Excellent home-style "Belarus home cooking" by native chefs. The decor is minimal (elaborately stacked vodka bottles, a vodka-themed calendar on the wall), but the food is uniformly good - from the richly flavored borscht (heavily seasoned with cumin, dill and other herbs), to the spongy buckwheat crepes stuffed with minced chicken, to the garlicky potato pancakes.

There's a selection of Hungarian white and Georgian red wines, but the hearty Russian Baltika #3 beer might be a better match for the food. The patrons seem to be a mix of local prowling Roppongi-ites and visiting explorers looking for exotic ethnic dining.

by Bjorn Katz