Opening the huge wooden door and stepping into the high-ceilinged bar area, you’ll first see a small space for performances directly in front of you. The next thing that catches your eye is a giant vintage stained glass window on your right. When you take a closer look around the room, you’ll find a calliope sitting in the corner. With up-tempo jazz music in the background and all kinds of unique antiques around the room, L’oeuf draws you willingly into its mysterious atmosphere. The music conjures up images of a car full of clowns pulling up in front and spilling into the bar. But instead of clowns, there was a friendly host behind the bar welcoming us with a smile.
That host is owner Ikuo Mitsuhashi, who lived in Paris for 10 years as a professional pantomime. He is fluent in French and English in addition to Japanese. Perusing the diverse menu, we decide to start the night with Hoegaarden beer on draft (¥1,000). Two kinds of Ebisu (both ¥800) are also on draft, or you can choose from six bottled beers (two domestic, four imports: ¥800〜). Other alcoholic drinks include sweet potato shochu, gin, rum, vodka, and tequila (all ¥800). Most food on the menu pairs well with the drinks, including affordably priced snacks (¥500〜), their “big salad” (¥1,000), and meat pizza with salami (¥800).
What makes this place special is that guests can enjoy watching performances along with dinner and drinks. The show schedule differs depending on the month, but offers a variety of entertainment such as aerial silk, pole dancing, an accordion duo and a jazz band trio. The night we visited there were performances by both a pole dancer and a tightrope acrobat. All the people in the bar, from groups of friends to couples, seemed quite pleased by the spectacle unfolding right in front of their eyes. The music and excitement leaking outside stopped the occasional passersby and drew them in. It would be worth your while to skip your regular go-to bar and try something different–like having a drink at this fantastic place!