Shibaura, the stretch between JR Tamachi Station and JR Hamamatsucho Station, has a small canal running through it. It isn’t used for moving freight the way canals in Korea are, it seems to be purely ornamental, but when the lights come on at night the mood is quite something. Like being in Venice, maybe.. (not that I’ve ever been to Venice..) With an atmosphere like that, there are plenty of good restaurants with smart interiors around here. BAGUS Bar is a bar that serves food as well as cocktails, and although it’s a chain, the food is decent and the outdoor terrace has a lovely atmosphere, so plenty of people were coming by. On this day we had a small get-together to mark my arrival in Tokyo.
Inside
There’s plenty of seating, but most of the customers are outside.
Raw corn from Okinawa
This is not grilled corn or steamed corn. Really good raw corn tastes great just as it is. They say it’s 18 degrees Brix, which puts it on par with a premium melon for sweetness. One bite and the sweet, nutty juice comes running out. Dipping it in the sea salt served alongside made the sweetness stand out even more.
Avocado salad
Bagna cauda salad
The vegetables are fresh.
Pizza
Well.. this one was just okay.. nothing to complain about
Garlic baguette
We ordered the baguette for anyone short on carbs. Being a bar, the menu has a lot of snacky, drink-friendly items.
Vongole pasta
It feels less like great cooking skill and more like good ingredients cooked simply.
Risotto loaded with cheese
It seems to be one of the popular items.
Margherita pizza
Not bad, I suppose? I’ve been to a few places that do pizza really well lately, so this much doesn’t impress me anymore.
Draft beer
Not many of us were drinking wine, so we kept it light and ordered beer. It was a hot day, too.
Pasta
It felt like we were still a bit short on food, so I tried the tomato sauce pasta.
It’s a bar that puts out better-than-average food. It looks like a good place for a casual drink. There are a few branches around the city, so if you suddenly end up wanting a drink near one of them, it might be worth dropping in.