Sanwa (ไธๅ)
๐ฎ๐น Italian / ๐ Shirokane
๐ Visits: 1 (2025)
The base course is JPY 21,000. This comprises six appetizers, and a choice of meat, pasta and dessert of which you can order as many of as you like.
My favourite dish was, ironically, the most Japanese and least Italian: the kegani flan. A very rich chawanmushi with hairy crab. A much deeper flavour than you'd get in a kaiseki restaurant. A close second was the grilled sika. Cooked perfectly, rich in iron and no hint of game. Marinated olives were very moreish. Risotto had no bite and used Japanese rice, but it was rich in cheese and delicious. The bread was excellent (go easy, otherwise you won't have room for everything else). Roasted porcini from Spain had surprisingly little flavour. Our second meat dish of beef rump was very fatty and too rich for me. The vegetables that preceded the meat were unremarkable. A palette cleanser contained popping candy, which is fun, but over-sweet. We chose two pasta dishes: maitake spaghetti was very peppery and the tagliatelle was quite fiery from the togarashi. The tagliatelle was hand-rolled while spaghetti was from a packet. The "milky ice-cream" was very sweet and rich and a large portion.
Drinks are reasonably priced and there's no pressure to drink wine. The restaurant seats five at a long counter and six others at tables, two of which are effectively in a semi- private room. Service was warm and friendly. The chef made an effort to chat with people at the counter, even first-timers, though if you end up at the opposite end of his you'll have limited interaction. Unfortunately, one of his kitchen assistants was quite inexperienced and the constant bollocking gave the guy the shakes and detracted from the ambiance.
The food was indeed similar to Rodeo but a step up. Ingredients are mainly Japanese but seasonings are strong. If you find many Italian restaurants in Japan "too Japanese" and you want a protein-heavy meal, then you should enjoy Sanwa, though there are more authentically classic Italian restaurants around.
All in all it was pretty much what I expected and I can see the appeal: good food, flexibility in how much you want to eat and when, and great hospitality from a young couple in an affluent area. But for me, it's overrated.
๐ https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1316/A131602/13264755/
❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.85
๐ฑ Booking: ๐ง By phone in Japanese only from around 12pm on the 1st of every month for dates 3 months ahead.
๐ Location:
B1F, 5-13-14 Shirokane. 5 mins east from Shirokanedai Station Exit 1. B1F multi-tenant building.
Map data ©2026 Google
๐ Visit December 2025
"Prosciutto", fried gnocchi, salami, bresaola, fig gorgonzola
Kegani flan
Bafun uni, tsubagai, basil and wasabi chilled pasta
Garlic and anchovy porcini
Taleggio and black truffle risotto
Lime granita
Charcoal-grilled seasonal vegetables
Wagyu rump
Ezo shika
Ika pasta
Maitake peperoncino pasta
Milky ice
Marinated pineapple
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