Mountain is a quaint cafe in a rather suburban area of Nagoya, Aichi. They are famous for serving all manner of seemingly strange pasta like Strawberry, Melon, or Kiwi spaghetti, but they also have a large menu offering more traditional cafe fare. Of course, I came here to try something unique, so I opted for their Apple Spaghetti for 1000￥ ($9 USD) along with their Strong Coffee at 400￥.

My expectation: savory, sweet, and strange. What came before me was this beautiful pasta with bits of apple and pineapple, whipped cream, and a cherry on top, dusted with cinnamon. The first bite was puzzling, since it had an initial smell of sweetness coupled with a chewy pasta texture, followed by tart fruit flavor, and finished with a hint of saltiness. I didn’t know what to make of it, but after the successive bites, I was in love.

It tasted like an amazing apple cobbler with the sweet flavors of apple and cinnamon, as long as I could get over the weirdness of having dessert pasta. The creaminess from the whip only added layers of flavor.

As for the coffee, it was very, very strong as advertised. It was a bit thick and very black, with just the right tinge of acidity.

I definitely recommend the visit here if you’re open to trying something deliciously unique.

I’ve been mocked for my reviews and writing style, but I’m just going to own it…

On our second food stop in Nagoya, we went to Pizzeria Braceria CESARI!, an Italian restaurant among a shopping street full of other foreign shops. I was surprised to see this was a Michelin Guide restaurant. My friends definitely made a good choice to come here.

Their lunch special, consisting of an appetizer, main, and dessert, was very reasonable at 1500¥ ($14 USD) although a few alternate options add a bit to the cost.

They first brought us some lovely, freshly baked bread.

My friends ordered the day’s Yellowtail Carpaccio salad and Chezari Oyster appetizers for themselves.

I opted for the Prosciutto Salad with 12-month cured ham and it was absolutely deliciously soft, salty, and divine.

It’s a good thing I liked it because I ordered the Prosciutto pizza for 650¥ more. My friends also decided on the Margherita and Chisato (4 cheese and honey) pizzas. From our cool little outdoor seating, we could see the kitchen staff preparing our hand-tossed pizzas, the delicious smell wafting out from the open door. The Margherita was the first to arrive and it was the “lightest” taste of the three. The other two arrived shortly after. All three pizzas were thin, flavorful, and quite reasonably sized.

After trying all three, I’d say the Margherita pizza was more the appetizer since it had a lighter flavor profile. My savory, salty, rich ham would be more of a main dish with the sweet and salty 4-cheese pizza more akin to a dessert.

I was glad I was hungry because I had to finish the leftovers. Oh, what a shame I had to consume the majority of all this deliciousness!

To top it off, we were offered a range of desserts. My friends ordered the mango and berry gelato and I opted for lemon dessert. Without a doubt, they were extremely delicious and a great finish to our plentiful meal.

I also want to note the extremely pleasant service we got from the staff, particularly our awesome waiter who did his best to speak English to us whenever possible. The whole experience really justifies their inclusion in the coveted Michelin Guide.

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Cafe Mountain (喫茶マウンテン) in Nagoya, Aichi

Pizzeria Braceria CESARI!! (ピッツェリアブラチェリアチェザリ‼) in Nagoya, Aichi