The renowned Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants has just released its rankings for 2020 and Tokyo’s Il Ristorante – Luca Fantin is at number 17. The restaurant has been recognized by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for the past three years, and remarkably, has gone up in its ranking each year. Chef Luca Fantin celebrated his 10th anniversary at the restaurant last year, and this year’s designation marks the fifth major accolade for the restaurant.
The Italian chef’s theme is ‘an epicurean journey’, and he creates new dishes every year using mainly seasonal Japanese ingredients, purposely not providing a ‘standard dish’. Traditional dishes are given a modern spin and look beautiful.
II Ristoranate, which is located in the heart of Ginza, is known for weaving in fine Japanese influences into innovative Italian cuisine.
Instead of fusing Japanese flavours, the Treviso-born chef opts for ingredients that are typically used in Italian cuisine but grown in Japan.
They include seafood and vegetables such as celeriac, salsify and tomatoes. estimates that 90% of his ingredients are from Japan, but the remaining 10%, such as Novara-style risotto and pasta, still has to be imported from Italy.
Restaurant Information
Style: Japanese and Itallian Fusion
Chain: Bulgare Hotels Chain
Address: 2-7-12 Tokyo Restaurants Ginza Tower, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Ginza, Chuo 104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture
Telephone: 03-6362-0555
Opening hours:
Lunch 12 pm – 1.30 pm (Last order)
Dinner 5.30 pm – 8 pm (Last order)
Tuesday – Saturday
About the Chef
Fantin has had a globe-trotting career, from cooking in restaurants such as the three-Michelin-starred La Pergola by Heinz Beck in Rome, two-starred Mugaritz in Spain and three-starred Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo.
About 14 years ago, Fantin enjoyed a three-month stage at RyuGin so much that he grabbed the opportunity to return to work in Japan. Some of the challenges he faced included studying how to extract the right flavour profiles from Japanese ingredients in Italian dishes. He says with a grin: “I wanted to change the perception that most Japanese diners have that Italian food is just pasta and pizza.”
Being based in Tokyo for nine years has sharpened Fantin’s cooking precision. He says: “Being in Japan made me more detail-oriented— everything boils down to technique and temperature control. The Japanese are a lot more sensitive to the temperature of the dishes. It is either hot or cold and nothing can be left in the middle.”
Social Media
Website: https://www.bulgarihotels.com/en_US/tokyo-osaka-restaurants/tokyo/il-ristorante
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bulgarilucafantintokyo/
