Tofu is cooling, tofu is healthy and, best of all, tofu is cheap. And suddenly this sultry summer season, tofu is also totally trendy. Just like Shigezo Syoutou, in fact. Such is its popularity, it took us three attempts to snare a reservation at this laid-back basement dining-bar, despite the location way out past the bright lights of Shibuya.
In design terms, Shigezo Syoutou is a cross between a designer izakaya and a Balinese beach hut. Indonesian fabrics, wood carvings and exotic knickknacks are set among lush tropical indoor plants. An ambient take on gamelan music plays softly but insistently in the background. The waiters wear batik-print scarves on their heads.
The dining area is cleverly broken up into five distinct areas, each with its own motif. The counter, with its palm-frond roof and rattan-backed chairs, evokes a Kuta beachfront cocktail bar. Further back the theme is Oriental hardwood furniture and Southeast Asian textiles. A small room at the back has been given the Okinawan look -- low tables and zabuton cushions set on square traditional Ryukyu tatami.