Ristorante Massa: Tokyo

Few first time visitors to Tokyo would expect to find an exceptional Italian dinner there, but that need not be the case if you can get into Massa in the Ebisu suburb of Tokyo. When you can no longer tell your toro from your teriyaki, it’s time to meet Masahiko Kobe. A mere 36 years young, Kobe was crowned the Prince of Pasta shortly before rising to fame as Japan’s “Iron Chef Italian” and for very good reason. His homemade tagliolini with fresh octopus, tender eggplant and broad beans (one of five dishes in a $65 course offering) was nothing short of superb. Our meal at Ristorante Massa began with a tender stone sea bream (ishidai) carpaccio in a mildly seasoned tomato soup. It was a sweet, succulent and a sublime start. Next came a small, tasty grilled squid served over Japanese greens (shidoke) that revealed Kobe’s particular talent for combining textures and tastes. The bite to the squid was perfectly complemented by the unusual feel of the uncommon mountain vegetable on the tongue. The pasta dish that followed (there were two offered but we chose to have only one) included octopus only because our request was for an all seafood meal, but prime beef, wild boar or duck may be ordered as an enjoyable alternate. The main plate of red snapper (tai) with new potato, fresh bamboo shoots, white asparagus and Chinese chives was a delicious masterpiece of subtlety. The already perfectly proportioned set meal had us imagining Tuscany more than Tokyo before dessert arrived. It was a refreshing quartet of small gems – fruit tarts and pastries with amazing tastes – all served with great care by Massa’s most pleasant wait staff. The master himself came to greet us all at the end, his smile and presence soft and loving much like his fare and the feeling we left with after relaxing over this extraordinarily lovely dinner. Small, intimate yet spacious, Massa seats only 20 and was totally worth a visit for a change of pace from the consistently high quality Tokyo fare we encountered in Japan. The price point at Massa was great value for money and the meal was one of our most memorable. Massa Kobe is an artist nearly as magical as Spain’s Pedro Subijana of Akalare and easily as gifted as the highly praised Alain Passard of L’Arpege. Go now before the secret is out – and the masses descend on Ebisu.

Find it at 1-23-22 Ebisu, Shubuya-ku, Tokyo Tel: +81-3-5793-3175