Mie's Tokyo Tidbits

hey! i've been looking for a mellow gin-joint in ebisu. (mellow and ebisu bar just don't go otgether, usually? where is No Sign?

From the pic, it sort of looks like the E Cafe. Is it on the second floor of a building, not far from a temple?

Also, the tree could be ume (plums) instead of sakura. There are quite a few in bloom in my area.

Hi Seth,

Actually, I kind of like Ebisu precisely b/c I find it rather mellow. I bit ritsy, but not as hectic as Shibuya. Don't know a ton of places in Ebisu, but I've met some cool people in bars there...

Jean,
You're right. It's ECafe (Seth, next time we meet up, we can hop over...I love small places so I'll have to introduce you to my favorite ones). But it really was Sakura. I checked since it is early and thought it might be plum too. It's spring! Yeah!!

I wish I knew a hidden bar! I'm extremely jealous. You are so much cooler than I am!

UltraBob

P.S. Mie, if you could post a message about The Neighborhood Project after you do your walkabout. It would probably drastically help me to get more participants

whoaaa, genmai paella.
sounds as good as it can get. i want to try that asap.

The E Cafe is a really nice place, although I haven't been there in a while (haven't done an Ebisu outing in a while). I love the wacky collection of chairs. Not far from there is Enjoy House, which is also a good place to relax. In the same building (as Enjoy House) was the Instant Cafe, which I liked, but it closed down last year.

Genmai rules! Eating that gave me so much energy!

I hadn't been to ECafe for a while either. They changed it a bit and it's quite comfy. I've been to Enjoy House, but I prefer the quiet places. Enjoy is great with a group. Hmmm. Totally missed Instant Cafe. Did you know Furofuro by any chance? It was another tiny place near Enjoy House. You had to sneak b/w bldgs and climb over air conditioning units to get to it. The Master was a master guitar player. I loved the place. But he closed down to pursue music. It's such a thrill to find a place that matches who you are, but a bummer when they close. I have a few bars I rely on to be able to wind down at. What would I do without them??

Bob,

Yeah, I'll take pics this weekend and post some. I think your idea is cool and will definitely be interesting with a variety of neighborhood.

mattete ne.

No, I'd never heard of Furofuro. Too bad. Tonight I went out to Shibuya and Nakameguro. In Shibuya we started out at Dubliners for dinner and a Kilkennys. I usually don't like that sort of place, but my friend convinced me with the fact that we could sit at the terrace. Then it was off to the new Insomnia 2, which is very... red. Interesting place. A couple of roadies from the Badly Drawn Boy tour were talking up the place. Then it was off to Nakameguro to check out Marakesch, which I've been wanting to check out for a while. It was a bit early, so there was nobody there, but the furniture was interesting. It's funny to drink and see people shopping at the same time (the place is over a used clothes shop). Then we finished the night at Depot, which I really enjoyed. Good music, friendly service, nice artsy atmosphere. Now I'm back home, and I'm sleepy...