Ro Un Ki (EX Lounge)
Chinese Cuisine as an Art Form
Ro Un Ki is much, much more than just a high-class Cantonese-style Chinese restaurant. "I wanted to create an 'Oishi Space,'" explains Aki-san, the gallery owner and restaurateur. In addition to her Art Space on the second floor, she has certainly succeeded in providing the perfect Space to tease and pamper your taste buds as well.
Like everything else at Ex-Lounge, nothing is left to chance. Aki-san is a woman of distinguished tastes, and she knows what she wants. The interior - including the big table in the café leading to the restaurant - is not just designed by anybody, but by world-renowned architect Norihiko Dan. The table is not just an item of convenience, but a work of art in its own right.
Diners, however, needn't worry about being overwhelmed by aesthetic considerations. Art takes a quiet step backstage here, leaving enough room to enjoy the fine food and savoir vivre. One can easily relax as the space exudes its atmosphere of a dining room in a well-to-do household that could very well be in Paris, New York - or sophisticated Aoyama, for that matter.
What about the food itself? "Our chef is from China, of course," says Aki-san. "In cooking you need to get started at the age of 16. If you start later, your taste buds won't be as receptive to the culinary art as they should." It certainly shows in the menu. Shark fin can be ordered in no less than ten styles, prawn and lobster dishes abound, duck, crab, beef galore, not to mention such exotic delicacies as bird's nest soup - try the one with shredded chicken.
All in all Ro Un Ki is one of a kind, an experience easily able to evoke epiphanies in sophisticated Tokyoites, artists, and all those that know a good thing when they see, smell, eat, and taste it.
Minami Aoyama City House
5-4-44 Minami Aoyama
Minato-ku 107-0062
1F: Ro Un Ki
2F: Aki-Ex Gallery
Tel: 3499-4267
Open: 11:30 am to 10:30 pm
Sunday & hol. closed
Visitors to the Aki-Ex Gallery on the second floor and readers of this article will be served free refreshments when dining at Ro Un Ki.