Oh my goodness - Osteria Nakamura

9 Aug 2006

For 5 years, I walked past a restaurant in Roppongi every week thinking I should try it out. The trouble was, it was shut on Sundays and there was no obvious signs - save Via Ropphongi which I took to be the name of the place. Wrong! So I quickly forgot every Monday morning...Well, time has a way of making us all smarter so I eventually figured out that my able assistant the redoubtable Miss Motonaga was obviously more skilled at that sort of thing than me. Lo and behold, we had a booking in moments!

Osteria Nakamura (Roppongi 4-6-3 Umezawa Bldg; 03-3403-8777) is a blessing. I had sworn off Italian food for a month after 3 weeks in Tuscany, knowing that I’d be desperately disappointed after having experienced the best food on Planet Earth.

I was wrong...this Nakamura guy is a genius! The place seats about 12-14, each of whom must count themselves lucky to be there. There is a menu, but if my meal is any guide, ignore this and just go with the many different options offered as the xxx of the day.

Four of us tried in some sort of crazy order Anchovy and Garlic Drizzled Salad (Y1600), Chintasenese Salami straight from Toscana (Y1800), Pork and Chicken Liver Terrine (Y1700 - don’t get between me and a plate of this heavenly treat!), Sea Urchin Hand-Made Spaghettini (Y2000), Partridge Ragout Pasta (Y1800), Lamb Cutlets that the Medici’s in Florence would have been proud of (Y2500), and a Pork and Renza Beans Stew (Y2800) washed down by a tankful of great Tuscan wines the best of which was a Castello de Rampolla 2002 Chianti Classico from Santa Lucia in Faulle.

This is a simply wonderful restaurant that you want to keep for friends rather than business acquaintances. If you’re going, give me a call!

Rating: Food 9/10; Wine 8/10; Service 8/10; Ambience 7/10; Price 8/10
Overall: 40/50 (4 Forks)