Italian Bistro, Japanese Aesthetic: Kitchen Igosso Opens in Chaoyang

A low dining counter more reminiscent of sushi bars than trattorias makes obvious the Japanese aesthetic behind this slim Italian bistro. Kitchen Igosso, run by the Japanese owners behind the late lamented Café Igosso, is an elegant mid-priced option for date night.

Why save the best for last, when the last is best? The peach tiramisu (RMB 48) is free-form and delightful. Fresh ladyfingers are stacked atop half a ripe peach, then drenched in a silky coffee-flavored mascarpone. This trumps the standard tiramisu casserole, as cookie edges stay crisp, the cream fluffy, and individual flavors are highlighted rather than melded.

Back to dinner. The set menu is a solid bargain: RMB 180 provides an appetizer platter, grilled stuffed squid, a pasta, thin slices of a perfect medium-rare sirloin roast with a side salad, finished with a frothy yogurt mousse tart. RMB 250 garners one more dish and foie gras. The set menu’s bacon and tomato pasta and spaghetti pescatora (RMB 88) were toothsome but failed to impress.

Conversely, the steak tartare excelled (RMB 45). Raw meat is seldom this attractive. Petite piles of the classic fixings circled a plump patty of hand-minced beef. The raw egg was missing, but chopped-up hard-boiled quail eggs was the safer compromise. Mixing one’s own tartare guarantees it’s made to taste and provides for superior aesthetics – Igosso’s plating was appreciated.

The exposed brick décor, delicate presentation and obliging wait staff (who speak English, Japanese and Chinese) only add to the pleasantly muted atmosphere of this Japanese-Italian dining experience.

Standout dishes: Peach tiramisu, steak tartare
Also try: Di Napoli

Kitchen Igosso
Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-11pm. 23 Guandongdian Beijie, Chaoyang District (6592 4563)
朝阳区关东店北街23号

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