Drinking Alone in “Stand Ikagin”, Under-ground of Shinjuku Hilton

Thank you for seeing this blog.
This time is for “Stand Ikagen” in Shinjuku Hilton Hotel.

I am in unhappy circumstances and to change it, I was supposed to meet a person in Shinjuku and have dinner in “RISTORANTE CARRIERA” at Shinjuku Hilton Hotel
The restaurant serves delicious and brilliant Italian dishes and Nihonshu, Sake!

So I did want to visit it, reserved and appointed her at 19:00.
I, although staying working at midnight, finished work much earlier, and waiting for her.
And then? Just imagine (TT)

I reserved it in the previous day and was sorry for the restaurant so I went there to have dinner alone.
Referring to the map, I was walking to the restaurant and

A fine building “Hiltopia” came in my sight.
I was wandering for searching the restaurant and

Saying “Hilton tokyo”!
So I didn’t know the restaurant was in the Hilton Hotel.
I was poor and didn’t imagine “Hiltopia” was derived from “Hilton”.
After it took another 5 minutes wandering, I arrived at the restaurant. Here it is.

It was fine restaurant which was wanted to hold the wedding party!
In front of it, the shop master was and I apologized to her for cancel.
The shop master kindly said “We’re looking forward to your visiting again”.
I said “I’ll never fail to visit” and left there.

Although I thought of going home to save money I re-thought I drunk somewhere and wandering the floor for searching shop which I wanted to enter with few customer, and

Here it was!
This is “Stand Ikagen”

I decided to drink in “Stand Ikagin” and came into the stand.

The inside is this.

This is “Stand”

The seats were case of sake on which zabuton, cushion, is. and the tables were made of wood.

Those items made me feel that the shop was cheap bar but it was in the Hilton and that made me feel that the shop was luxurious.

I ordered drink.

The menu said they served “Kikizake”, trial drink and we could select three Nihonshu, sake, from the menu at 780 yen.

“For now, Beer”, I didn’t said, ordered “Kikizake”, “Shirataki”, “Goshun” and “Niwa-no-Uguisu”.

To tell the truth, I drank each for the first time.

First “Shirataki Do-Kara +15 Junmai-shu”

It felt light. First felt like water and afterwards came sharp and no-aftertaste alcohol.

It was good to eat food with and refreshed my mouth.

Next “Goshun Honjouzou”.

The tasted unique.

It tasted like “Taru-zake”, whose flavor was like wood chip of Cedar but not so strong taste.

Even people who don’t like “Taru-zake” could drink it.

It was no-aftertaste and good to eat with.

Drinking foods made the taste weaken and match the food.

Next is “Niwa-no-Uguisu Karakuchi O-kara”.

The taste was just like water and felt it match any foods.

The lightness seemed to make me drink it much.

The “Kikizake” was able to be ordered one time and I ordered a sake by a item.

The order was “Meikyou-Shisui Karakuchi Honjouzou”.

The meaning of “Meikyou-Shisui” is the calm mental state as mirror with no dirt and clear water with no ripple.

As the name, the sake felt light and the taste was like water. the light alcohol spread and no after-taste.

This bar served canning.

A comic said “True sake lover drinks with canning appetizers!”.

In this bar, we can do it but I didn’t because I didn’t find out what I wanted to eat.

This bar served appetizers under 500 yen.

On the other hand, as the bar was in Luxury Hotel, it served expensive dishes.

I felt that this bar made good use of the contradictory factors (high-class image of Hilton and the popular image of the stand).

I recommend this bar if you want to drink nihonshu, sake, near Hilton Shinjuku because of the good atmosphere and many sake served.