Tokyo Food Page

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Ifuu/
Marunouchi: Korean
▼6212-8181
▽Data

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Before we discovered
Ifuu, we had never
heard of a Korean
robatayaki. The idea
has a definite ap-
peal, though - the
simplicity of
charcoal-grilled
skewers of meat
combined with spicy
Korean flavors
sounds like a win-
ning formula. And
Ifuu carries out the
concept very well -
it's got far more
flair than the usual
Korean joint, and a
lot more spice than
your typical yakito-
riya. Whether you
drop in for drinks
or for a full din-
ner, the atmosphere
is casual and re-
laxed, and prices
are quite reason-
able.

One main portion of
Ifuu's menu is
straight from the
grill - small deli-
cacies perfect for
nibbling on with
drinks, some of them
served on skewers
and some not. Cer-
tain items - like
the crunchy grilled
prawns and smoky
eringi mushrooms -
might not seem so
obviously Korean in
execution, but the
quality of the in-
gredients is first-
rate, and they go
very nicely with
kimchee. Other
dishes are notice-
ably different from
their Japanese
equivalents:
brushed-on sauces
and dips are made
with distinctively
Korean spices and
herbs, hotter fla-
vors, and much more
garlic. Recommenda-
tions from the char-
coal brazier include
the grilled pork
with miso topping,
the garlicky grilled
chicken (momo) and
tsukune meatballs,
and the unusual
yomogi nama-fu,
seasoned with a nice
twist of yuzu on top
of the ubiquitous
garlic.

The rest of the menu
covers spicy stews
and nabe dishes,
sashimi, salads, and
a version of samge-
tang ginseng-chicken
soup. There are a
number of original
side dishes, some of
which work better
than others. The
cheese chijimi (sea-
food pancake), for
example, is quite
nice, but the
fusion-y maguro
yukke with kimchee
natto is a bit of a
stretch - the Japa-
nese natto doesn't
really add anything
to the dish, and it
probably would be
better without it.

Both Korean and
Japanese shochu are
well represented on
the drinks list,
including seasonal
specials. There are
also two kinds of
makkoli, the Korean
equivalent of
nigori-zake ("cloudy
sake"), and the
"nama" version in
particular is quite
nice and easy to
drink. Budget around
Y3500 for food and
drink; party plans
start at Y2800.

Ifuu is part of the
Osaka-based Chanto
group (Daidaiya,
Ken's Dining), and
judging from the
difficulty in get-
ting reservations,
it looks like they
have another success
on their hands.

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▼Map for DoCoMo

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◎Marunouchi 2-1-1,
Marunouchi MY Plaza
B2F. ◎Open 11am-
10pm (LO) daily.

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