Also known as puffer fish or fugu (as it’s known in Japan; hetun (河豚) in Chinese) this fish is most known for its natural ability to inflate into a rounded shape to deter predators. For more protection, about a quarter of the fish’s weight is laced with tetrodotoxin, a poison more potent than cyanide and found in organs including the eyes, liver, ovaries and skin. Toxins can be removed and the fish consumed, but traces often remain, giving diners a tingly sensation considered thrillingly delicious. Many have died for their dinner and the fish has been banned from preparation in Japan, except by licensed chefs who have passed a rigorous exam, following a long apprenticeship. Thankfully, of Tianzheng’s four chefs from fugu-loving Osaka, the senior one is a 30-year veteran.

Tianzheng, the restaurant’s name and owner, is a company from Dalian that has been farming blowfish since 1993. They are purportedly the only restaurant to serve fugu in China; in this farmed version, there are still some toxins, but they are minimal. The result? You can play Hannibal, have your liver with a nice sake and not risk sudden death. However, should you experience numbing in the mouth, clear symptoms of poisoning, there is no antidote to death by asphyxiation–despite proximity to the SOS clinic.

Of Tianzheng's two menus, one involves more common Japanese fare, the other involves a choice of tasting menus. Combining small dishes with a single set meal brings a departure from the humdrum tedium most Japanese restaurants offer. A tasty marinade flavours boneless chicken thighs, dusted and fried in the beauty of karage (日式炸鸡块), although some floury traces remain. Agedashi tofu (日式油炸豆腐) is crisp at first, slowly drinking in from a shallow amber pool of sauce to yield a custardy center. Tiny clams steamed in sweet sake are occasionally sandy –enough to pass over (酒蒸花蛤). Redemption comes in unctuous cubes of simmered pork belly (日式红烧肉), delicious with a boiled egg–a perfect partner.

From there, you can choose how you’d like your courses prepared: fried or poached skin? Opt for the gelatinous poached strips, said to be excellent for your skin, and served with more ponzu. You can have the meat fried or raw, but most aficionados opt for sashimi petals that come with a traditional garnish of thin chives and grated daikon with chilli (and another dip of ponzu). Be sure to ask for the silky uncooked liver – also with ponzu – the climax and best part of the meal. Order the bones fried golden, and nibble the clinging bits. You’ll finish with a bowl of rice, egg and seaweed congee.

Eating blowfish can underwhelm, with it’s firm texture and delicate flavour. It may be a single bite in your life or a recurring love. But if you’ve got a night to explore the boundaries of Japan’s culinary legends, head to the tanks of Tianzheng.

Address: 16 Xinyuanli (behind the SOS clinic), Chaoyang District 朝阳区新源里16号琨莎中心c座底商

Source: timeoutbeijing.com