A note on the words: carpione is a Northern Italian method of marinating fried fish in vinegar, vincisgrassi is a rich, multi-layered baked pasta from the Marche region akin to lasagna, and Akaushi is the Japanese Brown cattle breed celebrated for its tender, lean beef. Mancini is a pasta maker whose name the shop gives the dish, here paired with sea urchin.
Table of Contents hide
aniko on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. “aniko” is a hideaway Italian spot tucked into a back alley just off Akasaka Station. I had been curious about it for a while, because they put out quite a prominent sign. When I looked them up recently, their score was pretty high! So I decided to make a reservation and go. Seeing the sign at night makes it stand out even more.
The place is set semi-underground, with the door just down a short flight of steps. Stylish!
There is a counter, plus one large semi-private room in the back and one medium semi-private room.
Hills of Marche — 5,800 yen
Primavera — 6,800 yen
Breeze of the Adriatic — 7,800 yen
There are three tasting courses, all tied to the cuisine of the Marche region along the Adriatic.
This time I chose the Marche special seafood course: Breeze of the Adriatic.
Started off with a beer!
Quiche. The aroma of beans and the fragrant butter smell wonderfully good! Delicious.
From the day’s blackboard specials: conger eel and new onion carpione!
Carpione is apparently something like a Northern Italian nanbanzuke, fried fish steeped in vinegar, fried fish steeped in vinegar. The plump conger eel goes nicely in the tangy marinade. Delicious.
Horsemeat. No gaminess at all, and it goes great with the supple mozzarella and truffle.
Around this point I fancied some wine and placed an order.
Naturally, it goes wonderfully with wine!
Sea urchin! Tomato! The urchin on top is delicious, and this was really good.
Lasagna! The savory depth of the meat sauce pairs great with the cheese. Quite substantial.
And now for the main: beef.
Akaushi rump. Tender and juicy! Packed with all the flavor of lean red meat!
You can choose your dessert, and I picked tiramisu.
And this was so good. The contrast between the rich sweetness and bitter notes that wash over the palate is great!
Goes without saying it matches coffee.
And with that, the course comes to an end!
Across the board the cooking was very meticulous and delicious! Even though billed as seafood, meat was woven in with good balance, making for a neatly composed course. At 7,800 yen, this might be quite reasonable. In the end I drank quite a bit of wine, so I found myself wishing I had just ordered a bottle earlier on.
aniko (Italian / Akasaka Station, Tameike-sanno Station, Akasaka-mitsuke Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
