Cucina Itameshi took over the location of the Dogenhof and is part of the Mochi group. The building is still one of the most beautiful in the area, just look at the winged lion on top of the portal.
Cucina Itameshi @Vienna
But also the inside is spectacular, dining here was definitely a visual highlight. The old rooms had gotten a colorful makeover, the marble floor shined bright, and interesting light fixtures did their trick.
dining room @Cucina Itameshi
While waiting for my friend I ordered a Shiso Americano and perused the menu. The Shiso part of this drink came from Shiso infused Campari and not just the huge leave in the glass. It was interesting to drink, but it fell a bit flat. What I love about Americano is its slight bitter taste, which had vanished due to the Shiso infusion. Maybe I didn’t take that enough into account. But there was also no sparkle despite the soda. While it was nice to look at, I missed flavor to tickle my taste buds. My friend later ordered a Spumoni gin with pink grapefruit, which hit the mark.
Shiso Americano @Cucina Itameshi
The cover charge at Cucina Itameshi was very steep, especially since it only included bread, butter, and water. Which was even more annoying, because I prefer tap water and the miso butter arrived whipped. The butter tasted of mushrooms, a lot of Umami flavor here. The bread was very tasty though, especially the darker one.
bread and Miso butter @Cucina Itameshi
We decided to share the XO beef carpaccio with wasabi, parmesan, and onion tsukemono. The meat was fantastic. A little bit thicker than usual, but so tender. Unfortunately I couldn’t detect any wasabi in the dressing, which was overall too sweet for my taste. I would have loved something with a bit more bite, ideally the parmesan in lack of anything else. There was just not enough of it on the the plate. The onions were nicely picked, but only added to the sweet sensation.
XO beef carpaccio @Cucina Itameshi
Next up was a side dish, sprouts with Stracciatella and according to the menu miso bagna cauda, which is apparently a paste of miso mixed with garlic and anchovy. I enjoyed that dish a lot, my friend did not. But hey, more for me. The miso bagna cauda gave the dish some intense flavor, which worked perfectly with the Stracciatella. Without the miso mixture this would have been boring, but in combination very lovely.
sprouts with stracciatella @Cucina Itameshi
As a main dish we shared a small portion of the Udon Cacio e Pepe, thick Udon noodles with lots of pecorino and pepper and an egg yolk on top. The egg was of course intact when it arrived at our table, but my friend was quick to destroy it. The Udon noodles were fine, I could have used more pepper to be honest. Once mixed with the yolk it fell a bit flat, not sure why I had the impression that most flavors were a bit muted that evening. The dish was nice enough, but nothing to write home about.
Udon noodles Cacio e Pepe @ Cucina Itameshi
At that point I was disappointed. I had wanted to come here forever and then the food was so mediocre. Nothing was really extraordinary, so we went ahead and ordered a dessert. The tiramisu then turned out to be the cherry on top. Here was a dish that truly satisfied me and not just my sweet tooth. Perfect coffee flavor, with a thick layer of dark chocolate powder cutting through the sweetness. Very creamy, but still with excellent texture as not to loose its structural posture. The tiramisu was a big portion of happiness.
tiramisu @Cucina Itameshi
The big question after this evening was, would come here again? Which I can answer with a resounding no. While it was a nice meal, I found the food not very exciting. Furthermore the two hour time limit is awfully restricting, when you spend a lot of money on your meal. And it was expensive enough even though you wouldn’t believe it from what you see here. I don’t want to be rushed and even less asked to leave, because the next customers were already waiting. In that case I rather spend my money elsewhere and maybe even get a bit more flavor out of it. Yours, Pollybert
Cucina Itameshi
1020 Wien, Praterstrasse 70
Tel: +43 1 212257570
Email: welcome@cucina-itameshi.at
Mon-Sat: 12:00-23:00
https://www.cucina-itameshi.at/
