Unusual in its ordinariness:
a genre-bending world of flavors
As night falls, the blue neon "BC" sign lights up.
Located in an alleyway less than 10 minutes on foot from Ebisu Station toward Shirokane.
This is "BASE-CHIC."
Pass through the noren with a blue moon and you'll find an L-shaped counter surrounding the kitchen.
The flavor keywords written on the menu are alluring and genre-less, such as "Special Sauce with Red Miso Soup and Seared Ginger," "Homemade Dukkah," "Fermented Tomato Sauce," and " 'Nduja-flavored."
The drinks offered are also varied, including orange wine, craft shochu, and sake.
The owner of this unique establishment is Kozo Nakayama, whose trademark is a neckerchief.
The son of a liquor store owner in Shinjuku, from a kappo restaurant to a sushi restaurant in Milan
Kozo Nakayama was born the third and youngest son of three brothers into the Nakayama Sake Shop, which had been run by his grandfather's generation in their own building in front of Shinjuku Station, 4-chome. He grew up in a lively environment, surrounded by the bustling family business and relatives from three generations constantly meeting.
"I've loved eating since I was a child, and by the time I was in junior high, I was baking sweets almost every week. I'd watch my aunts and uncles, who worked in the same building, debate politics heatedly, and they'd take me to French restaurants. My older brothers, who were much older than me, were art students, so there were always art pieces around. I received a unique emotional education surrounded by adults.
Even though I wanted to pursue a career in cooking, I was told to go to university first, so I did. I didn't study much, instead spending my time working part-time in the front-of-house at various restaurants. When I saved up money, I would travel overseas and eat delicious food. I'd dress up a bit in a jacket and eat roast beef at Simpson's in London, for instance. I was drawn to Europe, not Asia or America."
Even though he felt that Western cuisine suited him, when it came to choosing a job, his family told him, "Japanese food is the way to go now," and even introduced him to a restaurant. Before he knew it, he was training at a kappo restaurant in Roppongi.
He worked under an old-fashioned chef for about a year and three months, but feeling that something wasn't quite right, he moved to Italy, relying on a friend's connection who said they were looking for a sushi chef in Milan.
A shocking encounter with Amarone at an enoteca
"I was told it was run by Japanese people, but it was actually Italians, and the staff were Moroccans and Romanians. Since I couldn't make sushi properly, I mainly handled prep work like filleting fish, and during breaks, they taught me Italian. Eventually, I started going out at night, sometimes with a Japanese guy with a tongue piercing and a skinhead haircut who was studying furniture, and his girlfriend, going to clubs."
It was a chaotic life in Milan, but during this time, Nakayama had a profound experience at an enoteca (wine shop & bar): his encounter with "Amarone." Amarone is a representative red wine from the Veneto region, known for its rich flavor achieved through appassimento (drying grapes to concentrate their flavor) and aging.
"I'm the son of a liquor store owner, so I don't dislike alcohol, but until then, I had always thought of 'alcohol as something for getting drunk.' I often went to enotecas on holidays, munching on piles of peanuts and sunflower seeds at the counter while drinking wine by the glass. Then, one day, my eyes were drawn to a wine with a beautiful label on a shelf. It was Amarone. When I tried it, I thought, 'Wow, wine can be this delicious! I want to drink more, I want to know more about wine!' My curiosity was ignited."
With his eyes opened to wine, Nakayama also became convinced that the cuisine he truly desired was Western, not Japanese. After a year living in Italy, he returned to Japan and spent a year studying wine while working in the front-of-house at an Italian restaurant in Shirokane. Then, he worked for two years in the kitchen of an Italian restaurant in Nishi-Kasai, followed by six years at Stilfoods, which operated restaurants like Chef Mario Frittoli's "Il Pinolo," moving through various kitchens and finally serving as a pizzeria chef.
"After that, I wanted to see how a small, unique restaurant operated, so I went to BUCHI, a wine bar in Shinsen, Shibuya-ku. The ground floor was standing room only, and the basement had seating. They had a wide variety of food and drinks. It was a legendary popular spot. It was also one of the first places to handle Japanese wine and natural wine, so I discovered a new world of wine there and made connections with liquor wholesalers I still work with today. I was there for a year and a half, and for the latter half, I served as BUCHI's head chef."
I want to create a restaurant where you can't tell what kind of cuisine it is.
A T-shirt, apron, neckerchief, and bangles on both arms are Nakayama's uniform.
Deciding to go independent at 35, he opened the wine dining establishment "NAKAYAMAYA" in 2008, renting a tenant space on the first floor of his family's building. Though just a four-minute walk from Shinjuku Station, it was in a quiet alley, and many customers working at nearby department stores and international brands visited, quickly making it a success.
He navigated through the Lehman Shock and the Great East Japan Earthquake, operating for 11 years. However, when his parents decided to close the liquor store and sell the building, he searched for a new location while still running the restaurant. He explored a wide range of areas, including Shinjuku, Kyobashi, Nishi-Waseda, Yotsuya, Kanda, Meguro, and Shinsen.
"I had no connection to Ebisu, and it's quite a distance from the station, so I debated between it and a property I found in Yoyogi-Uehara. Ultimately, I trusted my intuition and chose Ebisu. The owner of BUCHI had also told me that 'customers can be drawn in by the charm of a restaurant,' and that was on my mind."
In Shinjuku, his style was based on standard Italian cuisine with a slight twist. In Ebisu, however, he decided to push for more creative, borderless dishes.
This could be seen as the full display of his skills honed in various types of establishments—kappo, sushi, Italian, wine bar—and his innate sense of taste.
Nakayama himself describes himself as an "intuitive person."
His beloved Cannondale. He's been commuting by bike since before going independent, and this is his third, after two were stolen.
"I can use soy sauce and miso without hesitation, and I incorporate spices from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia. I create dishes with combinations that I find delicious. I wanted to create a place that's like original obanzai, a restaurant where you can't quite tell what kind of cuisine it is."
"Initially, the restaurant name was going to be 'Zakuro,' and I had even started discussing the logo with the designer. But then, 'Basic' suddenly popped into my head.
What I want to do, that's my basic, my foundation. And 'chic' is French, but it sounds stylish and good. I wanted 'BASE-CHIC' to be a combination of 'basic' and 'chic.'
Everyone, including the designer, disliked it, saying, 'It's too vague; I don't know what it is.' But for me, I wanted to create a place where you couldn't tell what it was, so I thought, 'Isn't that perfect?'
However, since it was too hard to understand, I initially added the tagline 'Yoru Daidokoro' (Night Kitchen) to the beginning. What? Is that even more mysterious? (laughs)"
Part 2-----
Introducing BASE-CHIC's signature menu items, such as original dumplings and moist, chewy high-hydration bread. Also, a look at activities beyond regular restaurant operations, including bento boxes, catering, and cooking classes.
Click here for Part 2
