A heart-pounding course meal of omakase Italian cuisine with innovative combinations.

We visited La VIGORIA, an Italian restaurant located near Hankyu Tsukaguchi Station in Amagasaki City, to report on a course meal that is not listed on the menu but is known by those in the know.

The restaurant is conveniently located just a minute walk from the station, and is loved by locals since it opened in 2013.

Once inside, you can enjoy your meal in a quiet and relaxing space that you would not expect to find so close to the station. The owner of the restaurant has a background of training at an Italian restaurant in Kobe and serves dishes that use plenty of seasonal ingredients.

This time, I ordered the omakase course, which can be ordered with a reservation made at least one day in advance. The budget is between 4,000 and 10,000 yen (excluding tax), and of course, if you have any allergies, likes, dislikes, or requests for more appetizers or no main course, they will be happy to accommodate you.

Carpaccio of Flathead Horse Mackerel

This time, I had a total of six dishes including dessert, and I was surprised at the reasonable price, which I will tell you at the end. The first dish, “Hira-aji Carpaccio” was orange-braised Hira-aji with sour cream and tobiko sauce. I have had many carpaccios in the past, but this was my first time to try this combination, and I could not stop being excited.

As soon as I tasted the horse mackerel, I could taste the refreshing flavor of orange, sweet and sour sour sour cream, and the crunchy tobiko accents, and the quality of the dish exceeded my expectations from the very first dish.

Seasonal Vegetable Salad

The second dish was the “Seasonal Vegetable Salad,” a salad filled with summer vegetables such as eggplant, okra, zucchini, and Manganji peppercorns. The vegetables were seasoned simply, so you could enjoy the natural flavors of the ingredients and feel the summer in this dish.

Hamo no fritto with marinated peaches

The third dish, “Frito of Hamo (conger eel) with marinated peaches” is a popular dish served every summer, and many customers come here for this dish.

The hamo is crispy around the hamo and fluffy inside, and the peaches are perfectly ripe, juicy, and sweet, refreshing the oil from the fritters. The marriage of the hamo and the peaches was a perfect marriage, and I could understand why people look forward to this dish every year.

Pasta with shiso leaves (japonese)

The aroma of garlic wafted through the air as the pasta was being cooked, and I was excitedly waiting to see what kind of pasta it was going to be.

The noodles were thin and glutinous, and the lemon zest added an extra touch of freshness to this adult pasta.

Roasted Duck

The fifth dish, “Roasted Duck,” was a duck topped with red wine and apricot sauce. The elegant taste of the wine’s acidity and sweetness enhanced the duck’s flavor, and the more you chewed, the more the flavor spread in your mouth.

Tea terrine.

I was already full, but when dessert arrived, I was filled with a different appetite. The terrine was rich and sticky with the aroma of black tea coming through the nose.

The dessert and after-dinner drink were very satisfying, and when I asked about the price, I was prepared to pay more than 6,000 yen (excluding tax), so I felt it was a very reasonable price. The course introduced here is just an example, and the contents are basically left to the chef’s discretion.

I like Italian food and have had various course meals in the past, but this was the first time for me to try a combination of dishes, so I had a very fresh and enjoyable time. The owner of the restaurant is always thinking of new ideas to combine this and that, so you can experience Italian food that you have never had before.