Fukahireya

Section 1·Not the Restaurant I Came For

There is a Chinese restaurant I have long wanted to visit in Tokyo, and it is not Fukahireya. 4000 Chinese Restaurant in Minami-Aoyama has been making the rounds among the food-obsessed people around me for some time. Booking a table there is not hard in itself, but every attempt to go has stalled at the same point: no solo reservations. During Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year holiday, I found myself at Azabudai Hills and finally made it into Fukahireya instead, the second concept from the same owner.

Section 2·Komoda's Vocabulary

Fukahireya opened on November 24, 2023, on the third floor of Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, on the same day the complex itself launched. The restaurant is the creation of Kinya Komoda, owner of 4000 Chinese Restaurant. Born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, in 1968, Komoda graduated from the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Abeno, Osaka, and joined Shisen Hanten in Akasaka in 1988, where he spent nearly 30 years holding up Chen Kenichi's kitchen. His face became familiar to viewers as Chen's sous chef on Iron Chef, and in 2004 he was the first Japanese chef to win the gold medal in the individual hot dish category at the fifth International Chinese Culinary Competition in Guangzhou. By 2008, he had risen to executive chef of the entire Shisen Hanten group. In December 2018, he finally opened his own flagship. The name 4000 reads in Japanese as both Yonsen and Shisen, folding the word for Sichuan cuisine into four thousand years of Chinese culinary history in a single stroke. Fukahireya is the more focused offshoot, built around a single ingredient.

The head chef is Yuto Kanazawa, born in 1992 in Saitama. After culinary school, he spent eight years learning Shanghai cuisine at Taikan-en, the Chinese restaurant inside Hotel New Otani Tokyo, then co-ran a Chinese bar in Nishi-Kawaguchi, also in Saitama, for about four years. He joined the team in June 2023 to lead the opening. The menu rotates every two months.

Section 3·Fin from Kesennuma

Shark fin, or fukahire in Japanese, is the dried and processed fin of a shark, and in China it has been an essential ingredient at high-end banquets since the Ming dynasty. Japan's largest production hub is Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, where 80 to 90 percent of the country's shark landings come ashore. Processing traditions there stretch back to the Edo period, and the fins are considered among the finest in the world. Fukahireya uses the fins of salmon shark (毛鹿鮫, mouka-zame) from Kesennuma, and the kitchen seasons nothing in advance, letting the ingredient speak for itself. A full-size dried fin is on display at the restaurant entrance, and every time I pass it I find myself wondering just how big that shark must have been.

Inside, the counter seats eight in front of an open kitchen, with table seating beyond. The space sits within the restaurant zone of Azabudai Hills and is not fully enclosed from the surrounding area, but there was nothing noisy or distracting during the meal.

The kitchen seasons nothing in advance, letting the ingredient speak for itself.

Section 4·A Bright Start

I opened with a cold bottle of Kirin. The first course was 中式火腿, prosciutto scented with Sichuan pepper, paired with daikon. The texture of the daikon brought to mind the mochi-like radish I had at Sazenka, and the salty prosciutto alongside it made for a bright, fresh start.

The second was 香菇炖鸡, a slow-cooked medicinal broth in the spirit of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, built around scallop, shiitake, shark fin, and other premium ingredients. It was not overly sweet, which worked well for me.

Section 5·Grilled or Steamed

The centrepiece arrived third: 紅焼排翅, the shark fin course. The chef asked at the counter whether I wanted it grilled or steamed. I chose grilled, and it brought out a springy, chewy texture. Of everything I ate that evening, it was by far the best. The soy-based sauce served alongside was very good, and the truffle shaved on top added a quiet, pleasant note.

Section 6·Dim Sum and Duck

Next came 点心, two dim sum together. One was xiaolongbao topped with crab meat, the other a spicy one. The xiaolongbao, with plenty of broth inside, was the more impressive of the two.

Then 北京烤鸭, Peking duck in the standard format: pancakes, duck skin, cucumber, and hoisin. Perhaps because the earlier dishes, and the shark fin above all, had made such a strong impression, it did not leave much of a mark.

Section 7·A Turn Towards Convention

The main, 干焼龍蝦, lobster in chilli sauce, was good but felt like a turn towards convention. The earlier courses had shown real interest in unusual pairings and careful ingredient choices; the lobster played things straight. Even so, at around ¥15,000 for a course that includes shark fin of this quality and lobster, the price is easy to justify.

Section 8·Ramen and Tea

For 面条, the noodle course, I ordered the shark fin ramen. The broth, thickened with ankake, was rich and clean at the same time, and it struck me as the top-tier version of the soup dish you order to close a meal at a Chinese restaurant. The noodles were of a high standard too.

甜点, dessert, was annin tofu (almond jelly) with melon and strawberry, and the cup of tea served at the end stayed with me. Over meal after meal, back and forth between Japan and China, I have slowly been developing an eye for good tea, and this meal confirmed it once again.

Section 9·The Bill, the Anticipation

The bill was not small. Fukahireya is still the most satisfying meal I have had at Azabudai Hills. Anticipation for 4000 Chinese Restaurant has gone up considerably as a result.

Fukahireya is still the most satisfying meal I have had at Azabudai Hills.