In all things, in all ways, the Japanese seek perfection. It's their national genius — and their burden. For everything can be improved upon, even made an art form.

Near Aoyama University, on Kotto-dori, that search for perfection is intense and ongoing. Six days a week, the celebrated Y Saigon Restaurant is serving a unique Japanese interpretation of South Vietnamese cuisine.

Authentic Vietnamese salads made with papaya, balsam, kushinsai, and mizuna
Coconut-flavored shrimp cocktail and steamed whole snapper, both Saigon specialties. And of course, delicious Vietnamese spring and summer rolls.

Employing chefs from Saigon's legendary Majestic Hotel (www.majestic-saigon.com), the restaurant's goal is simple: create the perfect Vietnamese fare — using the essential elements of Japanese culinary art:

• Seafood from the Pacific's northern waters — which arrives each morning at the Tokyo Fish Market. The industry's "sea-to-city" transportation network is the envy of the world. Their slogan: "Enjoy the morning catch for lunch."

• Select Japanese vegetables — without a doubt, the most delectable fresh produce in the world. The nation's gardeners, blessed with excellent soils, are constantly trying to perfect what nature invented. In the Japanese "gift culture," the value of a luscious, perfectly formed squash or eggplant is inestimable.

• Presentation and service — no one performs the ritual of dining better than the Japanese. The knowledgeable staff at Y Saigon will help you bridge the cultures.

The result of this enterprise is an "evolutionary" cuisine — the best of Saigon, the best of Japan.

Like the first "Y Saigon" — which in just two years has become one of Daikanyama's premier dining establishments — "Y Saigon Aoyama" works hard to assimilate the character of its neighborhood.

Kotto-dori's cosmopolitan atmosphere is reflected in the restaurant's highly stylized decor, a creation of designer (do you know his name?). The calming Vietnamese instruments you hear during lunch give way to Mozart during the dinner hour.

A complete dinner consists of six courses: a cold appetizer, a hot appetizer, Special dish of Awabi (Abalone), the main dish, Pho (Viet Nam's famous noodle soup), and fruits and sweet dessert with coffee or tea.

Fine Saigon cuisine is best matched with white wines. The Y Saigon wine list features outstanding French, Italian and organic whites, selected by Tokimaru Takahashi, Japan's award-winning sommelier. Takahashi has also hand-picked a number of exquisite reds.