It had been about 10 months since my last visit last summer. This time, I joined a private gathering with friends.The location is about a 10-minute walk from Kagurazaka Station on the Tozai Line. On the first floor of the building, there is a small sign that simply says "Mori Fuji." Anyone unfamiliar with the place would hardly guess it’s a restaurant.The interior is cozy, with a straight counter that seats around six. With just the chef and the owner serving, this size seems just right.At the back, there’s a teppan that has become a signature of the restaurant, radiating a remarkable aura.Once again, exquisite ingredients were transformed into delicate dishes, resulting in stunning creations.On this day, we enjoyed:- Cold noodles with clam broth and Akita's junsai- Grilled anago (conger eel) with a light char- Fish somen with chives, fresh sea urchin, and nori- Soup with Matsumoto's flower mushrooms from Nagano- Katsuura sardines with ume (plum) dressing, myoga, and water eggplant- Steamed figs with dengaku miso- Instant-cooked abalone- Ayu (sweetfish) caught in Gujo Hachiman, served with moringa- Sake-steamed sawara (Spanish mackerel) from Mie with onion and tofu sauce- Unadon (grilled eel rice bowl, confit style)- Chateaubriand from Hitachi beef- Garlic rice with shirasu (whitebait) and Amela tomatoes- Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki- Mango cheesecakeThe flavors were, of course, outstanding, but the portions were also significantly larger than last time, leaving me feeling uncomfortably full by the end.The instant-cooked abalone was once again incredibly impressive!That texture is something you can only experience here.We also enjoyed lively discussions about fishing, and the chef seemed more relaxed than during my last visit.In the past six months, he reportedly caught a large 30kg yellowfin tuna in Sagami Bay.Such experiences must contribute to his confidence.He mentioned that his ultimate goal is to catch a bluefin tuna. This big-game fisherman seems to have no interest in smaller fish, which is amusing.Everyone has their own way of enjoying fishing, so it’s hard to say, but big-game fishing is indeed a significant challenge, and I hope he succeeds.The garlic rice and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki were beautifully prepared on the teppan, and I even received some as a takeaway.Since it’s in Tokyo, I can’t visit frequently, but I definitely want to come back whenever I have the chance.Good luck catching that bluefin tuna!
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