Legato

PHONE
03-5784-2121

ADDRESS
15F, E Space Tower, 3-6 Maruyama-cho, Shibuya-ku

Eclectic New World cuisine meets stylish Old World decor. Shibuya's Legato is also open late on weekends as a lounge.
Cuisine

International
Lounge
Opening time
Open Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm (LO 2pm), 5:30pm-midnight (LO 10:30pm), Sat-Sun 5:30pm-midnight (LO 10:30pm)
Average price
Lunch 1,300
Dinner 7,000
Lounge open late on weekends.

Non-smoking seats availableEnglish menu available

Editorial Review

Legato

Published on April 20th, 2003

Legato is a paradox. Swathed in red velvet and copper-clad walls lit by chandeliers of blood-colored glass, with private boxes screened by heavy curtains, the interior and ambience smack of theatricality and Old World influence. But look again and this phantom of culinary operas takes on a different twist: a menu of “eclectic New World” food that’s modern and constantly changing and an innovative wine list served in a swish penthouse with views out over Shibuya as far as Tokyo Tower. As we made our entrance and took center table, we suspected we were in for a treat.

We were early enough in the evening that the attentive staff positively danced around us, a chorus line of helpful suggestions and opinions on the day’s specials. Two wine lists appeared, the second being a long list of good house wines all priced at ¥3,900. In a city where house wines are usually flops, such fairly priced fare deserves applause, and we gave a standing ovation when we spotted some Northwest wine among the others. As we got started on our bottle of Columbia Crest, our appetizers arrived—along with a side of the Vietnamese Pork Spring Roll (¥350). The fresh flavorful rolls certainly made other examples of this now ubiquitous dish pale by comparison. We continued to roll with it by sampling the quesadillas. The pan-fried beef and vegetables wrapped in tortillas were good, but we couldn’t help wishing we’d order our companion’s fritto of stewed spare ribs with Cantonese-style BQQ sauce (¥1,000). The tangy piquant East-meets-South West sauce was lip-smackingly good.

Act two began in style with the arrival of our sautéed lamb chop with raclette and mustard sauce (¥1,900). The lamb was perfectly cooked—tender, juicy and full of flavor—and well complemented by the unusual sauce. It’s been a while since we encountered the tasty semi-hard Swiss cheese, and here its pairing with mustard added a good edge to the sauce that competed well with the strong flavor of the meat. Although we were captivated by our own entree, we couldn’t help notice that our companion’s grilled Iwate pork with wok-sautéed Chinese vegetables, herb salt and chili oil (¥2,200) that hovered in the wings looked mighty good too. To round things out we sampled the devilishly rich fondant au chocolat with a delicate honey ice cream (¥900) and brought the curtain down on a highly enjoyable meal with a glass of 40 year-old Fonseca port (¥2,200).

Shibuya has been crying out for a place like Legato—hopefully Global Dining will take note of the “bravos”—and we’ll be back for a repeat performance of Chef Naofumi Mizuguchi’s culinary skills and comfortable blend of casual elegance with modern tastes. As the name suggests, this is a restaurant with a smooth, even style that hits all the right notes.