Good moral - or some other kind - of compass

$1200 restaurant bill

Yasuyuki Yamada and his fiancee had dined at Rome's Il Passetto last month when they were hit with a bill for €700 (A$1200).

The couple complained to police about the exorbitant lunch bill, which included a charge of €207 for a pasta dish and a €115 service charge, The Guardian reported.

Il Passetto defended its bill, claiming the couple ordered the most expensive items on the menu, which included oysters and lobster.

"They ordered 12 oysters, two kilos of lobsters, wine, 1.5 kg of seabass and even took photos with the waiters with the waiters before leaving," owner Franco Fioravanti told Rome's Il Messaggero daily.

To make amends, the Italian Government offered the couple an all-expenses paid return trip to Italy as guests of the Government, The Guardian said.

Mr Yamada, 35, thanked tourism minister Michela Brambilla for the offer but knocked it back, saying it was a "useless way to spend Italian taxpayers' money", The Guardian said.