Lime

Discover the tropical corner of the Ginza

Photos courtesy of Lime

New Year is almost here, and for those of us who haven’t already escaped to sunnier climes, Lime may just about be the next best thing. With its Balinese cuisine and resort-style décor, Lime feels like a little piece of Southeast Asia floating, oasis-like, in the middle of Tokyo—a beach resort in Kota Kinabalu, or perhaps a cheesy bar in Bangkok.

There are teak-framed, raised group seats filled with Indonesian- style embroidered cushions and huge blue aquariums packed with 2,000 exotic fish (including a few Nemos) that add to the holiday feel—and partition off the cozy “couples” area from the rowdier group dining room. Couples get comfortable, low-lying green armchairs and a view out of the window.

Tropical music plays gently in the background, conjuring up images of golden beaches and colorful cocktails. And what Lime lacks in sand it makes up for with tasty cocktails (¥600-¥780) with names like “Mango Mango,” “Very Berry Berry” and “Cha Cha Cha.” Like any good Southeast Asian entertainment spot, it stays open ‘til 4am and the drink list includes an array of beers, not to mention whiskies, shochu and umeshu, as well as 15 wines priced between ¥3,800 and ¥12,000. We had the Wyndham’s Bin 222 Chardonnay (¥4,800)—most Balinese fare tastes better with white than red.

For food, Lime serves up an assortment of Southeast Asian dishes, many of which have a fusion touch. We had the seared tuna with foie gras (¥1,400). The tuna was presented almost sashimi-style in thick slices—pleasant but quite rich. The yellow curry risotto (¥860) nicely combined an Italian texture with Indonesian and Japanese curry flavors. Further evidence of the Japanese influence comes in the form of lightly-battered tempura fish basking on top of the risotto. The cigar-thin spring rolls filled with crab (¥390) and shrimp with avocado dip (¥290) are crunchy, light and delicious. The selection of satay (¥1,100), on the other hand, is a bit disappointing: the Balinese minced chicken on lemongrass sticks is good, but the others (chicken, beef, lamb and pork) were chewy like yakitori. For dessert (around ¥600), the sesame tiramisu mixed Asian and Western influences to a tee, and the mango pudding was reliably good.

Service at Lime is polite (we’d expect nothing less anywhere between Tokyo and Denpasar) and super-efficient, which may have something to do with the restaurant’s two-hour seating policy. Judging by the constant queue at the entrance, Lime is popular and customer turnover fast. Which means, sadly, that your sojourn to this Balinese paradise will be a brief on

2F Ginza Corridor, 7-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 03-5537-1455. Open Mon-Fri 6pm-4am (L.O. 3am), Sat 5pm-4am (L.O. 3am), Sun 5-11:30pm (L.O.10:30pm). Menu in English and Japanese. Smoking unrestricted. Reservations recommended.

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