Spring Valley Brewery, the new microbrewery restaurant launched by Kirin Beer, has several surprises. The lobby of the attractive building on the Namamugi campus has a beer book library. The bar counters are mounted with the curious American invention called Randalls, which ‘dry-hop’ draft beers; beer runs through cylinders filled with hops, giving the beers a fresh but bitter finish. The biggest surprise, however, was the great quality of the food. Of course the beer was good, but we just didn’t expect such fine eating. This is definitely not some generic chain restaurant operated by an industrial brewery.
One must-try item is the pairing set, which features snacks that complement a line-up of tasting glasses of each variety of beer available. Whet your appetite and also determine which beer(s) you might want to order the rest of the evening. The menu is international, with affordable selections from various cultures. A few of us ruthlessly gobbled down quesadillas without sharing with our colleagues (half, ¥700; full, ¥1200). We made amends by ordering some tarte flambee (half, ¥600~; full, ¥1200), a regional French dish of vegetables and cheese on flatbread. Homemade smoked ribs (¥1400/¥2400) were definitely the highlight of the meal. Another option if you don’t care to share are the “pairing experience” dishes from just ¥550 that are designed to go with a single beer.
SVB offers six microbrewed beers, all of which we found quite good (and we’re ‘beer-centric’ people). While there is a pilsner reminiscent of the light beers typically made by the industrial breweries, the rest were creative interpretations of various beer styles across the spectrum, including an IPA. Don’t drink? Don’t worry; there were plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, too.
The restaurant is bright and beautiful with high ceilings and comfortable seating. It would be appropriate for families, work gatherings, groups of friends or even casual dates. When you visit, definitely get a beer from the Randall.