In the summer, ‘everyone’ in Vienna goes to Heurigen, which are ‘wine taverns’ that serve new wine from their own vineyards. Of course I have no idea who actually goes to them – probably old men who want to get wasted on cheap wine, eat a lot of fatty food, and sing along to the […]
wine
Schönbrunn Christmas Market, Vienna
Schönbrunn Palace at dusk. Sort of a still life, with palace and tree and lights and a row of Christmas product vendors and a ton of people walking around. Not that still, really, when you think about it. But when I thought about it, I couldn’t think of much to say here. So you got […]
Weibel’s Wirsthaus, Vienna
Tell me the truth, is this not the wurst exterior you’ve ever seen? No, I thought not. Festive too. And I make light of the fact that it’s a ‘wirsthaus’, not a ‘wursthaus’, which had me confused and expecting lots of sausage. In fact, it’s a well-rated traditional fine-dining sort of restaurant that’s part of […]
- French
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Zoogunzoo, Shibuya
You wanna see what a night-in-the-life is like? In addition to having a long and relaxed night on the turps with Swannie, I took pictures along the way. If I haven’t mentioned this before, I think of this blog as something I’ll be able to look back on with amusement when I’m in my dotage, so […]
- Ginza
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Ginza de Wine, Ginza (銀座でワイン)
Bring Your Own wine is a great concept, and one of the main things I miss about my years in Australia (really!). In Oz, it was usually $0-5 to bring a bottle in, which is nothing compared to the 100% markup restaurants usually impose (a problem unless you’re drinking 2-buck-Chuck). In case you didn’t know, […]
Le Caprice, Roppongi
Let’s just skip over the convoluted path that led me to be drinking wine by myself in Roppongi on a Wednesday night pissing with rain. It’s not that interesting. What you should know is that Le Caprice is a pleasant little wine bar with decent food that’s trying hard, and I think they deserve your […]
- French
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Murase, Ginza (村瀬)
Ginza is an entertaining area. Really, it’s kind of known for being entertaining. I like to think that it’s more adult in style though, or even middle-aged. The two main things are brand shops and hostess clubs, so there are plenty of things for affluent 50-year old Japanese couples to do. Just not together. I’ve […]
Enoteca – The Lounge, Marunouchi (Yurakucho)
Do you like wine? It’s OK either way, but if you do, I think you must have been to or at least heard of the Enoteca chain. With 30 locations nationwide to serve you and 12 just in Tokyo (my favorites are the Tokyo Station’s specialty ‘champagne and half-bottles’ shop and the Marunouchi ‘Lounge’ shop […]
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La Cabane, Ebisu (ラキャバヌ)
Ebisu is always on my mind. It calls to me. Gently, so softly that I sometimes forget it’s there, cooing its sweet song as it reclines like a pampered pet across my frontal lobe. The tiny alleys twist and turn back on themselves, concealing hidden delights and Oriental delicacies. A gentle fragrance barely disturbs the […]
Kame, Monzen Nakacho (亀)
It takes all kinds – and the kind on display here is ‘stew and wine’ or ‘frypan bar’, depending on which sign you read. Funny thing is, this place is worthwhile!’Two guys and some pans’ could be another good tag line, or maybe ‘Japan’s cheapest wine bar’. This is very respectable – the wine list […]