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Bulgari Il Cafe

By on September 11, 2013

Your best bet to catch up with friends or family for coffee or weekend lunch in a stylish setting is at Bulgari’s Il Cafe.  But that’s not to say that a trendy place such as this offers no more than brand and style.  Located on the second floor of the famous high-end jeweller and fashion house Bulgari in Omotesando,  Il Cafe is indeed Italian in character and appearance but its menu lists up casual sounding dishes with a surprising twist.  For the love of adventure, I ordered a plate of hamburger (at ¥4,500, arguably the most expensive burger in town) to see what’s special about it .  My order arrived all glammed up.  The rich serving of high quality Matsuzaka beef and fine foie gras that melts in your mouth was the big surprise.  The meat, cooked and seasoned to perfection, matched the tangy flavour of fresh-baked bread and the portion was just right.  I would not have thought that this combination works but it did.
Their tomato based Spaghetti cooked with goat cheese and lemon peel (¥1,600) is equally rich in flavour and a far cry from most pastas I have had in my life.  It was delicious.

Now on to what I went there for –  the dolce.  Whenever you think of Italianated desserts,  tiramisu, panna cotta or torta dela nonna immediately come to mind.  But traditional is not what you will find at Il Cafe.   Instead, it has five signature sweet offerings with price range between ¥1,500 and ¥2,000 namely: Bulgari chocolates (5 assorted pieces of dark and light) , Green tea parfait with yuzu and mascarpone cream, Chocolate parfait, Chocolate fondant with Bronte pistacho ice cream and lastly, the Maple syrup pandolce, chocolate flakes and walnuts which I tried.  The arrangement was artsy and the coming together of colours and flavours gave me a reason to come again.

Bulgari Ginza

For meals and drinks, Bulgari Ginza has a wide terrace with a splendid view of Tokyo.  Expect to find here rare vintages of Dom Perignon Blanc, Rose, etc to match Bulgari’s signature dishes,  prepared by celebrated Il Ristorane Chef, Luca Fantin.

About Julie Wilson