By Alex Reeves – @afreeves23
If Japanese cuisine is known for one thing, it’s fair to say that attention to detail would be it. We’ve all heard the one about the sushi masters who spend a decade working with nothing but rice, as if it were a martial art. It is, without exaggeration, the stuff of legend.
Beyond food, Japan is a master of cultural alchemy – taking foreign concepts and designs, be it motorbikes, tech or trains – and improving them. More efficient, more refined and, somehow, more affordable. This goes some way to explaining why this month’s review of an unassuming, neighbourhood-style Italian begins here.
CORAGGIO: This neighbourhood Italian has a Japanese twist. Photos courtesy of @afreeves23
Coraggio, the name of the eatery in question, is somewhat unsurprisingly, a direct translation of the Italian for courage, something that proprietor Hang assured us was needed in larger quantities than pasta to open back in 2022.
The F&B industry was barely finding its feet post-pandemic, and here she was launching an Italian eatery in the heart of the Japanese quarter, just off Linh Lang Street. The Japanese have high standards and low margins for error. To survive in this area, you have to be brave, and you have to be doing something right.
OISHII: A spread of delicious dishes at a great price point.
To those who have spent a little time there – or perhaps just read past the blurb in their Pizza 4P’s menu – Italian food is a part of everyday life back in Nippon. Be it through the old tale of Italian-American GIs bringing their cravings with them during WWII, or Japan’s relentless appetite for assimilating and mastering the best of the world’s cultural and culinary offerings.
Italian restaurants are ten a penny in Tokyo – some so traditional they baffle tourists, and others more experimental, giving rise to ‘Itameshi’, a lovely little portmanteau combining the words for Italy and food. Think Japanese interpretations of Italian fare, mozzarella meets mentaiko. Customers in J-Town are no strangers to Italian food. It has no novelty value, and it actually has to be good.
CITRUS: A Japanese take on spaghetti combines lemon, shrimp and broccoli.
Hang, a little surprised when my dining partner and I arrived, scurried to get hold of English menus. After letting us settle and scan the menu for appetisers, she enquired how we had stumbled upon the place. I told her I’d seen it online, on a foodies’ page.
Yet, upon further research, I can find no such post mentioning Coraggio in any of the groups I frequent. If you, dear reader, are the one who posted about it, take your credit.
I thought the story of an eccentric one-man show blending together these two timeless cuisines within one kitchen was either a figment of my imagination or a tale lost to the digital ether. She confirmed, however, that a former business partner – the Japanese chef who had designed the menu with her – had since returned home.
FOR SHARING: The appetiser board offers hints of a Japanese twist.
What’s left behind isn’t quite full-blown Itameshi. It’s less a passionately gesticulating samurai, all fire, flair and precision, swinging spaghetti like a katana, and more a softly spoken nonna with a penchant for sashimi, arranging it calmly alongside a home-cooked feast. Where Itameshi is fusion, this would be better described as light ‘wafu’: Italian with a sprinkling of Japanese influence, noticeable throughout the menu.
This was on show from the offset. The sharing platter of assorted appetisers included servings of soft roasted beef dressed in a light parsley sauce, succulent salmon slices and a spongy Japanese-style omelette – all in the centre of a plate boasting creamy potato salad and tangy red bell pepper bruschetta (VNĐ140,000 or US$5.40).
HOUSE SPECIAL: The quattro formaggi had a truly rich cheese sauce.
We also enjoyed a classic of the Itameshi scene: nama hamu salad, a leafy green affair with sharp radish, ripe cherry tomatoes, salty prosciutto and a generous helping of parmesan (VNĐ150,000). Doesn’t sound too controversial now, does it? A perfect example of how something can sound traditional but would be notably out of place at your average trattoria.
We opted for the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella. Crisp and crunchy, with a chewy, salty interior and minimal grease (VNĐ100,000). Other curiosities that caught our eye included the atypical bacon and mushroom Ajillo (Spanish in origin) and the marinated salmon sashimi with avocado sauce and balsamic, best suited to those venturing into the unconventional.
Pasta is the go-to here, with a fair selection of traditional classics and bolder alternatives. We went for one of each. For me, the quattro formaggi penne sounded almost too simple. Yet I was quickly won over by what was, without question, one of the richest and most intensely cheesy sauces I’ve had in Việt Nam. Deep and unforgiving, exactly as a cheese fiend should want it, the penne perfectly firm (VNĐ180,000).
SALMON: Not your usual Italian appetiser.
For her: spaghetti with broccoli and shrimp in a creamy lemon dressing. It sounds classic, but dairy and seafood are rarely paired in an Italian kitchen. They are here – and we were glad for it. A tangy, zesty cream sauce, al dente broccoli and large, succulent shrimp upon silky strands of spaghetti (VNĐ160,000). To any Italian readers recoiling in horror at such a thing, I make no apologies.
The restaurant’s interior is quaint but unusual. Dining room or balcony, Italian flags, red-and-white chequered tablecloths and ornamental Vespas, of course. But also posters of The Weeknd, Kid Cudi and, controversially, Kanye West. A bizarre combination, though more bemusing than offensive.
Staff were warm and courteous, speaking Japanese to us throughout the evening. Two Japanese customers dining alone downstairs further solidified the Tokyo vibe in this visually Neapolitan setting.
My tip for drinks? Lean into the fusion. White wine and ginger beer makes an ‘Operator’, while its red sister is a ‘Kitty’. Both refreshing and complementary to the experience.
NICE TOUCH: The addition of roast beef slices with a parsley sauce was a pleasant surprise.
This is homely, affordable Japanese-style Italian food. Don’t come expecting high-end traditional Italian fare, there’s more than enough of that dotted around town. There’s no gargantuan bistecca here.
What there is, is something a little different. Hearty food with bright flavours and fresh, clean ingredients that won’t break the bank. A place to catch up with friends or throw into the rotation when you need a night off from cooking or a break from local bites. It’s thoughtful without being fussy, familiar without being boring, and different enough to be memorable. It has ‘Coraggio’. VNS
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Coraggio
Address: No 7, Alley 12, Đào Tấn Street, Cống Vị Ward, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội
Tel: 0983 583 589
Price: Under VNĐ1million (for four drinks, sharing board, salad, zucchini and two plates of pasta)
Dining companions: Date night, family and friends, fellow foodies
AloJapan.com