Jiyugaoka - European food

Babbo Angelo - Italian *****

Address - Tokyo-to, Meguro-ku, Jiyugaoka 1-25-12-2F
Opening hours - Open every day from 12:00 to 14.30 and 18:00 to 22:30
Telephone - 03-5729-4339
Menu - In Japanese and Italian
Credit Cards - OK

Some weeks ago, before actually having visited Babbo Angelo, I wrote:
Angelo Cozzolino, creator of La Befana, the restaurant in Shimo Kitazawa where you can taste what is without question the best pizza in town, now has his own little place in Jiyugaoka. Knowing him, it should be excellent but not particularly cheap.

That was a good prophecy: here is my review.

How many restaurants does Carmine Cozzolino own? I can personally count seven: Amici, Carmine, Carmine Edochiano, La Volpaia I and II, Sorriso, and Kura.
In this country his name is as well established and consumed a brand as Band-Aid and, in my mind, irremedably linked to mediocre and/or overpriced food like La Volpaia's or Edochiano's.
His younger brother Angelo is of a different breed, and prefers running just one to be always in close contact with his (usually young and not respectable) clientele.
Left my beloved La Befana, he is now the king of Babbo Angelo (Father Angelo), a medium-sized restaurant in Jiyugaoka where he presides an army of youngsters (at least twelve) who churn out excellent Italian classics at great speed and in tidal numbers.
This prodigy of organization, namely making a bunch of young, inexperienced Japanese produce what they do, tells us that La Befana was no fluke.
Here sets, at 4000 for a whole meal and 2800 minus the main dish, are so convenient that I doubt anyone ever orders a-la-carte, yet the quality is there. The quality, plus that certain something I already liked at La Befana.
Even at that price, you can choose any of eleven antipasti, eighteen pizzas, seventeen main dishes and seven desserts. Everything is excellent
I warn you, though, that if you want silence and style, BA is not what you are looking for. It's a place for informal meals and simple but great pleasures, where piles of brown baguettes perfume the air.
Me and my only love ordered two 2 800 yen sets, which proved more than sufficient, and had assorted appetizers, a salad, Covaccino (hot strips of pizza dough covered with excellent raw ham, olive oil and parmesan), spaghetti with crab, dessert and coffee.
All at a hard to match price/performance ratio.
Alas, copious drinks brought the final bill to 11 000 yen.
Angelo Cozzolino has obviously done it again. Too bad Jiyugaoka is so inconvenient for me, or I guess I would be there often.

Table Modern Service - Fusion ***

Address - Tokyo-to, Meguro-ku, Jiyugaoka 2-17-8
Opening hours - Open every day from 11:00 to 4:00
Telephone - 03-5729-7160
Menu - In Japanese only, no pictures
Credit Cards - ?

Recommended by a friend, this bar-restaurant is on the second floor, just above a furniture shop. The place is design-oriented, and the result is a little... surprising. The floor and walls are mostly concrete, while guests sit on sofa-like chairs. A large table is located in front of the kitchen, with a large piece of raw ham on it... There is often a waiter sculpting ice, too. This ice will probably finish in your cocktail's glass.

While most people seems to enjoy only a drink, we decided to go for some food, too. The menu consists on either izakaya-like small dishes, or larger main courses. Following their suggestions, we had the beef steak (2940 yen), a thick piece of beef served with a light sauce and cut in 1-cm slides. The meat was excellent, and perfectly cooked. We also tried the grilled pork (1995 yen), a rather fatty meat than was more of a disappointment. Both were served with 1 side dish (salad, vegetables, potatoes).

Drinks are not cheap - more or less the prices you find at a nice bar. Cocktails are around 900-1000 yen, and even a simple orange juice reaches 787 yens.

Overall, one dish was really nice, but the prices are a little too high. Not to mention that the service was rather slow - we had to wait more than 30 minutes to be served our dinner...