I love Italian food. I lived in Italy and studied the language and learned to cook there. But I seriously didn't expect to eat Italian food in Japan until I got a recommendation for Kabe no Ana. Amy Kaneko, author of Let's Cook Japanese Food! sent me her recommendations for Tokyo shortly before I left, and one of her picks was a Japanese spaghetti joint.

Kabe no Ana means "hole in the wall" and it is one. Located on a tiny side street in the bustling section of Shibuya, you walk downstairs to get to it. In business since 1953, they serve all manner of Italian spaghetti-based dishes cooked perfectly al dente. But the toppings are often pure Japanese. I had spaghetti with spicy codfish roe, squid and shredded shiso leaves. It was tangy, spicy and the perfect pasta fix.

My other half tried the spaghetti with salmon roe, codfish roe and shredded nori, or seaweed, pictured above. It was also a winner and like my dish can be ordered in small, medium or large size. Other toppings included grated daikon radish, natto (fermented soybeans) and various vegetables and seafood. They also serve a variety of wonderfully Japanese influenced green salads. Mine had shredded scallop and a sesame dressing.



Inexpensive, delicious and downright satisfying, for pasta lovers, this hole in the wall is not to be missed.