Gen Yamamoto is no ordinary Japanese bar. I would say it’s a different creature from all high end Japanese bars in Tokyo. No fancy shows with the shaker. No glamorous display with colorful spirit bottles. Everything was minimal. It’s the very first time where I thought there’s a bar that should be awarded with a Michelin star.
This 8 seat bar is very small, but is a tiny showroom that display the character of the mixologist Gen Yamamoto, who was trained in New York. His fluency in English has attracted many expats and foreigners to chill at the bar.
Yamamoto’s goodies uses mainly Japanese alcohol like shoju, sake as the base of his cocktails. His mixology either surprises you with simplicity or its creativity. His simple cocktail display the freshness and sweetness of the fruit. His stronger cocktails, like the chocolate, sweet potato shoju cocktail, demonstrate his creativity to bring weird ingredients together and turn it into something that surprises your sense.
This is definitely a place that I will revisit again and again.
Bar Gen Yamamoto
Address: 1-6-4 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03 6434 0652
Website: www.genyamamoto.jp
Visited on: 7 Nov 2014
Opening hours: Tues – Sat 3pm – 12am; Sun 3pm – 11pm; Closed Monday
Owner: Gen Yamamoto
K's Luxe Dining Table 