La Bettola bis is a place with great atmosphere and great food, so it’s famous for being hard to book. The course price has gone up quite a bit this year (from 3,200 yen to 3,800 yen…), but getting a reservation is still no easy thing.
The bread
The focaccia is really good.
Wine
The wine list here is cheap and excellent. It makes me wonder how much they actually make on it. Then again, the 32 seats fill up twice every night, so business must be booming…
It used to be two starters and one pasta, but now you order separately from starters, pasta and mains. Same system as the main restaurant.
House-made ham
The size is overwhelming.
Sanma (Pacific saury) salad
Maybe because autumn is its season, the fish is nice and rich.
Yoshida Farm mozzarella and basil
The basil is so fragrant and fresh it’s like it was just picked.
Fried squid
It’s normally half white shrimp and half squid, but they’d run out of shrimp, so it came as squid only. I’ve forgotten the exact Italian name, but according to my dining companion the frying skill is hardly any different from what you get in Italy.
Porcini risotto
My companion said the porcini were weaker than expected.
The pappardelle with wagyu braised in red wine that I ordered.
The order went in wrong and this is what came out -_- (I’d actually meant to have the porcini pappardelle), but it was delicious anyway. La Bettola bis is famous for its fresh pasta, but with the menu change, the dedicated fresh pasta menu has vanished somewhere. They do still have fresh pasta, but you have to ask when you order. A bit of a shame.
Uni (sea urchin) pasta
This is the house signature. Some people prefer pasta topped with whole lobes of uni, but the smooth, creamy style is delicious too.
Sanma pasta
A pasta that fits the season perfectly. The al dente noodles, seasoned just salty enough, go really well with the fresh saury. Plenty of ingredients, and not a single thing to fault.
Gorgonzola risotto
I’d have liked a bit more gorgonzola; the aroma is weak and the flavour is mild. Rather than skimping on ingredients, I think they cook it this way because it appeals more to the general public.
Grilled quail
It’s a bit awkward to eat, but it was nicely grilled. I like it far more than something like a beef steak.
Wagyu braised in red wine
I’ve had it several times and it’s delicious every time. ^_^ It’s probably the best dish here. And the portion is generous too…
Come to think of it, I don’t have a photo of the day’s mixed grill among the mains… You pick three from several kinds of meat and they grill them for you, and it was nice to be able to compare different meats.
After the mains it was time for dessert, but it had gotten too late, so we just left. Then we had one more drink at a second place and called it a night. I was happily satisfied all the way home, feeling like I’d had another great meal.