Bon

What an experience! After coming out of the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo subway, we found ourselves entering into a zen like setting. Our party of five had our own tatami room with low chairs. We had the ten course dinner set. Over the next 2 plus hours, I was blown away by the attention to detail, the quality of ingredients, the flavors and presentation of each dish. I was so full and satisfied in the end. Highly recommended even if you are not vegetarian. If we are what we eat, you will feel cleansed wholesome and refreshed after this meal. Reservation is required but not hard to get.

The type of vegan food served at Fucha Bön was imported from China to Japan by Zen Buddhist Monks more than three centuries ago. The multi-​course menu includes a determined number of dishes that you would have to request in advance when you or your concierge call to reserve. Reservations and cash payments are mandatory. The meal itself lasts more than two hours, and it is served in a private traditional Japanese room of tatami mats and sliding doors.
It is not an exaggeration to say that each dish is a masterpiece that is not only beautifully presented, but it also tastes like heaven (it is monastic food after all). Everything is so perfect and delicious that you might be able to feel enlighten after your meal. Enlightenment, however, won’t come cheap. You will feel, however, that it was money very well spent.

Fucha Bön is a wonderful example of Japanese vegetarian cuisine — known as shojin ryori. There is just nothing like it I’ve tried anywhere in Australia.
Serving a subset of shojin ryori known as fucha ryori, Fucha Bön specialises in the cuisine of Zen Buddhist monks originally from China, brought to Japan about 300 years ago. Fucha means «drinking tea together», and also is used to mean a meal eaten in Chinese style, where each dish is served from it’s own bowl, and which begins and ends with tea.
Ask your hotel to ring Fucha bon and book your meal. When you book, you will need to give them your advance order from their menu available on their website. We opted for the Fucha Lunch Box (3,450 yen tax not included), and opted to dine at lunch time in order to make finding the restaurant easier — following directions to a new restaurant in Tokyo is challenging enough without the cover of darkness!
At Fucha Bön, you are greeted at the door with by one of the traditionally robed waitresses, in kimono, 2-​toed-​socks and wooden geta sandals. With much bowing you are led to your private tatami mat dining room. Shoes off of course. Luckily the tables here have sunken floors beneath them, making siting on the floor a breeze.
We ordered beer and a «sakura» dry sake, served cold.
At the same time we were presented with their take on «tea ceremony» with a tiny chestnut flour cookie and a small cup of tea, with puffed roasted rice and a small preserved plum.
Soon after, out came our truly exquisite lunch box. Really an edible work of art, any concern that it looked better than the taste was soon forgotten as we explored each item.
The bottom left compartment contained perfectly cooked Japanese rice with a topping of chewy mock-​meat granules with the taste of soy. This felt like a humourous nod to having soy dipping sauce as an accompaniment to rice, and was indeed delicious. Small pieces of delicious pickled vegetable added a bite, also with the taste of soy.
In the top right, the waitress explained that it was soy-​meat eel. With nori at the back, it did indeed have an ocean briney flavour as well as sweet miso and a nice grilled texture outside, with soft shredded texture inside.
In the bottom right compartment, there was a variety of cooked & fried dishes.
The top left compartment had no less than seven perfectly prepared, unique and delicious components.
A small savoury & mild soup was served with the lunch box. Mild herbaceous green leaves, a light & fluffy tofu ball, a piece of shitake and sliver of yuzu skin added to the subtle base.
The next course was presented in a beautiful individual terracotta pots. Inside was a gel textured soup with a mild savoury flavour. Suspended in the soup were potatoes, grated daikon, black fungus, leek, a big piece of chewy mochi in the bottom. Mochi is rice that is pounded into a smooth, stretchy, sticky dough. Hiding under the mochi was a herby meatball, a big black bean (sweet inside!), and a ginkgo nut. This dish was subtle and all about the discovery of flavour & texture.
Chilled house-​made fettuccine style rice noodles followed, served chilled on ice, with a soy based dipping sauce, grated ginger and spring onion. Clean, clear and pure flavours combined with the cool temperature and slippery texture of the noodles.
Then perfectly salted crisp tempura, including an intruiging edible fan — made possibly from rice or enoki mushrooms. Sweet carrot tied together with nori, broccoli, and a white sweet potato cube, rounded out the tempura.
The last course was a simple and fresh dessert. A soy milk jelly cube was served with fresh mint and seasonal fruits, including the beloved winter strawberry.
Dessert was served with a pot of hojicha tea, the perfect after meal soothing beverage.
Fucha Bön’s lunch box was far more than a lunch box, actually it was more like an exquisite six course gastronomic delight. It is unbelievable value at only 3,450 yen. Not to mention polite & friendly service, historic surroundings, and a relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Access: 10mins walk from exit No.3 of Iriya Station on the Hibiya subway line. When you take exit 3, continue straight up the large street. At the first traffic light, turn right. Follow the directions to Fucha Bön on the street lamp posts along this street, about 1 km up this street then a short left hand turn and Fucha Bön is on the left about 75m along.