Restaurant Nippon’s Special Fugu Dinner

A Taste of Japan: Fugu Kaiseki from Shimonoseki

Tuesday, October 6

Two Dinner Seatings
5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Restaurant Nippon – 155 E. 52nd Street (between Lexington and 3rd Avenues)

Admission: $270 per person (including sales tax and 18% gratuity)

Fugu is the pufferfish whose toxins make it dangerous to consume, and chefs must be certified to handle it. Yet its clean, subtle flavor and texture are highly prized by seafood lovers. Restaurant Nippon, founded in 1963 by the late Nobuyoshi Kuraoka, has been the only restaurant in the U.S. to import and serve this delicacy.

After nearly five years of negotiations with the FDA, Restaurant Nippon became the first restaurant authorized to import fugu directly from Japan into the United States. Since 1989, Restaurant Nippon has imported torafugu every year from Hata Suisan, a long-established fugu supplier in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, that has supported Restaurant Nippon since the days of their negotiations with the FDA. During those negotiations, Kuraoka and Hata Suisan established a special system under which the toxic portions of the fugu are removed in Japan before the fish is exported to the U.S. As a result, the fugu that arrives here has already been safely processed, and chefs in the U.S. do not need a special fugu license to prepare it.

To mark the 37th anniversary of this longstanding tradition, Restaurant Nippon welcomes Eiji Hata, President of Hata Suisan, for a special fugu kaiseki event on Tuesday, October 6. Guests will enjoy a specially curated fall fugu kaiseki course featuring premium torafugu (tiger pufferfish) imported directly from Hata Suisan.

As part of Restaurant Nippon’s effort to introduce the tradition and flavors of fugu to a wider audience, they are offering this special menu at a more accessible price than their usual fugu offerings. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Restaurant Nippon’s website.

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