There are many good options for Italian dining in Matsuyama, and one of my new favourites is Orso just off the Okaido shopping arcade. There are many attractive restaurants in this grid of narrow streets, and competition to offer quality food and a sophisticated atmosphere is fierce.
Behind a very narrow frontage, Cucino Italia Orso extends far into its block, with the kitchen at the back. Strolling through central Matsuyama one Sunday in spring, I saw the tables outside on a tiny deck under a cheerful sun umbrella and decided that's where I would have lunch. It also helped that the menu board near the door was very prettily done, and a fine aroma was issuing forth through the open door.
When I went in, all the staff smiled as if they were genuinely pleased to see me. The cooks in the back positively beamed. I was offered smoking or non-smoking indoors, but when I asked to be seated outside, the waitress was quick to get a table ready. The menus were hand written in Japanese and a little hard to read but the attentive and informative waitress explained everything. I ordered the pasta lunch set for 850 yen and a glass of red wine for 480 yen. The meal started with a salad and soup. The soup was a minestrone with cabbage ham, potato and sausage. It wasn't the best soup I've ever had. The salad however was very good, with various rich things including a slice of very ripe tomato despite the season, parmesan, ham and baked pumpkin.
I was more than ready for the pasta when it came, and it was excellent. I selected the octopus with black olives in tomato sauce, one of four choices. The minced beef and chicken liver was another very tempting option. There was plenty of octopus, olives and pasta, and the sauce was rich and almost creamy with olive oil. Some red chilies added a fruity, spicy tang. The meal was rounded out with a slice of garlic toast. All of the food went well with the very drinkable wine. I was also glad to be given a large glass of iced water, and an additional bottle of chilled water so I didn’t have to keep asking for it.
The "terrace seating" on this narrow street felt very public. The Japanese aren’t really accustomed to the spectacle of people eating al fresco and I was subject to a good deal of curious and possibly envious scrutiny. Nevertheless, I felt very “continental”, and had an altogether agreeable Sunday lunch.
Name in Japanese
オルソ — Orso
