Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2011

Courtesy of Fatgroove

Japanese cuisine is celebrated for its subtlety and nuance; the cooking of the American south, by contrast, is sassy, brazen and bold. So the owners of Fatgroove are taking quite a chance by introducing a particularly extreme Southern dish—turducken—to Tokyo.

Made from a whole chicken stuffed inside a duck shoved inside a turkey, turducken is anything but subtle. Or cheap—a takeout order here costs ¥15,000. Most customers at Fatgroove, however, will try it as part of the reasonable two-hour all-you-can-eat deal, which costs just ¥2,800 for men and ¥2,500 for women, with one drink included until 9pm; after 9, tapas dishes can also be had à la carte (¥300-¥500). The selection includes tapas (chorizo; rillettes), Asian dishes (xiaolongpao dumplings; dan dan noodles) and European fare (pizza; pasta), plus a plate of the signature turducken. We enjoyed our portion of the meaty dish—a bit dry, but amply seasoned and admirably offbeat.

The niftiest part of the whole experience, however, is the wine service. Order a glass of red or white (¥650) and you’re presented with several bottles to choose from. After your selection is poured, all the bottles are placed in an ice bucket on your table, and you can drink freely from them for the rest of your meal. When it’s time to leave, the staff will figure out how many glasses you’ve had and calculate your bill accordingly.

Fatgroove sits in a hidden basement location just off Kotto Dori, in the space formerly occupied by “Pied-Noir” restaurant KaMu and French eatery Chez Soma. Neither of those venues lasted long, but judging by the lively crowd at Fatgroove on a recent Friday night, we’re betting that this new spot will be around for awhile. Never underestimate the power of chicken- and duck-stuffed turkey.