Have you ever noticed that after finding your favorite Italian place or perfect Thai joint your motivation to seek out new places disappears? Yet daily you walk by great little restaurants and think one day you`ll try them. You are not alone. The Nagoya Supper Club is a group of foodies dedicated to checking out these holes-in-the-wall diners.
First stop: Taverna Babbo
At the table tonight: MK, RS, WZ, MH and DD
Five course meal plus one bottle of house wine.
Price: 2,500 yen per person.
Taverna Babbo is in Shinsakae, just off Iida Kaido, a five-minute walk from Shinsakae Station (exit 2). Small and cozy, it has five tables and two Japanese-style tables. The atmosphere and food have a homespun feel and taste.
Quaint and homey; unpretentious and genuine. A bit small if you have a large group and other patrons are dining, but if you make reservations or come with a date, I don’t see there being significant problems.
—R.S.
For the past decade chef and owner, Hedeki Baba, has been delighting his regular patrons and going to great lengths to share his style of Milano pizza throughout the region.
My first impression upon entering the restaurant was of a relaxed and welcoming ambiance. I found the rounded contours of the chef especially reassuring; I distrust restaurants with thin chefs.
—M.K.
Chef Baba
āI used to eat pizza with my grandmother all the time, it was our favorite thing to do together. While going to school I worked at an Italian cafĆ©, it seemed like a natural choice for me.ā Knowing that he would not be satisfied as a kaishain, Hideki passed up a job offer at Toyota to attend cooking school in Osaka.
House wine: bright upfront, with strong cherry and citrus notes; medium-full body with a mild finish . . . one of the best house wines I’ve had in a long time.
—R.S.
The house wine was a mild-flavoured, medium-bodied geografica tipica from Salerno and extremely affordable, at 1,500 yen per bottle. Babboās wine list is modest, changing and not written down. Selections and prices are quoted at the table when ordering. Baba prides himself in finding strong but undervalued wines for his patrons.
The Antipasto Misto arrived with a beautiful array of prosciutto and melon, eggplant, sautƩed mushrooms, pumpkin and roasted basil potatoes. It was all very good. The group favorites were the prosciutto and melon and the sautƩed mushrooms. Overall, a great sampler.
The Beef Carpaccio and arugula was next. This dish was as gorgeous as it was generous. The arugula and black pepper balanced out the beef and olive oil, and the parmesan added nice bursts of flavor. Overall, the dish was good, but would have been great with the addition of a squeeze of fresh lemon or some capers.
Arriving next were tender sautƩed vegetables on a sturdy, homemade tagliatelle. Chef Baba gets all his vegetables from local, organic growers whenever possible.
This was my favorite dish of the evening. —RS
The pasta du jour at Taverna Babbo changes daily, but is always homemade and served perfectly al dente.
The final course was the pizza margherita, a house specialty. Served Milano style and measuring 40cm across, the pizza was impressive. But the group consensus was marked with mild disappointment. Though very good, it seemed lacking in balance of ingredients – or perhaps in comparison to the wonderful dishes that preceded it.
Other Babbo stalwarts include the clam and mushroom pasta, the octopus and pepperoncini pasta and a wonderful salad capressi. The menu is modest, but diverse. Meals can be orderedĆ la carte, or as a course meal for the table.
All in all, an excellent place . . . but Babbo’s cuisine may not please someone who demands strident flavours. Patrons [be warned that]olive oil . . . is very liberally applied to all dishes where it might be appropriate.
—MK
Chef Baba once promised his grandmother that one day he would make her a pizza. Although he never got to fulfill this promise, the Chef visits area retirement homes monthly with volunteers; they serve his Milano pizza in memory of his grandmother.
He is always looking for new volunteers; if you are interested, he urges you to come by the restaurant or join him on Facebook.
Taverna Babbo
Address: Shinsakae2-12-7,
Field City Shinsakae1F,
Nagoya, Japan 460-0007
Phone: 052-259-2644
Hours: Tues-Sun 6:00 ā 2:00am
Payment: Cash only.
English menu not available but staff speaks a little.
Reservations and catering available.
Girlās Night Out course meal with 4 hour nomihoudai
4,000 yen.
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