01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
A plate of Spanish jamón de Teruel, carefully sliced thin, is a fitting start to an evening spent lingering over a glass of wine. On the 2 floor of a building in Azabu-Juban, Fragrante / FRAGRANTE serves a varied Italian menu, from small plates for sharing to substantial meat dishes.
Cold starters include marinated scallops with celeriac mousse and caviar, and a salad of black figs from Sado with burrata, letting the ingredients speak in light, well-balanced combinations. For something warm, try grilled scallops with a rich broccoli sauce or the classic tripe braised slowly in tomato.
The pasta is distinctive, too. Options include squid-ink tagliolini with bottarga and fried spring onions, and tagliatelle with snow crab and small clams in an American-style shellfish sauce. For a main course, there is charcoal-grilled wagyu rump, as well as sautéed lamb chops with a red-wine sauce of raisins and porcini mushrooms—hearty centrepieces to enjoy with red wine.
The drinks list ranges from sparkling wine and orange wine by the glass to bottles from well-known wine regions. Open from 17 in the evening until 5 the following morning, the restaurant suits a leisurely dinner that unfolds course by course, as well as a late-night stop for dessert or espresso.
