Truffle pasta at Out, Harajuku & Aoyama.

©Rebecca Milner/Lonely Planet

Out

Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa


Out serves only one dish – tagliolini al tartufo (egg noodles with truffles) – take it or leave it (we'll take it). The noodles are made from scratch in-house with flour imported from Italy; the truffles (rotated by season) are shaved on top of the pasta at the table; and the house wine is a boutique Australian red (also rotated).

Oh and there's one other quirk: Out only plays Led Zeppelin, on vinyl.Concept-wise, it's like a ramen restaurant: order from the vending machine and grab a seat at the counter.

On Sundays, Out does an excellent bruch, with a different menu each week (always one egg dish, ¥1500; and one sweet dish, ¥1200). Their signature Bloody Mary (¥1200, ¥800 for a Virgin Mary) is seasoned with wasabi and yuzu (when in season) and served in a glass rimmed with truffle salt. Check the website for the occasional collaboration event with visiting chefs and sommeliers.