LUDENS

Part of the appeal of Italian cooking with a medicinal-cuisine influence is the unexpected combination of ingredients in each dish. At LUDENS, visitors have enjoyed an appetizer called “Fresh Fish and Tomato”, pairing sea bass with yuzu pepper, olive oil, basil, tomato and marinated peach. It has been described as a small dish layered with a range of ingredients, inviting diners to notice the thought that goes into the menu from the very first course. Other menu items include “Fresh Fish and Spices” and Ohara eggplant, building anticipation for a course centred on seasonal ingredients.

LUDENS’ nourishing soup has made a strong impression as a beginning to the meal. At one dinner, a bowl made with a soup stock that had been continually replenished for 9 years was served with seasonal ingredients. Another visitor writes of trying soup with soft-shelled turtle, ginger and jujube dates. The ingredients and contents appear to vary with the visit, but it is a dish to look forward to as the opening of a course. The dishes that follow also show how medicinal-cuisine elements can be incorporated into Italian cooking without feeling out of place. A lunchtime visitor mentioned “Smoked Cannelloni” with potato, ricotta and char roe, charcoal-grilled eel, and “Soft-Shelled Turtle Salamis”, prepared in a terrine style. There was also Ohara eggplant with mulberry leaves, blueberries and several koji-based sauces. It is a course to savour one dish at a time, following the combinations of ingredients and sauces.

For the main course, “Grass-Grilled” is listed as a house speciality. One visitor reports that their lunch continued after the grass-grilled dish with handmade, chilled Japanese-style pasta served with abalone and a soft-boiled egg. At another meal, the crab pasta was described as having a full-bodied flavour, making pasta an appealing option to anticipate through to the end of the course. Those who would like to choose drinks to accompany the food can consider a wine pairing. At one lunch, sake was paired with longtooth grouper and clams, while the red wine was selected from several options. Another visitor also enjoyed wines chosen to match the dishes. The menu lists pairings of 6 and 8 varieties, in addition to wine.

For a lunchtime course, the listed “My Spice Medicinal Lunch Course” comprises 6 dishes and costs ¥6,800. In the evening, the menu features the 11-dish “Seasonal Nourishing Course” and “Premium Nourishing Course”. Course contents and prices may change, so check when booking. LUDENS suits a meal spent appreciating each dish, as well as an occasion to explore food and drink pairings.