Simplicity, Not Laziness.
Food and Wine Gently Resonate.
Nishi-Koyama Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line is located at the westernmost tip of Shinagawa Ward, bordering Meguro Ward.
The area around the station features a shopping street with a nostalgic, old-town atmosphere, and beyond it, a residential area immediately unfolds.
In one corner of this area, on the first floor of a Showa-retro tiled building, is "winebar WEST".
The exterior, with its small wooden door and windows, has the charming ambiance of a café.
Upon opening the door, owner-chef Masakazu Nakanishi, standing at the open kitchen by the window, greeted us with a smile.
The establishment opened on July 22, 2021, the day before the Tokyo Olympics began, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sitting at the counter, we listened to Nakanishi-san talk about his journey and the creation of his establishment, all while enjoying recommended natural wine and food.
A Cozy Space with Vintage Interior
Masakazu Nakanishi said that he "didn't know the Nishi-Koyama area well" when he decided to open his establishment. However, its proximity to Yutenji in Meguro Ward, where he was accustomed to living, and the fact that it was a small local train station with almost no similar businesses, coupled with a retro building close to the station but located in a residential area, were decisive factors, in a good way, in choosing a slightly "off-the-beaten-path" location.
"The space was a stripped-down sushi restaurant. I deliberately chose rustic wooden doors and small windows, and added old brass fittings. The structure is long and narrow, so I made the front an open kitchen with 7 counter seats, and at the designer's suggestion, I created an arched ceiling reminiscent of a wine cellar. If the entire interior were like a cave, it would be too idiosyncratic, and I wanted to create a place where one could enjoy meals as well as drinks, so I changed the atmosphere slightly in the back, where the ceiling is flat and there are three tables. I try to seat first-time visitors at tables, as they might feel nervous at the counter right away."
The counter top and pendant lights were sourced from "ReBuilding Center JAPAN" (Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture), which rescues old materials and tools and revives them as new products.
The light shades were originally small glass bowls, and by incorporating such old Japanese items, a warm and cozy atmosphere is created.
The 1970s Swedish table lamp in the corner of the counter also has an endearing shape that adds to the comfort.
The table lamp was found at "FILM," a vintage interior shop on Meguro-dori.
"I wanted the name of the place to be unpretentious and easy to understand, like 'Nakanishi Wine Diner,' so I combined Nishi-Koyama and Nakanishi to come up with 'WEST.'
I chose the English spelling because the French spelling would be difficult to read. However, that alone was too simple, and there are many businesses with the same name, so I officially named it 'winebar WEST.' That way, it'll show up easily in searches."
A sign recently handmade by Mr. Nakanishi.
Rugby Player → Apparel → Chef
Mr. Nakanishi is from Kumano City, in southern Mie Prefecture, known for the World Heritage site Kumano Kodo. As a child, he never imagined he would become a chef.
"I used to go fishing in the sea, catching kiss fish and bigfin reef squid. Looking back now, it was a luxurious environment, but at the time, I just thought of it as a rural area with only sea and mountains. At school, I was a shy person who secretly admired the 'cool' group in class, and I tended to make jokes to get laughs.
In junior high and high school, I spent my days immersed in rugby. I avidly read 'Rugby Magazine,' recorded and watched matches, and analyzed data such as the physique of players from different schools—I was a rugby fanatic. My dream was to become a rugby player or work in a rugby-related field.
I entered a university in Nagoya on a sports scholarship, but living in the dormitory and being invited out by seniors led to neglecting my studies, and I eventually dropped out after three years. I only worked part-time at convenience stores and had never worked in a restaurant, so I never imagined becoming a chef.
By chance, a friend of mine worked at the select shop 'Beams' in Nagoya, and it seemed interesting, so I worked there for about a year and a half. Having grown up in the countryside, I had a strong admiration for fashion and cool things since childhood, so it was a lot of fun. My shy personality was also honed through customer service."
By a strange turn of events, he started an apprenticeship as a chef at a Japanese restaurant in Gifu. For a year and a half, he learned the basics of cooking, starting from ingredient sourcing like gathering wild vegetables and fishing for ayu, to preparing ingredients by filleting and skewering, and cooking simmered and grilled dishes.
Next, he worked at an Italian restaurant in the same prefecture. Impressed by the authentic taste of the pasta, he decided to pursue a career as a professional chef. After two years, he moved to Tokyo in search of further inspiration and improvement.
Meeting People is the Greatest Joy
His first establishment in Tokyo was a cafe in Nakameguro, where he served as chef for three years. During that time, Nakanishi-san began drinking natural wines and was captivated by their deliciousness, which seemed to permeate his body, and by the atmosphere of the establishments that offered them. He then worked for one and a half years at Makoto Konno's "uguisu," considered a prime example, and for a total of two and a half years at Tomohiro Maruyama's "Maison Cinquante-Cinq" and "AELU."
"I was greatly inspired by the passion and sensibility of each owner. I had experienced the importance of customer service during my time in apparel, so I thought the same applied to the food and beverage industry. Therefore, I not only cooked but also worked in service.
After that, I joined "The Blind Donkey," which is now in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa but was in Kanda at the time. It was a restaurant run by Jerome Waag, who was the head chef at California's "Chez Panisse," and Shinichiro Harakawa. Many foreign customers came, and it was lively and vibrant every day.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic soon hit, and the management structure of the restaurant changed, leading me to leave after eight months.
My senior from my Uguisu days, Yu Matsuoka, runs "ketoku" in Gotokuji, Setagaya Ward. While I was running a pop-up wine bar there under my own name, I decided to become independent."
Opened on July 22, 2021. Despite being forced to operate with reduced hours and facing an uncertain start, the establishment was frequently featured in magazines and on social media in special features like "Restaurants Opened During the COVID-19 Pandemic" and "Nishi-Koyama: An Area to Watch," and customer traffic steadily increased.
Currently, Nakanishi-san handles all the cooking alone, with one person for service (two on weekends). The wines are natural wines from France, and the dishes are à la carte.
The main clientele is 60% female, primarily in their late 20s to early 30s, surprisingly many young people who have a high interest in natural wines.
Recently, inbound tourists from Asian countries such as Korea and Taiwan have also increased. Colleagues from Korea frequently visit, which eventually led to a collaborative event there (details in the latter part).
"Meeting people I never would have met and building relationships to create something together. Having producers and suppliers, who I rely on daily, visit and enjoy themselves, or old friends and acquaintances hearing about the place and coming... What makes me happiest about running this establishment is these encounters, reunions, and connections with people."
The wine glasses are "Spiegelau." The store's logo is on them. Glass wines range from about ¥1,100 to ¥1,800 for about 7 types, and many bottles are available for ¥8,000 to ¥10,000.
Part 2 -----
We will introduce the "West-style" cuisine, which simply enhances ingredients with techniques cultivated in Japanese, Italian, and French bistros, and discuss recent events in Korea and private hobbies.
Click here for Part 2
