Tre Verdi : An Italian Gem in Uji, Japan

13th December 2010. Written by Xin Li.
Uji, Japan
Here was where I had my most enjoyable Italian meal thus far. It was quite unexpected as I thought we would probably have a bowl of cha-soba or Japanese meal in this quintessential Japanese town known for its green tea.

But no, we ended up at Tre Verdi, willing to wait in the rain for it to open even as we were very tempted to have a meal at the restaurant nearby with its irresistible aroma of apple pies (apples seemed to be in season).

The restaurant looked rustic with a contemporary twist. It was furnished with dark wooden furniture, warm lighting and there is an open kitchen where you could watch the chef in action as they prepare your meals especially if you opt for the counter seats. The interior was decorated with bottles of balsamic vinegar, Italian wine, a Michelin guidebook, cookbooks, and toy cars. The whole place felt warm and cozy.

We had a 2-Course Set Lunch for 1200 Yen. Homemade Bread was being served as we waited for our food to arrive. It was warm, chew and fragrant.

The first item was an Assortment of Appetizers. The green salad consisted with crunchy and leafy greens with slices of fresh salmon. There is also this potato salad with tomato. It was very appetizing. The Cream of Mushroom was served in a cup. It was mellow and very refined in terms of flavor and texture. Easily one of the best mushroom soups I had thus far.

There were three choices for the main course, 2 kinds of pasta and risotto. I had the Seafood Pasta while YY had the Chicken Pasta. The pasta was cooked to perfection for both. The seafood pasta has small chunks of fresh tomatoes, herbs and generous portions of prawns and squid.

Every mouthful of the seafood pasta was accompanied with a pleasant seafood flavor (only possible with fresh ingredients). The fluid nature of the sauce seemed to make the pasta light yet flavorful at the same time.

YY had the Chicken Pasta. The pasta seemed to be dressed in olive oil, garlic and herbs. It is much lighter than the tomato pasta and equally fragrant. While I only tried a mouthful of it, I thought it was quite good too, plain yet delicious. YY finished every bit of it.

With such nice main course and appetizer, it would be a pity not to have a dessert. Hence, I top up 600 Yen for their Dessert of the Day, an Apple Cake served with some sort of pudding like side. The dessert didn’t disappoint us at all. Together with the appetizers and main courses, it brought us up to epicurean heaven.

The nectarous slice of cake carried a pleasant aroma of apples and spots a light texture like an excellent Japanese Cheesecake. Chunks of apples were embed in the cake and it goes perfectly well with the pudding drizzled with raspberry sauce. I love the touch of mint used as garnish.

We ended the meal with a nice cup of coffee. If I have to chance to go Uji, I would want to have lunch at Tre Verdi again. I am already missing the Seafood Pasta and Apple Cake.

With luggage lockers provided at the Uji JR Station and only about 20-30 minutes away from Kyoto. Uji is worth visiting for a day trip if you are in Kyoto. It was our rest point before we head for Nara.

Tre Verdi

京都府宇治市東内13-2

11:30～14:30(L.O）
17:30～21:00(L.O
ランチ営業、日曜営業

TEL : 0774-20-9545