We went for lunch on a Sunday and gradually the restaurant filled up with people eagerly awaiting some nice Italian food. The name of the restaurant means please to eat fish so we thought we should order sea food and the fish shaped door knobs and sign board of the restaurant all added to a very strong seafood theme.
It was a rainy day when we went and the towels offered on our arrival by the staff were much appreciated. I wondered if there would be many guests on such a rainy day but when we arrived there were already 2 other couples eating. You are not able to make reservations for this restaurant but there were a wide range of people of all ages there.At first we ordered drinks but because I drove I chose a non alcoholic wine and my companion had a red orange juice. The juice looked like tomato juice but tasted sour and was made from Mediterranean blood orange which didn’t interfere with the delicate flavors of the food and contains vitamin C and antioxidants. It is available for take away too but is quite costly at 1,200 yen /ℓ. The non alcoholic wine was a kind of carbonated grape juice with a slightly astringent taste. While I didn’t see the winelist when passing the cellars I noticed it was well stocked.
The lunch menu has a choice of 3 set menus, ‘Kaze’, ‘mangia pesce’ & the chef’s recommendation. They are priced at 3,500 yen, 5,200 yen and 8,000 yen and I chose the ‘mangia pesce’.
The first course was a warm carrot soup which was rich and tasted of the natural carrot sweetness. Because if was rich the small serving was a perfect amount.
The appetizer was steamed organic vegetables from local providers with a soft boiled egg in the middle. The taste was mild but it was served with a balsamic dressing which would complement it well if you like balsamic which I don’t. As it was the full flavor of the vegetables came through and I enjoyed it a lot. The next appetizer was a scallop and squid salad which was delicious and very fresh.
The pasta was a red shrimp and rocket sauce with fedelini which was cooked ‘al dente’. It mixed with the sauce perfectly and I could have eaten a lot more of it. The other pasta was spirals with ‘Aji’ and ‘Komatsuna’ in a tomato sauce. ‘Aji’ is a type of mackerel and komatsuna is as spinach like vegetable. The sauce was not very good as Aji is very fishy and didn’t go well with the tomato leaving an unpleasant after taste and smell. This dish was disappointing and nowhere near as good as the scallop and squid pasta.
The main dishes were fish and meat. The fish was grilled big eye with crispy skin and the flesh was moist, tender and well balanced. The flavor was delicate and satisfying and made me wish that the serve was a little larger. This dish represented my expectations of mange pesce and was served on a soft boiled turnip base which went well with the fish. The meat dish was a type of chicken that were traditionally fighting cocks whose flesh is a little different to chicken due to their more muscular nature. The meat was grilled and served with potato. The skin was deliciously crispy and the waiter said that the chickens were very active which was why the flesh was firm yet tender and delicious. It was served with a part of the chicken’s stomach or gizzards which were a little tough and chewy and quite different from what you get at a yakitori bar.
We ordered tiramisu and caramel mousse for dessert. You can choose from 5 or 6 types of dessert and our selections were soft, delicious and had beautiful aroma which made us wish we could order more. With dessert you can choose from blend or espresso coffee, English tea or herb tea and we had the tea. The herb tea was very mild and delicious and was better than the English tea.
Overall the food was good but some male diners may find that they are left wanting more. The highlights would have to be the fish and vegetables which were very fresh, healthy and delicious. The staff was helpful and asked if we had any allergies or didn’t like anything which was a nice touch. The staff also sang happy birthday in Italian to a guest whose was celebrating their birthday and this can be arranged when you make the reservation which makes this a good place to celebrate special occasions. While the location of Mangia Pesce makes it a little inconvenient it is well worth the drive and is frequented by many people from as far away as Tokyo. This might explain why it is listed under the Italian category of the Tokyo restaurant guide.
written by
Mangia Pesce
Address:347-1, clematis-no-oka,Tono, Nagaizumi-cho, Shizuoka
Tel:+81-55-989-8788
http://www.clematis-no-oka.co.jp/012_shisetsu/013_mangia/013_top.html
Budget:Lunch 3,500 yen Dinner 10,000 yen
Open:11:00～15:00,18:00～22:00
Closed:Wed.
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