Tokyo Food Page
Suna/
Gaienmae: Middle
Eastern
▼3423-1233
▽Data
Suna is a friendly,
late-night neighbor-
hood spot with a
Mediterranean look
and flavor. The food
centers on Spanish-
style tapas and
Middle Eastern
dishes like couscous
and kebabs, comple-
mented by an unusual
Spanish and Moroccan
wine list. The crowd
is fashionable but
relaxed - perhaps
staff from local
record companies and
design studios
catching a bite to
eat after work.
The decor is far
more restrained than
most other Middle
Eastern places
around town - just
simple white tile
floors, red tile
tables, and more
elaborate tilework
over the counter
area. Tasteful,
ornately patterned
metal fixtures
(we're convinced
that they're actual-
ly Christmas tree
bases) are the only
thing hanging from
the white concrete
walls. There's a
cozy-looking cush-
ioned alcove at the
far end of the nar-
row dining room, and
another cushion-
filled alcove out-
side under the en-
trance stairway,
perfect for warmer
weather.
Rather than slavish-
ly striving for
authenticity, the
kitchen here seems
to use Middle East-
ern and Mediterra-
nean styles as a
launching point for
their own creations.
The lamb tagine
(Moroccan-style
stew), for example,
is less subtly fla-
vored than other
versions of this
dish served around
town. At first we
were disappointed
that it was made
with minced lamb
rather than chunks
of shoulder meat,
and flavored with a
non-traditional
spice profile, but
it's actually pretty
tasty in its own
right, served with a
very light and fluf-
fy couscous. The
chapati (a whole
wheat bread from
India) was also
unexpected, but
Suna's chapati
turned out to be
outstanding, one of
the high points of
the meal, so we
certainly can't
complain.
The house vegetable
salad is highly
recommended - a big
assortment of par-
boiled vegetables
like turnips, okra,
carrots, broccoli,
and thick, almost-
raw beet slices,
mixed with greens
and drizzled very
lightly with a bagna
cauda-style dressing
full of anchovies
and garlic. The
mixed kebabs also
feature a good help-
ing of vegetables -
zucchini, eringi
mushrooms, and sev-
eral different kinds
of peppers. On the
meatier side of the
platter there was a
superb minced lamb
kebab - very differ-
ent in flavor from
the tagine lamb -
along with chunks of
crisply grilled
chicken.
We found a full-
bodied Rioja Reserva
for under Y4000 that
was a good match for
the food, and there
are several even
cheaper Moroccan
bottles that look
like they might be
worth a try. Budget
around Y10,000 for
dinner and drinks
for two, or less if
you just want a
quick snack at the
counter.
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◎Minami-Aoyama 3-8-
3, Aoyama OG Bldg.
B1F. [down the lit-
tle street next to
Avex records]
◎Open 11:30am-2,
6pm-midnight daily.
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