| Restaurant Review |
By Steve Trautlein
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Hapuna
Bring a healthy appetite to this classy hotel restaurant in Shinagawa
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| Courtesy of Shinagawa Prince Hotel |
Several years ago, Hapuna was all the rage. Its location in the storied Shinagawa Prince Tokyo hotel and its upscale buffet attracted the fawning attention of TV shows and OLs. But times change, fashions shift, and even all-you-can-eat crab legs eventually lose their luster. So Hapuna decided to get itself a facelift, and the recent unveiling has placed it squarely back in the limelight.
Don’t be fooled by the term “buffet”—this is one classy restaurant, and one that’s surprisingly easy on the wallet. Diners can sample more than 60 gourmet dishes, with no time limit, for just ¥5,500; throw in a ¥2,500 nomihodai option, and you and your date can skate away for less than 2 large. What’s more, design lovers will positively coo over the graceful and airy space, with high ceilings, tasteful furnishings, and a striking glassed-in wine tower. Tip: try and reserve a spot at one of the raised seating platforms that flank the central dining area, where you can gaze on all the action below.
No one will leave Hapuna hungry—or, we suspect, disappointed. Divided into sections containing Western food, Japanese food and desserts, the buffet occupies an impressive amount of real estate. When the 5:30pm dinner bell rings, diners stream in with an excited buzz that doesn’t let up until last call. Thanks to the large number of dishes on offer, the lines tend to stay short, though logjams do occur at predictable locations: the crab legs, sushi and made-to-order cutlets.
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Not to worry, though, there are plenty of other delights. Appetizers include (and we’re giving the abridged version here) insalata caprese, marinated tako and a funky red-pepper mousse, all served in lovely, diminutive cocktail glasses. A salad bar with all the fixings sits near an urn of creamy pumpkin potage, while on the Japanese side there’s shabu-shabu, chawan mushi, soba, and kinpira and komatsuna salads. Terrines, meat loaf, gnocchi, roasted turkey, baked sole and a carving station occupy the Western section, and there’s even a mini-Chinatown, with the likes of spare ribs and tender deep-fried shrimp with a mayonnaise-based dressing; this last was the highlight of our meal. Kids (and kid-like adults) will love the chocolate “fountain,” in which they can dip fresh fruit.
The waitstaff at Hapuna know their role: serve drinks, clear plates and otherwise stay out of everyone’s way. Indeed, the bustle is all part of the fun, and you, too, will be in a giddy mood while enjoying this bottomless feast of Japanese and Western treats.
1F Shinagawa Prince Hotel Main Tower, 4-10-30 Takanawa, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5421-7858. Open Mon-Fri 6:30-10:30am,11:30am-
3pm and 6-10pm, Sat-Sun 6:30-10:30am, 11:30am-3pm and 5:30-10pm. Nearest stn: Shinagawa. www.princehotels.co.jp
Brought to Japan by Chinese Zen Buddhists over 700 years ago, the cuisine known as shojin ryori hasn’t changed much since. The food is simple, seasonal and, to put it in 21st-century terms, “cruelty-free.” Meals regularly cost upwards of ¥10,000-¥15,000 per person, so when we heard that a well-established restaurant in the shadow of Otori Shrine near Asakusa was offering its dozen-course weekday lunch for ¥5,000 (plus tax and service charge), we leapt at the chance to tick another box on our Must-Do-In-Tokyo list. Bon stands out as particularly Japanese, even for the old school neighborhood in which it sits. Its noren welcome guests through sliding doors into a stone-floored corridor, off of which are several elevated dining rooms. Settling onto our cushions and plopping our feet into the recessed space under the table, we admired the rock garden visible through the floor-level window. Our meal commenced with ume tea and an appetizer platter that included sliced carrot wrapped in tofu skin and fried in miso. Over the next hour, we were wowed by 11 courses of immaculately presented seasonal vegetable dishes. Highlights included hama-natto beans boiled in soy sauce and skewered on ornamental pine needles; hearty steamed buns filled with vermicelli and carrots; and an intriguing tempura of gobo, konnyaku and somen noodles. This exercise in slow eating left us completely full, and as we left we uttered a gochisosama deshita—and completely meant it.
1-2-11 Ryusen, Taito-ku. Tel: 03-3872-0375. Open Thu-Tue noon-3pm (lunch), 5-7pm (dinner), closed Wed. Nearest stn: Iriya, exit 3. Reservations required. www.fuchabon.co.jp/english/english.html BM |
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