[Tokyo 東京] Il Ristorante Luca Fantin

Il Ristorante Luca Fantin, perched on the 9th floor of the Bvlgari Tower in Ginza, Tokyo, is an unbearably gorgeous dining room. It is also where chef Luca Fantin, the first Italian chef in Japan to hold a Michelin star, conjures up his magical dishes.

[Tokyo 東京] Bar High Five

l1166442

Follow me on FacebookInstagramWeibo, and Wechat (id: sugarednspiced)!

Bar High Five

Add: B1F Efflore Ginza 5 Bldg.,5-4-15 Ginza, Chuo Ku / 中央区銀座5-4-15 エフローレギンザ5ビル B1F
Tel: +81-3-3571-5815
Hours: 5pm-1am
Website: www.barhighfive.com
Price: cocktails ~2200 yen
Visited: Oct 2016

Bar High Five is no newcomer to Asia’s 50 Best Bars, and this year it’s ranked #3. (On a related note, Shanghai’s Speak Low is ranked #2). The location is in the basement of a building in Ginza, with about 10 seats at the bar and a couple of small tables on the side. No reservations. We arrived a little before 9pm on a Thursday, and luckily got the last 3 seats at the bar.

銀座的 Bar High Five 是“亞洲50最佳酒吧” 的常駐軍,今年也毫不意外的出現在榜單上,名列第三(順帶一提,上海的 Speak Low 是今年的第二名)。地點在銀座某建築的地下一層,只有吧台10個位子加上後面幾張小桌,不接受訂位。我和朋友八點多抵達,幸運的拿到了吧台最後三個空位。

l1166408

Bar High Five’s founder Hidetsugu Ueno began his career in 1992, and is kind of a big deal in the cocktail world both in Japan and abroad. He previously worked at another Japanese cocktail institution – Star Bar – before starting out on his own, moving location once before settling in Ginza. There’s no menu here, his drinks changing according to the mood of his customers – whatever makes them happy.

Bar High Five 的創辦人上野秀嗣在 2004 年獲得了世界 Martini 大賽冠軍,現在也是日本調酒師協會國際部總監。他的酒吧裡沒有酒單,調酒隨著顧客的心情而變:“我調不同的酒,希望客人可以有一段美好時光,這是我的工作。如果他們快樂,我也快樂。”

l1166390

l1166445

Unfortunately Mr. Ueno was not there when I visited, perhaps the busy man was doing a pop-up or workshop somewhere around the world. Taking care of us that night was Kaori Kurakami, the Japanese representative for World Class 2014. After a few questions – Which base liqueur do you prefer? Do you like refreshing? Citrusy? Creamy? Strong in alcohol flavor? Etc., she got started on the mixing.

很可惜我到訪的當晚上野先生不在,可能在世界的某地做 pop-up 或講座吧?留著當家的是 2014 年 World Class 日本代表倉上香裏,在遞上了熱毛巾之後,她問了我們幾個問題 - 喜歡什麽基酒?喜歡偏好帶柑橘清新口味的、creamy的,還是酒味比較強及直接的?Etc. 然後就開始了。

l1166392

Continue Reading "[Tokyo 東京] Bar High Five"