I had a small birthday gathering at Combine, a restaurant/cafe five minutes walk from Nakameguro station. 'Chill' I think would be the best word to describe it. Big windows that face the tree lined Meguro River, cozy couches, a bar/counter, a dj booth, and a whole wall filled with books: photos by Man Ray, a discourse on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, A rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans (all in Japanese, mind you). We ordered natto fried rice, pizza, and avocado tempura, all of which was delicious. (Speaking of avocado, up until recently, the vegetable stand down the street from my house was selling six for roughly a dollar. Avocado mixed with tofu, sesame oil, salt, pepper and soysauce...bellissimo.) My friends brought a cake and lit some candles (pre-dinner) and it was lovely, really, really lovely.
The thing about Combine, though, is that the staff can be a bit...discouraging. Friday, Saturday's it gets pretty packed. That night we went early and there weren't too many people, but then the guy who works there puts a sign on the door that says 'sorry private party from 10pm'. My friends and I stayed past 10 and, let me tell you, there was no private party going down. They open at 11am and I guess they'd prefer to close at a reasonable hour, but people want a nice place to hang out at night, not a loud thumping club or a cramped smoky bar, and I just wish they wouldn't go so far as to lie about some party to keep people from coming.
Right?
From Vogue Italia The All Black Issue July 08
Inspired by
Vogue Italia The All Black Issue 08
