ClosedOpens at 12PM
Updated 1 month ago
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You can come to this restaurant after seeing Shoto Museum of Art. The Italian cuisine is on the menu at ess.. At this place, pay attention to tasty pasta. This place is known for good wine.
The creative staff meets you at this spot all year round. The nice service is something these restaurateurs care about. You can pay your attention to the pretty atmosphere. Michelin experts have visited this restaurant, so it has got the Michelin selection award.
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John Lie
6 months ago on Google
In the 1980s Japan experienced something of a boom in Italian cuisine. Four decades later, there are excellent Italian restaurants across the archipelago. Not surprisingly, many of the best are in Tokyo. Ess. has an attractive interior and - judging from online reviews - some enthusiastic diners, but I am afraid that I can't share in that hosanna. For starters, the restaurant does NOT have bread: no ciabatta, no focaccia, nothing. Salty prosciutto must be consumed without pane. Who says that "pane e vino" (bread and wine) are at the heart of Italian eating experience? I can only recite a prayer: give us our daily bread. Three one-bite-sized pasta - two of them cold - follow. Caviar pasta and lemon pasta are fine, but I can't think of anything farther from the classic Italian notion of pasta as something hearty and filling. Not all Zhejiang-produced caviar are inferior, but the one used here on this night was dull and deflated. The main dish was an unremarkable piece of steak. Oversalted for my taste, but professionally cooked. It's probably an irrelevant question to ask what is Italian about this dish, but it's symptomatic of the restaurant and its flaws. Italy is remarkable for the vibrancy of its regional and local cuisine, but none of that is reflected in ess. It may be something of a stereotype, but one feature I love about all manners of Italian cuisine is that they are real: soulful and heartwarming. You won't find these qualities at this restaurant where the stress is on appearance (nothing wrong with good presentation, of course) and the superficial deployment of seemingly expensive ingredients. Everything here tends toward the superficial and the false. One might simply say that it's all a matter of taste, but it's not. If a Japanese diner goes to a sushi restaurant in the US and is served a series of Japanese dishes - oden, shabu shabu etc. - then she will likely shrug and think that it's all about the deplorable state of US food culture and its abysmal ignorance of Japanese cuisine. I will say in this instance that no Japanese restaurants in the US would not have rice ready to serve to a diner. Starch, after all, is the foundation of all dining experience (apologies to Atkins and paleo dieters). Finally, to muddy the bad aftertaste, the restaurant charged me over 12,000 yen for a glass of champagne and a bottle of sparkling water. I would guess that this was a simple mistake on their part and I am of course responsible for not checking the tab. Yet it's exceedingly rare in a Japanese establishment to make a reckless mistake of this sort. The mark of a great dining experience is the afterglow: the wonderful experience that transmogrifies into a fond memory. Alas, I have only chagrin to chew on after dining at ess. Meal type: Dinner Price per person: ¥10,000+ Food: 2 Service: 2 Atmosphere: 3
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Kenzo Otsuji
6 months ago on Google
Had an amazing meal here. Service was warm and welcoming, wine selection was good, and each course we ordered was made with fresh ingredients and presented nicely. Highly recommend the tuna tartar, carbonara pasta, and ravioli with burrata. It was also fun to watch the kitchen staff work harmoniously. This is a restaurant i may need to visit every time i come to Tokyo. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5
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Response from the owner
6 months ago
Thank you very much for your wonderful review. We are truly happy to hear that you enjoyed the food, wine, and the atmosphere of our kitchen. It means a lot to us that the tuna tartare, carbonara, and burrata ravioli stood out to you. Our team works closely together every day, so we’re especially glad you enjoyed watching the harmony in the kitchen. We would be honored to welcome you each time you visit Tokyo. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
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H K
7 months ago on Google
Food: 5 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 5
All reviews
Italian
$$$$
Price range per person
JPY 10,000
Address
Shinsencho, 13−13 地下1階, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Features
Сredit cards accepted
No delivery
Wi-Fi
No takeaway
Booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Opening hours
| SundaySun | Closed |
| MondayMon | Closed |
| TuesdayTue | 5PM-11PM |
| WednesdayWed | 5PM-11PM |
| ThursdayThu | 5PM-11PM |
| FridayFri | 5PM-11PM |
| SaturdaySat | 12PM-3PM 5PM-11PM |
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