Monday 17 February 2014

Taverna Guida: Please don't take my plate away yet







Area:  About a 10-min. walk southeast of Nagoya Station
Restaurant:  Taverna Guida タヴェルナグイダ
Map and info: http://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230101/23004505/

Hours:  Lunch 11am-2pm (Weekdays only), Dinner 5:30-11:30 (LO 10:30pm)

This quite stylish bar/restaurant is possibly owned by an Italian living in Japan, so that may a good sign in terms of authenticity.  Having said that, one of the pasta lunch options was a gobo (burdock root, common in Japanese cooking) and nanohana (Japanese broccolini) cream sauce pasta (900円, includes appetizer and drink).  The up-sizing of the pasta and panini is free for those of you with a big appetite.

The appetizer, pork with tonnato sauce and a focaccia ham panini was perhaps more authentic than the pasta.  Tonnato, I've learned, is a tuna flavoured sauce usually served cold on meat.  It almost tasted like caesar salad dressing, but went nicely with the pork medallions.  The panini was a bit dry, but had a tea biscuit-like texture and buttery flavour.  The salad was dressed with an overly sour vinegrette.  Finally, the main al dente pasta, was nice and light on the cream, but it's too bad the heavily salted ingredients did not match with that.  

Filled with mostly women excitedly chatting away, and Italian folk music playing in the background, this restaurant's atmosphere is not quiet.  The waiter kept eyeing my plate and tried to take it away before I was finished, so it was a bit difficult to slowly enjoy my meal.  However, it would be a great place to meet with friends or come with a date.  

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