When the dust settles after a long work week, Kayabacho’s armies of office workers redeploy themselves back to the suburbs – except for those in-the-know salarymen and ‘office ladies’ who head to One Heart, the area’s best-supported backstreet wine bar. Occupying two floors in a narrow, recently renovated building close to the station, it maintains the atmosphere of a little-known hideout, with close quarters, lack of natural light and warmly welcoming staff. Meanwhile, its popularity means reservations are recommended, although groups of two or three can usually slip in without a booking.
The wine list is concise and strictly curated, with the standard glass offerings (all ¥600) consisting of one red, two whites and one rosé choice per evening. Our visit saw a mix of New and Old World varieties, with a French organic Gamay and a Sauvignon Blanc from NZ’s Sileni especially attention-grabbing. However, the real attraction here is the domestic plonk, delivered straight from Yamanashi wineries and pumped from barrels into impressively clunky glasses – in amounts defying the ¥650 price tag. There’s no risk of leaving hungry, either: in addition to the popular Segovian jamón serrano (dry-cured ham), the menu is stacked with both meat and seafood bistro fare, from foie gras to baby squid, with most varieties costing around ¥700 per plate. A no-frills spot devoid of snobbery, One Heart satisfies both newbies and seasoned wine lovers with its straightforward approach. It’s the kind of place we’d like to stop by every weekend – especially if we happened to be slaving away our nine to nine in Kayabacho.