Chiacchiere — Restaurant in Kyoto

To those who are reading the negative reviews, please take the following into consideration. This small restaurant (approx 16 seats) is located in a residential neighbourhood and is clearly directed towards these Kyoto residents. It is true there is no english menu and the chef is the waiter as well. When we arrived, the chef was cautious to have western people dine and showed us a "disclaimer" in english that basically explained what I have said above. I can understand he has probably had obnoxious western patrons in the past (and some of these reviews show this) and he is probably trying to avoid it moving forward. And yes it is true, the menu suggests to order wine with his food... and why would you not, its Italian food after all.

Now... onto the good stuff. If you want some amazing italian food, I cannot speak highly enough of this place. After we agreed (with excitement) to the so called disclaimer, the chef welcomed us into his restaurant. With a little help from Google Translate, we learned that this Japanese chef actually lived in Italy for some time, and his food shows it. We had a lovely antipasto plate to start, with a mix of italian and subtle japanese flavours. For my main, I had an amazing wild boar ragu with tagliatelle, my partner had a delicious bolognese bianco and my mother had a saffron risotto with squid (or octopus... can't remember). The portions were great and flavours were amazing. We wanted dessert but we just ran out of space. All of this washed down with a couple bottles of Chianti. Overall, a delicious meal!

If you're like me and got excited by the positive reviews and photos, and you don't speak Japanese, here are a few tips for a sucessful visit. Make sure you have a positive attitude, a great appetite and access to Google Translate on your phone. I can assure you with this trifecta, you will have an amazing experience. Well...

What an absolutely amazing find in the back streets of Kyoto. A small Italian restaurant run by a Japanese chef. His food is delicious! No English menu so take your Google translate with you. You will not be disappointed. If you are looking for an authentic Italian dinner in Kyoto, a truly individual experience, this is it! The antipasto was made from fresh local ingredients….sweet potato, sardines, eggplant purée, bruschetta…. The creamy lemon risotto with squid was the best I’ve eaten…..and I have traveled a lot! Wine was good and the meal well priced. ...

京都に来たらぜひ訪れてほしいイタリアンのお店。 三条京阪駅から徒歩約10分の路地裏にひっそり佇んでいます。

夕食に2度目の訪問です。初回で感動してから絶対また訪問したいと伺いました。

今回注文したお料理は前菜盛り合わせ、イワシのフリット、魚のラグーパスタ、仔羊のレモン煮込みです。

前菜は7種が綺麗に盛り付けられていて、全てにこだわりを感じます。私が特に大好きなのは豚肉の煮こごりとかぼちゃの蒸し物です。正式な料理名は忘れてしまいました...

かぼちゃでできたふわふわぷるぷるの食べ物は初回訪問で初めて口にしたもので、また食べたいなあとずっと思っていました。かぼちゃの甘さとコクが存分に感じられる逸品で、これだけ注文したいくらいです。

イワシのフリットはサクサクの衣にふわふわのイワシに、青魚の臭みを打ち消す魔法のような緑のソースが添えられていました。イワシの概念を覆してくれる一品でした。

魚のラグーパスタは魚介の出汁を存分に味わえるスープ多めのパスタで、一緒に出されたパンと本当に合います。パンもふわもちで絶品です。 魚のほぐし身がもちもちの麺に絡まって、ふわっと香る海を感じられます。 前回食べたマグロとピスタチオのパスタも最高でパスタ好きにはたまらないお店です。

ここまででかなりお腹は膨れていたのですが、今回1番感動したのが最後の仔羊のレモン煮込みです。

羊は少し匂いが苦手だったのですが、ここのお店なら...と頼んだ一品。期待を裏切らない美味しさでした。 箸でも切れそうな柔らかいお肉にぷるぷるの脂身、レモンの香る柔らかい味付けと素材の旨味を閉じ込めた付け合せのお野菜...全てが感動モノでお腹がいっぱいなことを忘れて口に運びました。 羊の独特の臭みは全くなく、羊の旨味だけをぎゅっと閉じ込めたようなお肉の美味しさを存分に感じられます。

お腹に空きがなくてデザートを食べることが出来なかったのが唯一の心残りです。

このお店の好きなところは、素材の味を最大限に活かした素朴な味付けと決して手を抜かないこだわりを感じられる料理の数々です。もちろんワインもとっても料理に合って美味しいです。 食材の新しく美味しい側面を発見させてくれるこのお店が大好きです。

また必ず伺います。

⚠ ワンドリンク、ワンオーダー制です。 ワンオペのため提供時間は少しかかる印象なので、ゆっくり...