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by Michael
J. Miller
Chaos Lounge
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When we first visited Chaos Lounge, it was because our friend
had a photo show in the bar's small gallery. Otherwise,
we probably would have never ventured to the tongue-twisting
station named Gakugeidaigaku.
With a street-window art space and a neon-lit carp over the
door, Chaos plays up its college-town location. But the alt-rock
feel soon slips away inside, where a painted white bar area
and palm fronds give the impression of a yuppie watering hole.
Upstairs, the hipster vibe returns, thanks to black walls,
an eclectic collection of couches, naked women painted on
tables and chairs, and large canvases of obviously male, silhouetted
characters. Perhaps it's this variation of moods that
gives the bar its name.
On a recent visit, we took the two comfy chairs by the giant
window overlooking Komazawa Street. Other patrons-a
girl with a trio of baseball-capped guys sitting on the plush
red sectional and a tie-less office worker and his dress-suit
companion on the Victorian sofa-were all within sight,
but out of earshot. Chaos's floor-plan is remarkably
airy for Tokyo, and if customers weren't spread out
around the various seating areas, the second floor could pass
for a retro-furniture store.
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A waiter appeared, as if to remind us we were in a bar, and
placed a twig-filled champagne glass on our table. Thinking
it was just decoration, we initially ignored it. Then it dawned
on us that they might be edible, so we sampled the twigs to
find out they were actually ultra-thin, pretzel-like things.
Asking our waiter, he confirmed that these were indeed snacks,
made in-house, seasoned with salt, consommé and garam
masala.
Stimulated to drink, we opened the all-English menu and ordered.
The Charlie Chaplin (¥840), a super-tart combo of apricot
liquor, gin and lemon on the rocks, came properly shaken,
and the Bellini (¥950) had just the right blend of fizz
and wine.
Happy with the twigs, we kept to a non-meat theme and sampled
the vegetable tacos (¥690), which came two on a plate
with fresh salsa and dripping with avocado. The deep bass
chill-out sounds from the DJ booth aided our digestion.
Before we even finished our meal, our waiter set another treat
down for us. The two Bing cherries on ice were a sweet and
unexpected ending to what will not be our last visit to Chaos.
With such attentive service, the only thing chaotic about
the bar is its name. In fact, as tempting as it was to use
it, we never even had to ring the old-school, silver dinner-bell
on our table once.
3-24-15 Takaban, Meguro-ku. Tel:
03-3794-5331. Open daily 7pm-5am. Nearest stn: Gakugeidaigaku.
Photo credit: Martin Hladik
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