'You will be pleased to know (or not) that I just lived through my first (and possibly last) Fugu experience' writes Mark Rose.
 
I managed to book 2 months in advance at Usukifugu Yamadaya, a 3 star Fugu Restaurant close to Rappongi in Tokyo - like the great Sushi Bar Muzutani, Usukifugu Yamadaya was very difficult to find (and I had a Japanese guide!) - up a residential driveway, out the back, round the corner and down some stairs....

I guess that eating Fugu is a bit like jumping out of a plane and hoping that the parachute will open

 
Fugu or Puffer Fish is extremely poisonous if not prepared properly - chefs must undergo an eight year apprenticeship before applying for a licence to practise on the general public. Puffer Fish contains tetrodotoxin, a poison that causes its victims to become paralysed while still being fully conscious - death by asphyxiation follows, which accounts for five or six deaths each year in Japan.
 
At this point you are probably wondering why I bothered - I guess that eating Fugu is a bit like jumping out of a plane and hoping that the parachute will open!
 
I opted for the tasting menu (which is eye wateringly expensive) - seven courses using every piece of the fish excluding the extremely toxic liver and ovaries, matched with a rich sweetish sake:
 
 - Pan fried in a light soy and ponzu broth with a side order of abalone and lightly char grilled vegetables
 - Sashimi with a ponzu, lime, pepper and shallot dipping sauce - garnished with the skin chopped and piled in the middle of the sashimi  (rubbery but kind of nice)
 - Basted in light soy, grilled and served with a sweet baby shallot
 - Deep fried in a light golden batter - eaten with your fingers
 - In a Miso broth with shitake, tofu and a rice cake
 - In a rice porridge with shallots and to die for pickled vegetables on the side
 - Pumpkin mousse with a bean curd top and ginger ice - which was up there with a liquorice parfait I once had, sweet but not sweet.

Each course was presented beautifully but there was a distinct lack of theatre from the chef. (Surely a disappointment when you're eating something as  dramatic as this - Ed) Having never eaten Fugu before there is no comparison that I can make - the dishes were interesting, tasty but no better than a piece of freshly caught Harpuka - the flavour and texture was almost identical. The taste stayed with me overnight (in a nice way) making it through two bouts of teeth cleaning and my mouth seemed slightly numb for a few hours - a sensation I am sure I have experienced in another life.
 
I am often asked that if I was to die tomorrow what would my last meal be - having lived through my Fugu experience I can tell you it certainly wouldn't be Fugu!

True South restaurant at The Rees Hotel

Usukifugu Yamadaya is a fugu (blowfish, pufferfish) restaurant in Tokyo's Nishi-Azabu district. The three star Michelin restaurant has been serving fugu dishes since 2007.
Level A, Fleg Nishi Azabu Vierge
4-11-14 Nishi Azabu
Minato-ku, Tokyo