From Monday, December 2023, 12 to Saturday, December 18, 12, the signature restaurant “Il Ristorante Nico Romito” of “Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo” will host an event under the supervision of three-star Michelin chef Nico Romito. Festive menu will be available. This is a special dinner course that colors the gorgeous season.
I had a chance to sample the menu this time, so I would like to introduce it to you before anyone else.

Nico Romito is Italy's best chef

Nico Romito is one of Italy's leading chefs. Romito, who hails from the central Italian region of Abruzzo, has three Michelin stars for his restaurant, Reale, in the region. He is one of the most famous chefs in the world and is ranked 3th in the World's 50 Best Restaurants by San Pellegrino. Since 16, he has been named Best Italian Chef by Gambero Rosso, Italy's most prestigious gastronomy guide.

He oversees the main dining at Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts in seven cities around the world, including Tokyo. Mauro Aloisio is the chef who actually runs the kitchen at Il Ristorante Nico Romito in Yaesu, Tokyo, and the restaurant received one star in the latest Michelin 2024, despite being open for eight months. That's all.

Shocking potato cream and white truffle

Now, the important dish. What came out in lieu of greeting was a vegetable soup called ``Vegetable Absolute,'' which Nico Romito is known for. It's made with onions, carrots, and celery, but without adding a drop of water. It looks like consommé, and the flavor of the vegetables permeates through your mouth. A slight sourness from the traces of champagne and olive oil lingers. My taste buds were awakened.

``My cooking is characterized by an emphasis on ingredients, and I place importance on lightness and a sense of seasonality,'' says Romito, and you can feel his attitude from the first dish. What shocked me was the ``Ise lobster and celery rub salad,'' followed by the ``Black Fuji poached egg with his potato cream and white truffle.''
The smooth potatoes alone are delicious, but the aroma of the finest white truffles from Italy is amazing. Add to this the rich yolks of eggs from free-range chickens raised at an altitude of 1100 meters. It is a combination of the blessings of the earth that seems to be telling us to ascend to heaven. I didn't want to leave even a single streak on Ginori1735's plate.

Next is "Aomori Prefecture duck ragout fettucelle with parmesan cheese and black truffle." Hand-made fettuccine is slightly thicker and wider than regular fettuccine. The deep-flavored duck ragout is intertwined with thinly shaved Italian black truffles, and the sauce is extremely rich. Even after I ran out of pasta, I wiped everything up with bread and ate it. I thought the red wine that went with it was really good, and it turned out to be ``Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino.''

"Japanese ingredients are wonderful, but we use Italian ingredients such as olive oil, wheat, truffles, and parmesan," says Romito. After all, it would be difficult to reproduce the ingredients that form the backbone of Italian cuisine unless they are from the home country. Indeed, this bread made with wheat from Abruzzo is aromatic, has a high moisture content, is crunchy on the outside but very soft on the inside, and has a really rich wheat flavor. I end up eating too much.

Two types of desserts are the power of KO punch

Now, for the main dish: ``Roasted veal, roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and white truffle.'' The Italian veal was delicate, moist and tender, and the white truffles that accompanied it doubled the deliciousness of the dish. It is truly suitable for a grand finale. By the way, roasted mushrooms are maitake and shiitake mushrooms, which are familiar to our palates. The red wine served that day was a flavorful ``Grattamacco Bolgheri Sollo Superiore'', and although I didn't explain everything, the pairings were also wonderful.

Just as we were getting comfortable here, there was a follow-up attack in the finale. The desserts are ``Citrus Semifreddo'' and ``Nico Romito Panettone with Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce.'' The former uses Japanese Dekopon and produces an orange caramel sauce that is both sour and sweet. The wine made me feel like I was in a dream, but the taste was so strong that my eyes widened.

To be honest, I was shocked by the latter. Until now, I had thought of panettone, an Italian Christmas confectionery, as nothing more than a fruitcake, but as it bears the chef's name, this panettone is very soft and light, yet full of flavor, and is one of the best tasting dishes I've ever had in my life. It was sad. The thinner cut is the perfect way to cut it out. It was like receiving a KO punch when you least expected it.

There will be one more pasta item on the actual menu. The dinner served in an elegant and special space on the 40th floor above ground is sure to be a perfect celebration to mark the end of the year.

■Deployment date and time: Monday, December 2023, 12 to Saturday, December 18, 12 Dinner time
■Price 38,000 yen (tax and service charge included)
■Reservation reception 03-6262-6624 (Restaurant reservation direct number/Reception hours: 10:00 – 19:00)

*During the above period, two courses will be offered for dinner: 27,000 yen (regular menu) and 38,000 yen (festive menu).
*Dinner time from December 12nd to 22th is only available with the Festive Menu.