As with most new restaurant openings in Tokyo, you should be prepared to wait for a seat at this New York import. But here’s why you’re bound to leave satisfied.
Octopus in chewy, there’s no doubt about it. But Rosemary’s Tokyo has found a way to make the effort worth it. For their Octopus Salame Sicilian Giardiniere starter, they’ve not only created a visually enticing dish but they’ve added an assortment of rich toppings to heighten the flavor. Fresh octopus is combined with plain gelatin to create a kind of salami, which is then sliced into thin circles and served atop a wooden board. This culinary work of art is enhanced with chopped cauliflower, olives and anchovies, drizzled in olive oil and finished off with a couple of fresh basil leaves.
This dish is one of the many that use the exact same recipe offered at Rosemary’s New York, which is where the Italian restaurant got its start in 2010. Committed to a farm-to-table philosophy, the owners have taken care to use fresh ingredients from their own rooftop farm, and to create an atmosphere that affords customers a retreat from the city buzz outside. Now, as they bring their brand to Japan for the first time, they’ve put just as much care into recreating the experience in Shinjuku’s latest shopping complex, Newoman. Besides offering the same mouth-watering menu as their New York branch – with just a few twists for the local market – they’ve included an indulgent terrace area surrounded by greenery as well as a rooftop garden that supplies plenty of naturally grown fruit and veg.
And these ingredients are all beautifully shown off in the menu’s roundup of hearty Italian dishes. To follow the Octopus Salame, we’d recommend trying one of their other most popular offerings, the Salsiccia Orecchiette pasta. It consists of a fairly simple lineup of ingredients including homemade sausage, broccoli, and semi-dried tomato, but each of these provide bursts of complementary flavors at just the right moment. Pair your meal with a glass of wine, one of the restaurant’s original Limoncello cocktails, or a Chocolate Orange Latte if you prefer something sweet. And then let a soundtrack of Nina Simone and a view of Shinjuku’s skyscrapers – the prettiest being Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower – take you away.
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