http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/ 368-19 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/368-tokyo-wine-club-raku Dropped in last night after the Kings of Convenience show nearby. Finding it is easy if you just walk up the hill along the left side of Mark City, or if you're coming from the other side (Dogenzaka) you can go through mark City and then take the exit to the right at around a 3rd of the way into the building right after the AM/PM. At any rate, Tokyo Wine Club Raku is visible from the street but the signage is in Japanese. Look for a lighted bow on the steps that lead up to the entrance. The interior has an izakaya/pub-type feel to it, with an open kitchen flanked by a long bar. The place was mostly full and buzzing when we arrived at a little before 10 PM. After getting food menus (Japanese) I took a look at the wine cooler, a large glass-fronted cases with around 50 kinds of wine. Pricing is set at listed price plus 1000 yen, which is a huge savings over typical restaurant prices. I found a 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape for 3,470 (+ 1000) and grabbed it. Our waitress uncorked it and brought it back to the table. As expected, it was quite good. ;-) I was impressed with the wine selection overall, which includes numerous wines from lesser-known regions such as Columbia Valley, Bolgheri and Patagonia. The food was well-prepared, tasty and reasonably-priced. No real wow factor here, but none of the 6-7 dishes we ordered disappointed at all. Overall an excellent late dinner in a relaxed and wine-centric setting. Will definitely be going back! ]]> Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:25:09 +0900 368-18 http://www.vinotokyo.com/e/index.php/component/content/article/37-wine-bars/368-tokyo-wine-club-raku A welcome new addition to Shibuya where there are few decent world-wide wine restaurants. I always find it hard to rate restaurants on a point/star system as this isn't fine dining, but it is a screaming value. So I'll give it four stars overall. Tokyo Wine Club Raku is part of a larger group specializing in modern izakaya food, so the food here is nice especially for the price. The wines are all priced at regular retail + 1000 yen. The retail POS price cards are even posted in the cellar so you know exactly what you are getting. This is great, since most places charge 2 - 3 times regular retail. I'd compare this to the quality at Fujiya Honten Wine Bar, but this one has a more Japanese take on the menu. Prices are somewhat similar, but it is possible to sit down at Tokyo Wine Bar Raku which makes it nice after a long day. (There is also a standing section.) Overall, it is more spacious and nicely designed. Reservations recommended after 7PM and definitely on Fridays/Saturdays. ]]> Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:33:35 +0900