Scherzo

Choose a sauce, then choose your pasta shape. At Scherzo, part of the pleasure is building a dish around both. Diners report that there are around 5 to 6 pasta shapes to choose from, and that staff can help when it is hard to decide which goes with a particular sauce. There is enough variety to make you want to try the same sauce with a different shape next time. Diners who have tried the fresh pasta also mention its pleasantly chewy texture.

A good place to start is the “Bolognese with Plenty of Cheese”, made with 100% domestic beef simmered with red wine and tomato. It is a rich dish, with a savoury rather than sweet meat sauce under a generous layer of cheese. One diner who ordered it particularly liked being able to choose a preferred pasta shape. The menu says any shape works, so you could try it first with familiar spaghetti, then with a broad ribbon pasta. For another sauce that suits a wider shape, consider the carbonara, whose full-bodied sauce is seasoned with black pepper and cheese. Tagliatelle and other broad pastas are recommended with its bacon-rich sauce.

For a change from Italian-style sauces, try the Kyoto-style pasta with Kujo spring onions and herring. This house original combines herring simmered in slightly sweet Japanese dashi with plenty of spring onion and a dusting of sansho pepper; spaghetti is strongly recommended. The combination evokes the herring soba eaten in Kansai around New Year. The Japanese-style pasta with clams and shiso also takes its flavour from dashi, made with bonito and kelp, and is rounded out with sake. Spaghetti is recommended for this dish, too. Whether you choose the savoury depth of dashi or the richness of cheese, the sauce can set a different mood for the meal.

On weekdays, the lunch set includes a salad and one choice from 3 to 4 changing fresh-pasta dishes. If you would like more, you can order an additional serving, choosing a different pasta from the one you had first. It could be a good way to compare sauces when several catch your eye.

You can also add a drink or a small plate to go with your pasta. The craft beer selection from Nishijin in Kyoto is listed as 5 varieties, while the wines by the glass are Italian reds and whites. Side dishes include hot potato salad baked with an egg in a gratin style, and generously sized fried chicken.