Restaurant Marushan

With classical music playing among antique furnishings and an old-fashioned gramophone, レストラン マルシャン is an Italian restaurant in Kanda Sudacho for a leisurely meal. One of the standout features of lunch is the choice of pasta to suit the sauce: dried spaghetti, penne or chewy fresh pasta. The range includes familiar spaghetti Napolitan, arrabbiata with a balanced kick of red chilli and garlic, and oil-based pasta that draws out the savoury flavours of clams and mushrooms.

For something creamy, the salmon and spinach cream sauce is a good choice: its rich, milky flavour balances the saltiness of the salmon, and the sauce clings especially well to penne. There are also special dishes that let the ingredients shine, including pescatore generously topped with seafood such as shrimp, scallops, mussels and squid.

Lunch comes with a drink, and reviewers have mentioned taking a break after the meal with a hot coffee with a pronounced bitterness. A casual lunch wine and Italy’s Moretti beer are available, along with a varied selection of Italian wines in the evening, making it possible to settle in at your own pace from an everyday afternoon through to dinner.