Address - SH Bldg. 1F 4-7-2 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0001 Opening hours - 11:45 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 22:00. Open every day, but no lunch on Sundays and holidays Map - Yes Telephone - 3387-5210 Menu - In Italian and Japanese CC - OK

In my review of La Bettola I said that its cooks are good, but their food makes you think they have never been to Italy. While well prepared, it lacks personality and a final touch. I could say that also of La Granata and many other otherwise distinguished Italian restaurants. At Il Fornello, though, the food is prepared by one of us, and the difference is obvious.

Il Fornello is small and a little crowded, but friendly and quiet enough. No foreigners in sight: it apparently hasn't been discovered yet.

We started the meal with a very good plate of assorted appetizers, then proceeded with two pasta (tagliatelle with mushrooms and shrimps) and the main dishes. The menu includes a number of excellent spaghetti and risotto dishes, but where it really shines is the meat and the grilled fish, stuff of a quality I have rarely seen outside Italy. The swordfish and the prawns were especially good and a real must. I cannot think of another place where they are so full of flavor and juicy. Try the vegetables. You can have them raw in a salad, sautéed or grilled for 800 yen a dish. We tried the grilled ones, and they were an excellent complement to our fish.

I ended the meal with zuccotto, a dessert (Sicilian, I believe) made with sweet ricotta and candied fruit you won't find so easily here in Tokyo.

The wine list includes some twenty names from every part of the country, for example Sicily, Sardinia, Southern Italy and Piedmont. No foreign stuff. They have Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, Sangiovese, and other classics. They also offer Italian liquors, that are however extremely expensive and in my opinion not worth the money. 1200 yen for a tiny glass of grappa?

The quality is there, no question about it, so I didn't mind the 6000 yen per head the meal cost without drinks. Il Fornello is certainly not for every pocket, but if you can afford it, it's well worth the money. I can think of many more famous, more expensive places (and La Ranarita or Sabatini come immediately to mind) that are not worth half as much.

August 28, 1999

Why "Il Fornello" goes straight from five to three stars:

Some time ago four friends and I had dinner at Il Fornello. After an appetizer and a pasta apiece, we were sated and accordingly proceeded to order five grappas and five desserts.
An embarrassed waiter told us that we HAD to order at least two main dishes. Rules are rules. This of course completely spoiled the fun, because we really weren't hungry any more. Not wanting to make a fuss, we however did order and shared without pleasure the mandatory two plates.
The whole thing had turned us completely off, so we left without the planned desserts and grappas. Forcing us to eat five thousand yen worth of meat, Il Fornello lost five grappas (1200 yen each), five desserts (at least 600 yen each) and five previously devoted customers.

But, more importantly, in any restaurant, whether it's a ramen shop or an expensive restaurant like "Il Fornello", the customer must always be king, but particularly and specifically when you spend as much as you do here. I am not going to spend six, seven thousand yen or more just to be bossed around by a waiter.

So Long, Il Fornello. It was great while it lasted.

Some time in December 2001