Olive Toscana, an Italian restaurant in Sannomiya, reopens with “Loving Cuisine

　One month has passed since the Italian restaurant “Olive Toscana” (2 Shimoyamate-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe; TEL 078-945-7105) opened in a back alley on the east side of Toa Road in Sannomiya City.

Oil fondue with three different sauces

　Last year, the restaurant’s operator, “E&R” (Mikkodori 3), closed two restaurants: “Cheesuya Restaurant & Dog Cafe,” a creative cheese cuisine restaurant that opened in 2014 (Heisei 26), and “Cheese no Kami,” a cheese cuisine specialty restaurant that opened in 2021. President Haruki Okamoto said, “We were forced to close the restaurants due to the new coronavirus. I thought about quitting the restaurant business at this point, but I decided to give it one last chance with the cuisine I love,” he said, revealing the circumstances surrounding the opening of the new restaurants.

　The restaurant has a floor space of 15 tsubo. The restaurant seats 4 at the counter and 22 at tables, and can be rented out for parties of 25 or more people. The interior is decorated with brick walls and warm wooden furniture in the image of a “relaxed medieval European retreat. Mr. Okamoto says, “I named the restaurant after Italian Tuscan cuisine, which is characterized by simple cooking methods and flavors that bring out the best of the ingredients, and the use of more than 10 different types of olive oil at any given time.

　The lunch set (from 1,800 yen) includes three or five types of tapas, a main meat dish from a choice of chicken, pork, or beef, and three types of pasta, plus a free drink.

　For dinner, the menu includes “Grilled Beef Tongue Carpaccio” (980 yen) with freshly shaved cheese served in front of you, “Firenze Style Squid Ragout Pasta” (1,580 yen), “Ribollita with Bucket” (780 yen), “Three Types of Olive Oil” (980 yen), “Oil Fondue 3 (980 yen), and “3 kinds of oil fondue sauce” (2,200 yen).

　The “Cheese Cream Pasta” (1,280 yen), “Quattro Formaggi Pizza” (1,480 yen), and “Cheesecake” (680 yen), which were popular at the two closed restaurants, “have been requested by many customers to be brought back,” says Okamoto.

　The drink menu includes Heartland draft beer, various cocktails (600 yen and up), and wines (700 yen and up).

　Mr. Okamoto says, “I want many people to enjoy Tuscan cuisine that makes the most of olive oil, which is said to be highly effective for health. We aim to provide courteous service to our customers so that they will come back again and again,” says Okamoto.

　The restaurant is open from 5:00 p.m. to 24:00 p.m. Lunch (11:00-15:00) is available only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.