Letting someone in on a well-kept secret gives us a wicked sense of delight. So we were almost shuddering with excitement at the prospect of letting the cat out of the bag on fabled haunt of the Aoyama elite, Caminetto. From afar, the firefly glow of the cool eatery's row of A4-sized second-floor windows beckoned us like moths to a flame as we made our way up the unglamorous staircase and drew aside the bright yellow steel sliding door. Immediately confronted with a blurred photo-mural, we knew we were in for an arty experience. And as we were graciously shown to our seats, we figured that the split-level Kim Myon Lee-designed interior, with its milk-carton chandelier, glass cellar and delicate lighting, was an appropriate setting for what promised to be an otherworldly evening. The intimate venue's central feature appeared to be the hearth neatly cut into a whitewashed wall, explaining the name-caminetto means "fireplace" in Italian.

Sipping on Spumantes (¥800), our eyes flickered over the menu, and we briefly toyed with the idea of the ¥4,500 Caminetto Course, but instead decided to trust our own judgment and go a la carte. As the beaming maitre d' slid our plates of antipasti onto the table, and we affixed the napkins to our shirts using the buttonholes provided, it seemed certain we were in for a treat. The grilled homemade sausage with rape blossom (¥1,500) was a visual feast with a strip of lightly steamed spinach rendering the plate an impeccable tricolor work of food art. But there was nothing pretentious about the homemade sausage, which was brimming with rustic Italian flavor while being light and supple. Our other appetizer, yellow jack and asparagus carpaccio salad (¥1,500), was truly a masterpiece of Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine. We chose to complement our superlative antipasti with Sicilian Schietto Cabernet Sauvignon (\8,600), a ripe, gently elegant and ethereal number that made an excellent accompaniment to our equally sophisticated meal.

For the primo piatti we chose another of star chef Yuji Goto's wholesome Italian standards, spaghettini with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (¥1,600), and another of his fusion specialties, abalone and liver spaghetti (¥1,600). The generous servings let us prolong the pleasure of savoring the expertly balanced and cleverly seasoned dishes. We learned from the accommodating maitre d' that Goto is the son of a well-renowned chef and that he's been managing Italian kitchens since he was just 16 years old.

We had been tipped off about Caminetto's sublime desserts, and so chose to share our main dish, cheek of beef stewed in red wine (¥2,400), which had induced squeals of delight in the dressed-down couple who were our neighbors for the evening. We too were in throes of ecstasy as the rich meat dissolved in our palates and toasted mashed potato accompaniment melted in much the same way. Our insider information regarding the puddings proved to be spot-on as we were presented with the Dupont Catalano (¥1,600) and mango cremetta (¥1,600), both fizzy, fruity delights worthy of the finest hotel restaurants. But for us, Caminetto had offered something that a hotel couldn't: it was hip but unpretentious due in part to the friendly service found in a small, one-off venue. We swore that the next time we felt in need of some secretly stylish luxury, we would be spending the evening at Caminetto.