish. I've only eaten deep fried tofu at PF Changs. :P Doesn't sound as good as your experience, though!
Different ways of using tofu, one of those is to do miso soup.
The other way is really simple.
Take a block of soft tofu, cut in mid size cubes (normally I do 2 long cuts and 4 short cuts and one slice through the middle)
chopped scallion (I only use the white-light green section, though you can use the greens also, but you would want to cut those really fine)
grated ginger (I use the cheese grater and that works well!) If you don't have a grater, you can just toss it in a blender or cut it into very fine lines.
light soy sauce
Place tofu, then scallion, then ginger, then pour soy sauce over, and serve cold.
I love tofu! The only one I don't like is the sweet soy jelly that goes with a sweet soy sauce.
I like tofu, I haven't had any in so long though! I miss it.
TOFU LOVER. i would love to try all types of tofu!
hahaha that restaurant looks gorgeous/neat! i like fried tofu.
I love tofu and soy
I just dont' know how to cook them
but just eating it plain and raw is good
for the most part i like silken tofu. i like to make it MaPo style--spicy with pork--or in fish soup
i also like the soy marinated dry tofu, it's also smooth but very condensed hence the name dried tofu. it's not really dried tofu, its just really dense
i hate the firm tofu or what chinese call the old tofu, it has an aftertaste that i hate. the silken and the dried dont have that taste
If I ever go to Japan..I'll definitely want to stop here
Mm, I feel hungry now. I love eating tofu.
mm i love tofu!! sounds good (:
I'm a TOFU LOVER!! and the place you've describe is very attractive :P I like my tofu fried but due to health reasons, I have them steamed now
I think I've only tried tofu once. If I remember correctly, I liked it. I'd like to have a better appreciation for tofu myself.
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i;ve never tried tofu, but i definitely want to. that restaurant sounds like a dream and the two last recipes sound like sth i;d definitely order. i;m not big on anything fried though so i;'d probably steer clear from no. 1.
never tried tofu...