Not strictly food. In fact, not very food at all. In fact, the food looks kinda crappy. But they have food, and plenty of drinks, and this is a nice thing in a tiny basement jazz club in out-of-the way Aoyama.
Out-of-the-way means out-of-the-way. They have a big neon sign, but due to the vagaries of the basement location and wall above the stairs, you can’t see it until you actually start down the stairs. Inside, it stays small but in a very cosy way. In fact, I felt lucky not to have one of the extra-cozy tables, which at the most extreme could have involved sitting literally one meter from the performers. If that’s your thing, go ahead and reserve – those tables were reserved by people that looked like regulars (someone had their named bottle waiting for them, someone else was a friend of the singer). But reserve in any case, because all seats were reserved when we got there. At Y3500 it isn’t cheap, but compared to Blue Note or Cotton Club, it’s a full-on bargain.
Anyway, this is a neat opportunity to see some live jazz and have one of those slightly strange Tokyo experiences that you feel like you should just stumble onto but don’t unless you look for them a little. Just try to eat something before you get there. I’ll go back.
http://www.bodyandsoul.co.jp/ 03-5466-3348
Helpful English page. Look especially at the map with pictures of how to get there. Helps!