via del emme

Maeda Kenichi knows a thing or two about serving up handmade pasta and all the Northern Italian trimmings. After discovering his love for the regional cuisine in Kobe, he trained in Bologna, a city abundant in sea and land produce, before helming Via Del Emme in 2016. Today, his passion extends to Marche-style cooking and trickles down to the menu. Here are the hand-chopped bolognese, robust flavors of wild boar ragu, prosciutto and herb bruschettas, and delightful antipasti meant for sharing. The cannelloni, stuffed with melt-in-your-mouth beef cheek and topped with parmigiano reggiano, pays homage to Italian culinary roots, while the vibrant raw ham salad with pear, blood oranges and pear compote serves as a leafy palate cleanser before the mains. For that, expect generous plates of delicious noodles like truffle spaghettoni, trenette ladened with spanner crab bisque or ricotta cheese ravioli. Food follows an Italian theme, but Maeda remembers to have Japanese taste thrown into the mix, like the Nagasaki bluefin tuna tartar. Ever the man with many talents, he is also a certified sommelier and considers the dining experience at his restaurant a medley of Italian wines with good cooking. If it wasn’t already on your radar, it should be now – the restaurant is a recipient of the Bib Gourmand Award in 2024.