| Bar Review |
By Mike Hannah
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Note: This bar has closed!
Kuimonya 12-6
Head to this Shibuya hotspot and get in a celebratory mood
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| Photos Courtesy of UG Utsunomiya |
On a recent Friday night, a short walk through the mayhem surrounding Hachiko awakened our nocturnal alter egos and issued a grave warning to our sober state of mind. Perfect, then, that we should be on our way to Kuimonya 12-6, a bar sprawling over the entire sixth floor of the Book 1st building in the heart of Shibuya.
Waiting for a table once inside,
we parked ourselves on a brass bench resembling a prehistoric mongoose and took a look around. In decorating the interior, the owner—whose birthday is the raison d’etre for the bar’s name—has rounded up a collection of ornaments and somewhat disturbing images to add a dreamlike flavor. A floral chandelier, large mural depicting playthings and a pair of enlarged figurines are complemented by blue lighting, priming the customers’ anticipation for the night ahead.
The sheer size of the interior guaranteed a diverse crowd of Tokyoites, including hooded adolescents, rabu rabu couples, suits sporting sunglasses, and the odd Westerner. Some dined along the four sides of a black-tiled floor space big enough for a dance-off, while others sat at more conventional round tables. Toward the back are a row of curtained-off alcoves with low-lying couches and that most priceless of commodities: privacy.
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Hip-hop poured from the speakers as a hospitable waiter led us to a glass table lit from underneath. To our surprise, Suntory Malt draft (¥550) was the only beer available and arrived in glasses that failed to retain the chill crucial for us to enjoy it. In the resilient fashion of beer-loving expats, we responded not with complaints but by downing them expediently and ordering another round.
If there were an award for hardest-working, most unflappable waiters in Tokyo, the troops of Kuimonya 12-6 would be outstanding candidates. While we feasted on an order of creamy, tomato-based seafood pasta (¥690) and a crispy Caesar salad (¥730), the undermanned staff torpedoed from table to table (no doubt propelled by the mood-enhancing beats), promptly answering the wailing “sumimasen” calls flung in their direction. The highlight of the dining experience was the gyuniku dish (¥680), which featured juicy bits of steak, sizzling among islands of garlic.
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For dessert, we dove into the cocktail menu, where we discovered a list of jaw-dropping bargains. The Apricot Peach (¥640), which mixes apricots with tea, was lavishly fruity. The Milano Collection (¥670) lived up to its high-end name, combining melon liqueur and strawberries to create a creamy texture, served on a crunchy bed of crushed ice.
Seeing as this bar is named after someone’s birthday and brags about being able to host large parties, why not book the place for a little get-together of 150 of your closest friends? Or if you prefer to celebrate in more intimate settings, hop online and nab a reservation for one of the private alcoves.
33-5 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3463-0126. Open Mon-Thu 5-11pm, Fri, Sat and hols 5pm-4am. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.ug-gu.co.jp/restaurant/shop/126-tokyo.html
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The title of “Shot King” is up for grabs. Propaganda (2F Yua Roppongi Bldg, 3-14-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku; 03-3423-0988; www.propaganda-tokyo.com), famous for its shooters and screwdrivers made from fresh-squeezed OJ, recently announced a competition for who can purchase—not drink—the most shots each month. The end-of-year winner will be given their very own permanent throne at the bar, nameplate and all.
Feeling blue? The staff of Shiro Usagi (3F No. 90 Tokyo Bldg, 3-5-3 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku; 03-3362-2316) are contractually obligated to cheer you up. Or so says their slogan of “nadeshiko izakaya.” Nadeshiko Yamato is the name given to the “ideal” Japanese woman—submissive, reserved, patriotic. While we find this a tad chauvinistic, the notion that the waiters and waitresses are paid to be bubbly and energetic doesn’t sound half-bad. Because Shiro Usagi (“white rabbit”) is in the student haven of ’Baba, the prices are kept low—think ¥1,500 for two hours of bottomless booze. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, we don’t know what will.
Lastly—and we hesitate to share this one—fans of Mexican food and tequila-fuelled good times should know that Junkadelic (4-10-4 Kami-Meguro, Meguro-ku; 03-5725-5020; www.junkadelic.jp) is now an even better place to get loaded. The owner, Arima-san, just returned from a south-of-the-border sojourn, and managed to smuggle back a bunch of super rare bottles of tequila. Junkadelic already offered a killer lineup of both tequila and mescal, but agave addicts now have a few more reasons to visit this mainstay of the Tokyo dining and drinking scene. BJM
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