Popular Aussie Italian restaurant Fratelli Paradiso comes to Tokyo

Anyone who has been to Potts Point in Sydney would know that it’s one of the hippest places to own a restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere. It used to be a “ghetto” about 15 years ago but now the neighborhood is all about terrace cafes and restaurants that you could easily mistake for an art gallery. Fratelli Paradiso is an Italian restaurant that has been in the heart of Potts Point for 16 years. In fact, they were one of the first ones to introduce all-day-dining, making them pioneers of the current lifestyle culture in the area.

Fratelli Paradiso opens Monday on the 3rd floor of Omotesando Hills.

Fratelli Paradiso means Paradiso brothers. Two of the owners, Enrico and Giovanni Paradiso, are Italian brothers by blood, but born and raised in Melbourne. Marco Ambrosino completes the trio who are such fun socialites and professionals in creating “vibe, memento, relevance, quality service, honest Italian food and a place for memorable moments," as they put it. Best of all, it is simple Italian food focusing on ingredients.

The Paradisos chose Tokyo, largely because their head chef in Sydney for nine years happened to be Japanese. Toshiyuki Nakayasu worked for several eateries around Italy, prior to joining Fratelli Paradiso. He returned to Japan in 2015 to open an auberge in Hida Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. Sadahiro Nakamura, the president of Transit General Office Inc (which brought Max Brenner, Ice Monster and bills to Japan), recruited Nakayasu to work with him in Tokyo. Fratelli Paradiso is the first project of the joint venture between Transit and Isetan Mistukoshi Holdings, called Isetan Mitsukoshi Transit.

Having tasted their specialties, I must say I will definitely go back again, especially for their Bottarga Pretzel (1,700 yen), which was something I have never savored before. The presentation looks like humus, but once you dip a piece of pretzel in it, you’ll be surprised how light and velvety it is. It is a meticulously whipped mixture of bottarga powder and smoked olive oil with very fine bread crumbs as a filler. The imported pretzel is baked with five different seeds to give roasted fragrance. It is almost an addictive food because of the smell of smoke. The dish is not served at Fratelli Paradiso Sydney, but only at their sister wine bar, 10 William St in Paddington, Sydney. Fortunately, this Aussie-original favorite is now served in Tokyo.

Not only are the bread and buns house made, but their pastas are made at the open counter kitchen in the back seat area, where a couple of designated pasta-makers work in the morning. Kudos to the Paradisos' signature Pasta Scampi (2,500 yen) with their whole-wheat long pasta quite al dente.

The Prosciutto Bufala (2,200 yen) will also make you gape. Fresh prosciutto aged 12 months from Norcia is only available at Fratelli Paradiso. Pairing it with a bottle of a special blend of Pino Blanc and Riesling from Trentino is highly recommended.

The Tagliata di Manzo or Angus beef (4,500 yen) is lean but tender, with Tasmanian mustard on the side adding to the texture. The dry aging meat is frozen at under minus 2℃ for 30 days. You can smell a bit of incense, which makes the meat more tantalizing.

No meal would be complete without dessert and the long-standing Tiramisu (900 yen) is the most popular thanks to its key ingredient -- mascarpone.

The restaurant's slogan is “Lotta Continua.” It was used as a slogan during the political campaign fought for freedom in Italy in the 1970s, meaning “never give up”, and is displayed at the entrance. You might mistake it for the name of the restaurant. It is that important to the owners because they never gave up on introducing and supporting natural organic wines even when they were not Australians’ favorites. The trio only serves bottles which have no additives, preservatives nor any that are sold in mass production. They trust and care about the farmers and prefer to buy from them directly. Because of their continuous support, organic wine makers have in return agreed to sell them their precious bottles to support the opening of their Tokyo branch. My favorite was their orange wine, La Chioccia Toscana Bianco. It’s kind of like a rosé, but with a hint of orange flavor which is more complex than a normal white, but easier to pair with any type of food, and I would say a perfect fit for a Sunday brunch.

The “graffitis,” as Enrico put it, are drawn by his brother Giovanni, and are on the wall in the dining area. This is also one of the symbolic aspects of dining at their restaurant in Potts Point where art is essential. The entire restaurant is trendy, fashionable and smart, but not at all formal. You can come casually dressed in your favorite pair of jeans, just like at any other Transit restaurants in Japan.

The bar area doesn't require reservations and you can order drinks, including 150 kinds of natural wines. From May 8, there is a limited original wine to celebrate the opening of the restaurant.

There are three lunch courses (1,800, 2,800 and 4,500 yen) and two dinner courses for 5,000 and 7,000 yen during the soft opening. For the quality and time put into selecting ingredients as well as their passion for organic wine, I think it’s not a bad price range. Everything is immersed to the finest, to the point where all wine glasses have the name of their restaurant engraved.

The menu will extend beyond the preset course with an extended a la carte list.

Fratelli Paradiso Tokyo

Omotesando Hills 3F

4-12-10, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Tel : 03-3408-0800

Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. (food last order 10 p.m., bar food and drinks last order 10:30 p.m.). Sundays, 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. (food last order 9:30 p.m., bar food, drinks last order 10 p.m.)

Seats: 142

• External Link
• http://fratelliparadiso.im-transit.co.jp/

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