Tofuya-Ukai: Kaiseki Tofu, Gardens & Koi Ponds

One of Tokyo’s most gracious restaurants, Shiba Tofuya Ukai is a magnificent garden in the heart of Tokyo, located in a former sake brewery moved from northern Japan, with an exquisite traditional garden in the shadow of Tokyo Tower. Instead of a single central dining room, Tofuya Ukai has individual tatami dining rooms, each of them overlooking exquisite carp ponds and blossoming cherry trees. With bustling kimono-clad waitresses, Tofuya-Ukai feels more like a rural ryokan inn than in the town centre beneath the iconic Tokyo Tower. Passing in front of the garden lantern and waterwheel and walking on the steppingstones, you find yourself back in time in the town of Edo, the Tokyo of 200 years ago. The menu’s focus is tofu, which is brought in fresh each day from a small workshop in the hills of western Tokyo with dishes such as creamy, soy-milk casseroles that are cooked at the table, or deep-fried tofu pouches, which are grilled over charcoal in a hut in the middle of the garden. Arriving for dinner, we wandered along a beautiful stone path through to the interior gardens and were greeted in an elegant reception room before being escorted to our private dining room, where we were treated to a sumptuous multi-course Kaiseki dinner by Meiko, our personal server for the evening. With each course beautifully presented in such breathtaking natural surroundings, Tofuya Ukai was truly one of the highlights of our month in Japan.

One of Tokyo’s most gracious restaurants, Shiba Tofuya Ukai is a magnificent garden in the heart of Tokyo, located in a former sake brewery and under the iconic Tokyo Tower

A charming lantern lit stone path leads into the hidden garden and the 

culinary oasis of Tofuya Ukai

The main house of Tofuya Ukai set within a landscaped garden of towering 

 Japanese pines and maples 

Entering the garden, one looks up to see the spectacular Tokyo Tower lit up at night

The garden path lit by glowing lanterns continues by koi ponds 

until we each the entrance to Tofuya Ukai

Gorgeous flower arrangement in the receiving room

Table setting in our private tatami room with red lacquer tray, chopsticks and 

monogrammed napkin

Kid Junmai-Daiginjo Sake served cold in an elegant crystal cup

The first course of our Hana Kaiseki dinner was an exquisitely presentation of steamed kimchi melon with abalone, red bayberry, pike conger sushi and simmered shrimp with mullet roe

Steamed kinchi melon with abalone was served in a lovely glass cup that was served with a leaf

Deep-fried Tofu with miso grilled over charcoal then fried in the outdoor garden kitchen

A chef grills tofu over charcoal in a hut in the middle of the garden

Spring onions served with the deep-fried tofu

Sashimi served with shiso flower bud, wasabi and green tea jelly

Soy sauce for the sashimi

Deep-fried Eggplant with sesame dressing

Meiko serving Warm Tofu in Seasoned Soymilk in a beautiful gold Japanese soup tureen

Silky smooth tofu in seasoned soy milk with junsai, a kind of perennial water lily plant that grows in shallow ponds 

Grilled Conger Eel with tempura sancho pepper

Miso Soup

Raw pumpkin, namuru and daikon

Served in a Japanese cedar meshibitsu, the eighth course was Japanese steamed rice with

juvenile sardines and garnished with mangan-ji pepper

Japanese steamed rice with juvenile sardines and garnished with mangan-ji pepper

Poached Japanese Fig in white wine jelly

Arigato Meiko

Japanese Tea

Hot tea to finish the Kaiseki dinner

Han carved wooden toothpicks with brown tree bark on one side

Our private room overlooking the garden

After dinner we strolled through the interior garden

Picturesque red bridge over the koi pond with discrete garden lighting 

brings the garden alive at night 

A small bridge leads to the outdoor grill house

The open-air Grill House in the middle of the beautiful garden

Stone path leading back into Tofuya Ukai

One last glimpse of Tokyo Tower as we walk up to the path to take a taxi home

After a fabulous Kaiseki dinner in the extraordinarily beautiful Tofuya Ukai,

the evening will be one to remember for a very long time

(Kaiseki Dinner for 2: ¥29,720)

www.ukai.co.jp/english/shiba