Bacchanale: Noodles for pasta works well

Area:  1 block east of Nagoya station (Takashimaya side)
Restaurant:  Bacchanale ばかなる
Website and Map:  http://www.bacchanale-nagoya.com/%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%82%B9/

Hours:  Lunch 11am-3pm (LO 2pm), Dinner 5-11pm (LO 10:30pm)


I wasn't sure what to expect from this restaurant; it was in the basement of an old building where nothing else was open, the specialty was Italian and French food, but they also prided themselves on the Nagoya ankake spaghetti.  The lunch set came with a salad, drink bar, focaccia and dessert.  There were two featured pastas.  One was a clam and mushroom cream sauce (¥950), but I went with the green bean, walnut and ground chicken bianco (¥850).

The salad was a mix of penne, lettuce, tomatoes and ham.  The dressing was interesting, it tasted like caesar but was sweet and actually really enjoyable. The pasta had a kind of pleasant doughy chewiness to it leading me to believe it was fresh pasta.  When I asked the waiter, indeed they make their own noodles (I noticed after that the menu board actually did say it was fresh pasta).  I would call them noodles rather than pasta because the texture reminded me more of yakisoba (perfect for ankake pasta, or pasta with a spicy thick tomato-based sauce). This dish had an almost overly salty and peppery chicken broth flavor.  The walnuts were a great addition though. The soft chewy texture of the noodles and the crunchiness of the green beans and walnuts were the best part. The focaccia had a lot of basil and had a likeable chewy density to it.

Dessert was a tiramisu cake.  It had the flavor of espresso but it didn't have the creaminess of regular tiramisu.  It went well with the little bit of strawberry compote on the side, reminding me of Black Forest cake.  The fruit jelly was refreshing but tasted just like a Dole fruit cup.  The black licorice flavored green on top was a very nice flavour boost.  The macaron was coconut flavored with a butter cream filling.  It was very sweet and had a great chewy texture, the way I know macarons to be, it was heavenly!   The coffee was mild, not the typical, fairly strong coffees that the Japanese tend to like.  

So although unconventional in the pasta area, neither completely Japanese nor Italian, it was delicious.  The wooden wall paneling, flooring, tables and the light music playing gave a bar/cabin-like atmosphere (like Montana's, if you know that American chain restaurant).  I would definitely come back, next time I have lunch break before 2pm (open til 2:30, LO 2pm).