Lovely Italian at Ante Caffe

Ante Caffe at JR Kyoto Station, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

This was another random find and turned out to be one of the better Italian meals we've ever had. The 11F of JR Kyoto Station has so many eateries, it's hard to decide which to try. We pretty much just wanted a place we could chill at casually, mainly to escape the heat of midday. It's so near autumn, and yet Japan is uminaginably hotter than Singapore!

Chilled skinless tomato appetiser, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

I saw many of these plates of cold tomato in a cold display case, and they looked so tempting and delicious (and I'm not even fond of tomatoes!). They come with the three-course pasta lunch sets (fantastic value at ¥1050) that we went for. And yes, they were wonderful! Laced with tart dressing and sitting on top of a some creamy bite-size salad. Just the thing for scorching summers!

Three kinds of bread with butter, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Service was prompt and friendly. You also get to choose three breads - regular baguette, walnut bread and foccacia - however many you like. All of them were nice. Nadine relished these.

Peperoncino olive oil with a fierce bite!, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

I had to take a pic of this peperoncino olive oil. Most of the time Japanese palates don't take well to spicy hot flavours, so we were surprised to find this kick-ass tongue-burning delight at our table. I gotta try to find it in Singapore!

Caesar Salad, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

The pic doesn't look like much, but the Caesar Salad was very refreshing, made all the better with Parmesan shaved onto it right at your table out of the biggest cheese wheel I've ever seen.

Garlic vongole spaghetti, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

My garlic vongole spaghetti was just the way I like it - simple yet well-executed. Most importantly, the noodle texture was properly al dente. Fresh clams, chopped chili, garlic and chives made a lovely symphony with the spaghetti. I finished every strand (and secretly wished there was more)!

Lasagne, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Hubby took the lasagne, which came with the cheese bubbling hot - it was rich, savoury and filling, without the overload of tomato that a lot of restaurants do. Very tasty indeed!

Some milky pudding dessert, originally uploaded by Camemberu.

Dessert was a milky vanilla pudding garnished with bits of fruit and mint. Again, something simple but delightful. We also finished with coffee and tea. They served real cream for the coffee, and fresh milk for the pot of tea which also came with a small hour-glass timer (for those who really don't want their tea over-brewed)! Classy touch.

What can I say? The Japanese do a wonderful rendition of other cuisines, and sometimes they even take it one step better. Thumbs up for such culinary skill and dedication!

ANTE CAFFE
11F JR Kyoto Station
Open 11am - 10pm
Tel/Fax: 075-342-0025