I put up a whole post yesterday without any photos of Nakada-san. He'd probably just as rather let his excellent cuisine do the talking for him. But here are a few I took while I was interviewing him — and also a couple snapped from my place at the counter right in front of the kitchen, watching him at work...
I also failed to say much about the wine. Well, that's probably his weakest suit right now. It takes a lot of dosh (and focus) to put a full cellar in place — and his primary focus is obviously his kitchen, and after that the interior.
The cellar is almost exclusively French, so we were surprised when the waitress offered us this Austrian bottle as one of the by-the-glass offerings. It did the job fine — and affordably.
The interior has been done out very nicely too. A good balance of chic and casual, it was designed by Nakada-san's wife. From the far counter seats you can look into the kitchen, watching your meal being cooked and enjoying all the wafting aromas, but without being too close to the action. At the other end of the counter, you can sit facing across from your dining partners. And the three tables on the right are set lower than the rest, effectively creating a separate dining space with greater privacy.
