This is Tokyo's first Portuguese restaurant, serving hearty, traditional country-style fare that's cooked up by Manuel himself in the kitchen and served with good humor by the friendly English-speaking staff.

The menu is straightforward, with a handful of daily specials, vegetable- and seafood-based soups (something one doesn't see a lot in Tokyo), plenty of fish and seafood, a few stews, and assorted risotto-style and baked rice dishes. Cod seems to be a popular item, with no fewer than five representatives on the menu; we were also intrigued by the stewed pork with clams - an unusual combination.

We began a recent visit with a starter of sauteed shrimp in garlic - big succulent shrimps prepared simply, with a not-too-timid helping of garlic (an ingredient we enjoyed in many of the dishes here). Another favorite was the Portuguese-style chicken stew - very tender chunks of chicken in a rich, herb-infused tomato-based stew. Rice dishes here are served either risotto-style or baked in a pan, and prepared with octopus, clams, cod or duck. We tried the baked rice with duck, which had a chewy, slightly burnt crust but was otherwise much plainer and less complex than Spanish paella, which is the inevitable comparison.

Portuguese wines are a real Tokyo bargain, and the list at Manuel is no exception. The most expensive is only Y4200 (oddly enough, that's the one designated as their house wine), but there are some decent selections in the Y3000 range. If you're in the mood to splurge you can try some of the older Port wines on the after-dinner menu. Several different vintages - up to about 40 years old - are available on any given night. In the interest of scientific inquiry we sampled 10-, 20-, and 40-year-old Port, and we can report that it does get much mellower as the age (and price) increases. Port is Y550-2000 per glass; dinner with drinks is around Y3000-4000 per person.

Manuel is under the same management as the Australian wine bar Arossa. Located just across the street, Arossa makes a convenient stop for an after-dinner drink, and if you time it right you can take advantage of Arossa's after-10pm happy-hour discount (20% off the regular price of wine by the glass).
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by Scott Cooper