Tanto Piatto - Kobe, Japan
So...Google tells me that the Italian words Tanto Piatto translates to ''so flat'' in English? I'm really not sure what that means or how it is supposed to boost the restaurant's image. In the case of this eatery, maybe names are not so important. It's one of those hidden gem restaurants that no one really speaks of unless you were in an area nearby. Tanto Piatto is tasty, it's cozy, and it's unpretentious. The chef/owner doesn't say anything to his guests except give them a polite bow for entering the restaurant as well as when they exit.
Our group took the ￥1250 3 course lunch set. (Roughly 12 euros)
APPETIZER: Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Vinagrette
Simply a salad with crisp fresh vegetables, crunchy glass noodles and one hell of a punchy lemon vinagrette.
MAIN COURSE: Spaghetti with Sweet Shrimp, Broccoli, and Sour Plum.
No way would anyone think that this is an Italian dish. Shrimp and red plum? Orthodox? No, hardly so. Tasty? It was a complete delight. The sourness of the plum worked perfectly with the sweetness of shrimp in such harmony that you could almost think that this a perfect combination. I later found out that the chef had used live shrimp because he could only find the sweetness he required from market fresh shrimp.
ADDITIONAL COURSE: Shrimp Sausage with Medley of Vegetables
Yes, I agree. This looks peculiar. A colleague of mine insisted we order this dish as it was his absolute favorite. At ￥1680 (approximately 17 Euros) by no means was this an affordable plate of food, but we were utterly convinced that if we didn't try the shrimp sausage; we'd be making a huge mistake. The sauce was rich, the vegetables well cooked and the shrimp nicely prepared. So why was I not sold on it after the first bite?
It's 100% shrimp. I also think this was way too hyped up. Sure it wasn't bad but an absolute favorite? No thank you. I'll stick to conventional pork sausages next time.
DESSERT: Hokkaido Vanilla Ice cream with Cornflakes
Simple dessert. Simple tastes. Very Good.
The last word:
Tanto Piatto is a one chef's take on Italian cuisine and blending them with Japanese flavors and tastes. For ￥1250 yen, I could tell you that I would have paid that amount just for the spaghetti dish alone. The green salad and ice cream were welcomed additions to the lunch menu, but the star of the show was indeed the shrimp, plum, and broccoli spaghetti. The chef on his website declares that all the food used at Tanto Piatto is market fresh every day.
As I've said before, Tanto Piatto is a hidden gem. I've tried on different occassions variations of pasta dishes. One such example was cold spaghetti with white fleshed peaches. I do know that around the Amalfi coast, some chefs in the region have made Spaghetti al Limone but nothing comes close to Tanto Piatto's Peach Spaghetti. It's a dish only served in August and sells out immediately. Again, not conventional dishes but perhaps flavours that blend well with Japanese citizens and foreigners such as myself. Should I happen to be walking near Tanto Piatto during lunch on another occassion, I'll certainly make the effort to enjoy an always exciting and tasty lunch.
My Score: 14.5/20
Food: 4
Presentation: 3
Ambiance: 3.5
Staff: 4
Tanto Piatto - 12-6 Kano cho, Kobe
http://tantopiatto.com/index.html
So...Google tells me that the Italian words Tanto Piatto translates to ''so flat'' in English? I'm really not sure what that means or how it is supposed to boost the restaurant's image. In the case of this eatery, maybe names are not so important. It's one of those hidden gem restaurants that no one really speaks of unless you were in an area nearby. Tanto Piatto is tasty, it's cozy, and it's unpretentious. The chef/owner doesn't say anything to his guests except give them a polite bow for entering the restaurant as well as when they exit.
Our group took the ￥1250 3 course lunch set. (Roughly 12 euros)
APPETIZER: Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Vinagrette
Simply a salad with crisp fresh vegetables, crunchy glass noodles and one hell of a punchy lemon vinagrette.
No way would anyone think that this is an Italian dish. Shrimp and red plum? Orthodox? No, hardly so. Tasty? It was a complete delight. The sourness of the plum worked perfectly with the sweetness of shrimp in such harmony that you could almost think that this a perfect combination. I later found out that the chef had used live shrimp because he could only find the sweetness he required from market fresh shrimp.
ADDITIONAL COURSE: Shrimp Sausage with Medley of Vegetables
Yes, I agree. This looks peculiar. A colleague of mine insisted we order this dish as it was his absolute favorite. At ￥1680 (approximately 17 Euros) by no means was this an affordable plate of food, but we were utterly convinced that if we didn't try the shrimp sausage; we'd be making a huge mistake. The sauce was rich, the vegetables well cooked and the shrimp nicely prepared. So why was I not sold on it after the first bite?
It's 100% shrimp. I also think this was way too hyped up. Sure it wasn't bad but an absolute favorite? No thank you. I'll stick to conventional pork sausages next time.
DESSERT: Hokkaido Vanilla Ice cream with Cornflakes
Simple dessert. Simple tastes. Very Good.
The last word:
Tanto Piatto is a one chef's take on Italian cuisine and blending them with Japanese flavors and tastes. For ￥1250 yen, I could tell you that I would have paid that amount just for the spaghetti dish alone. The green salad and ice cream were welcomed additions to the lunch menu, but the star of the show was indeed the shrimp, plum, and broccoli spaghetti. The chef on his website declares that all the food used at Tanto Piatto is market fresh every day.
As I've said before, Tanto Piatto is a hidden gem. I've tried on different occassions variations of pasta dishes. One such example was cold spaghetti with white fleshed peaches. I do know that around the Amalfi coast, some chefs in the region have made Spaghetti al Limone but nothing comes close to Tanto Piatto's Peach Spaghetti. It's a dish only served in August and sells out immediately. Again, not conventional dishes but perhaps flavours that blend well with Japanese citizens and foreigners such as myself. Should I happen to be walking near Tanto Piatto during lunch on another occassion, I'll certainly make the effort to enjoy an always exciting and tasty lunch.
My Score: 14.5/20
Food: 4
Presentation: 3
Ambiance: 3.5
Staff: 4
Tanto Piatto - 12-6 Kano cho, Kobe
http://tantopiatto.com/index.html
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