So I was wrong - La Bisboccia

Everyone who knows me recognizes how reasonable and sweet-tempered I am, so the fact that I had sworn off La Bisboccia should surprise no-one. Faced with the unfortunate intersection of o-Bon and a Hiroo-domiciled friend, I reluctantly dragged the burgeoning belly to this old gaijin haunt.And was pleasantly surprised…

From the Moretti beer (God bless the Moretti’s and all who enjoy their munificence!) and the Gavi La Rocca 2005 to the poor hapless soul behind the bar who had to suffer through my Italian, this was a fun experience made even better by the company of the Expat. La Bisboccia used to suffer from confusion and too much noise, but new floor staff seem to have this under much better control and our 2 hours in their hands was smooth and flawless. Tha place is still energetic and busy, but the focus is now back on the punters rather than pretty-boy waiters preening themselves in front of the OLs. GOOD!

We both started with the Caprese (Tomato, Basil and Mozzerella Salad) which was outstandingly flavoursome. The texture of the buffalo milk cheese was exactly right, and the tomatoes obviously NOT hot-house replicas of real Roma tomatoes.

The test of any Italian restaurant is the risotto, so I went for the Parmigianno (mainly for the performance when the waiters mixes it inside the cheese wheel!) while the Expat went for the Mushroom version. Both were prepared just to the peak of the Arboreo rice balance - soft yet ‘on the tooth’ fighting back just a little.

OK, this restaurant was looking good and please - onto the finale, good sir!Home-made Italian sausages turned on an open grill has to be one of the reasons Saint Peter went to Rome. We both agreed these were definitely not American Brats - real meat, hand-minced and flavored to entice rather than conquer. And forget size as an issue - each of the two on each plate was 8 inches long.

We finished with Mille Foglie for the Expat and Affogato (literally gelato “drowned” in expresso coffee) for me.

Ok, so I was wrong … La Bisboccia is the real deal. Get along there with friends and lovers rather than customers, but do yourself a favor and get there.

Rating:Food: 8/10; Wine: 6/10; Service: 8/10; Ambience: 6/10; Price: 7/10.
Total: 35/50 (3 Forks from Terry!).
La Bisboccia: 1F SK Bld, 2-36-13 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Tel. 03-3449-1470 / Fax. 03-3449-1809