Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010
Photos by Keigo Moriyama
Takanawa is one of those weird Tokyo neighborhoods that feels like it’s been beamed in from another city. Its architectural hodgepodge mixes in some rare survivors of the war alongside the modern monoliths: Beer Bar B@se is just across the road from a 47-story tower with an international supermarket on its first floor, and the Nihon-Enoki branch fire station, which dates back to 1933 and is topped by what looks like a miniature lighthouse.
Inside, there’s a different kind of stylistic schizophrenia at play. With its Coke-emblazoned tables and chairs, electronic dart board and widescreen TV blaring pop videos, B@se is like an American diner masquerading as a beer bar. Or is it the other way around? The lights are too bright, the decor vaguely pop-art in its affiliations, and at one moment—I think it might have been when Hey! Say! Jump came on—the music actually made me want to throttle myself. Fortunately, the beer’s quite good.
B@se is one of a handful of places in Tokyo (well, 60-odd) that sell Vedett Extra White on tap (¥1,500 for a pint, ¥900 for a half). Though not nearly as ubiquitous as Hoegaarden (also on sale at the same price), this crisp, fruity brew is no longer sufficiently rare to merit a special trip. We’re more taken by the Maredsous Blond (¥1,000 per glass), which recently made its draft debut at B@se and is good enough to merit a second round. Or, at least, it would be if there weren’t so many others vying for attention.
We count more than 80 bottles on the menu, and you could easily drink your way around the globe here—although at these prices it might not work out much cheaper than the airfare. Belgian beers are out in force, including Guillotine (¥1,100), Duvel (¥1,400) and Chimay (¥1,000, ¥1,200 and ¥1,400 for the Red, White and Blue, respectively). They’re joined by brews from farther-flung locations such as Tahiti (Hinano; ¥800) and Sri Lanka (Lion Stout; ¥800), plus Corona, Heineken and all the other beers they serve everywhere else (mostly ¥700). We discover that we’re rather partial to the Japanese Full Moon (¥800), so named because that’s the only time it’s brewed.
The food menu finds space for a few Belgian staples, including carbonnade of pork belly stewed in beer (¥1,000). We opt for the ratatouille with garlic toast and the marinated mushrooms (¥500 each), both of which are weedier than we’d hoped. The cheese plate (¥800) is more satisfying, though you’ll have to get the fried chicken and fries (¥1,000) or the daily curry, pilaf or pasta (from ¥1,000) if you actually want to leave feeling full.
As some regulars swing by for a game of darts, the abiding impression is of a place that can’t decide what it wants to be: specialist beer bar, neighborhood hangout or postmodern conceptual nightmare? Still, as I sink deeper into a glass of 11.3 percent Trappistes Rochefort 10 (¥1,500), even the pachinko J-pop BGM is starting to sound good.
