A note on the words: antipasto refers to the opening appetizer course of an Italian meal, here served cold with ham, fig, shrimp, mussels, mushrooms, knotted cheese and tomato. Zuwai crab is snow crab, served warm here in something the writer took for a pastry parcel, alongside a delicate cream sauce. Bolognese is a slow-simmered meat sauce for pasta, prepared here with duck the chef is said to have shot himself, and venison is deer meat, also hunted by the chef and braised in red wine. Petits fours are small confections served with after-dinner coffee.
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LA COMETA on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. For dinner tonight, I went to LA COMETA, a long-established Italian restaurant in Azabu-juban. I only realized it after arriving, but it sits right above Grace, the samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant. Going up the stairs to the second floor and opening the door, the interior is sleek and stylish! It feels very much like a proper, well-established Italian spot.
Chef’s omakase course — 8,000 yen
Since this was an omakase course, I only had to choose the drinks.
Starting off with an Italian beer first!
Now, the first thing brought out was the aperitif.
Apparently it was sangria, so I had a glass to start. Sweet and delicious!
Looks delicious! The chef took the trouble to come out in person to greet us and explain the dish. Much appreciated.
Underneath the ham were figs, along with shrimp, mussels, mushrooms, cheese, and tomato. The cheese is tied in a knot, and perhaps for that reason it has a firm, satisfying bite. It pairs perfectly with the olive oil. The shrimp and shellfish are both immensely delicious, and this antipasto is outstanding!
Right on cue, I found myself wanting wine, so I ordered a white.
A dish that looked like snow crab wrapped in a pie crust, something along those lines.
I have rarely eaten anything like this, so it was a brand-new experience. Cutting off a small piece and taking a bite: delicious, ha.
Beyond the flavor of the crab, the touch of acidity pairs wonderfully with the cream sauce. Ah, so Italian cooking has dishes like this too — quite an education.
And here is the duck bolognese.
Remarkably, it turns out to be wild duck that the chef hunted himself, ha. I see, so the chef goes hunting. In that case, there was a mounted deer head displayed by the entrance, and I now understand that the chef must have bagged that one as well, ha. Normally when people think of bolognese, beef comes to mind, but this duck bolognese has a deep, robust flavor and is delicious.
I had a feeling this would be the case, ha.
This too is venison (deer meat) hunted by the chef! I have not had venison very often, but it has a springy, satisfying bite.
Because it is thoroughly braised in red wine, it is very soft, yet with a distinct springiness underneath. The lean, red-meat flavor comes through strongly and is delicious.
The dessert is quite lavish! With coffee and petits fours included, that brings the meal to an end!
The chef’s recommended course! Thoroughly satisfying. I feel like I ended up drinking quite a bit of wine over the meal afterward — white, white, red, red, red — but every single dish was spot-on delicious, and the volume was just right. On top of that, being able to enjoy game meat hunted by the chef himself prepared in Italian style might well be an experience you cannot get at other restaurants.
LA COMETA (Italian / Azabu-juban Station, Roppongi Station, Akabanebashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.6
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
