Bar BenFiddich
Yamatoya Building 9F, 1-13-7 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0023
The appeal of BenFiddich is the distance it puts between a cocktail and an industrially standardised product. Herbs, spices and homemade preparations are central to Hiroyasu Kayama’s work, and the bar’s reputation rests on the transformation of those raw materials. The 50 Discovery describes ingredients grown on his family’s land, including fennel and wormwood; The Infatuation’s recent review also emphasises the immediate presence of fresh herbs in the room. For a guest, that makes the preparation part of the experience. A preference for something bitter, aromatic or lighter offers a more useful starting point than arriving with a fixed demand for a fashionable signature. Our high placement reflects the unusually individual creative language and the opportunity to encounter it at close range. The current official capacity is fifteen, superseding older descriptions of an eight-seat bar. Reservations run in three evening sittings and can be cancelled after fifteen minutes of lateness. Check the published calendar, which includes irregular closures when Kayama travels. The destination is the ninth floor of the Yamatoya Building; bar B&F on the second floor is a separate venue.