La Locanda

A lunch course might begin with fresh-fish tartare, black-rice salad and seaweed vinegar, followed by the pasta of the day—in one reported meal, octopus in tomato sauce—and roast Kofuku pork for the main. Diners who tried this sequence remembered the tartare’s savoury depth and aroma, the octopus’s robust flavour and the pork’s tender texture. The pork is served with a variation of potato and a celery-and-citrus sauce, adding different notes to the meat. Another menu option pairs charcoal-grilled Tokachi Herb Beef with potato, celery and citrus. For a meat-focused course, these combinations offer a useful guide to what might appeal.

One diner who tried the house-made gnocchi on another course described the dish of cabbage, potato and lardo as rich yet well balanced. Fish dishes on the menu include sautéed fish with spinach, sunchoke and smoked milk; the fresh-fish tartare is also paired with ingredients such as citrus, turnip and baccalà cream. Courses move from appetisers and pasta to fish or meat, giving diners a chance to explore the different pairings. Tiramisu is available, and one visitor particularly enjoyed its light finish, made with coffee jelly. Another dessert, Biscuit À La Cuillère, combines chocolate sable, coffee jelly and mascarpone cream. With coffee or tea and petit fours also included, lunch can be a leisurely way to savour the desserts and their lingering flavours.

Breakfast offers both Western and Japanese-style choices. The Western options include egg dishes served with Kyoto Hiyoshi pork sausage and bacon, hash browns and warm vegetables. There is also eggs Benedict, as well as an omelette with a choice of fillings. One breakfast guest praised the cooking of the eggs and the hollandaise sauce, along with the soft French toast. The Japanese-style breakfast features items such as a rolled omelette made with Uji eggs, the fish of the day and Kyoto Tamba Koshihikari rice; rice or rice porridge is available. The choice between Japanese and Western fare makes it easy to pick a breakfast to suit the mood.

The setting gives the meal another point of interest. Visitors have mentioned seats overlooking the garden and a Japanese-style room from the former Ebisu River residence, relocated inside the restaurant. They enjoyed the contrast of a Japanese space and Italian cooking. Alongside the food, the surroundings can make this a good option for a meal where the time at the table matters, too.