SG LOW - Modern Izakaya

August 26, 2023

Dinner tonight was at SG LOW, a modern izakaya from a restaurant group that runs some of the best cocktail bars in Tokyo.

Street entrance to SG Low — Take the unmarked elevator to the second floor

Reservations are essential but easy to make online. In the request form we asked to be seated at the bar (カウンターの席でお願いします - Kauntā no seki de onegaishimasu). Given the chance, we always choose the bar, especially when traveling. It’s much easier to talk to and ask questions to the people there.

Appetizer cocktails — Otoshi cocktail - strawberry martini

Most bars in Japan will give you a little otoshi (appetizer) when you enter. SG LOW starts you off with a mini cocktail, so you know where their priorities lie.

SG Super Serious — Super Serious - SG Shochu KOME, lemon cordial

Drinks were predominantly lemon sours (18 different kinds!), all based off their homemade lemon cordial. And while it looks like they’re served in plastic cups, it was actually the most delicate glass.

SG LOW Calpico Sour without Calpico — "Calpico Sour without Calpico" - Tasted like...a Calpico sour. Not sure what I expected here.

The food menu was all creative, re-imagined bar food that wouldn’t be out of place somewhere in New York.

SG LOW Ramen potato salad — Chashu, Quail Egg, Fish Cake, Potato, Scallion

Very Instagram-worthy, SG Low’s ramen potato salad swaps out real ramen for a potato salad that somehow still tastes like broth. All other toppings except for fishcake-themed potato chip are the same, including a quail egg for an authentic ajitama experience.

SG LOW Ramen Buffalo nankotsu — Buffalo-style cartilage (nankotsu). You know we'll trying anything with cartilage

SG LOW Iberico natto mochi — Iberico natto mochi - 2yr aged Jamón Ibérico, natto Butter, nori, pink pepper, chive, ume

SG LOW Uni and bone marrow noodles — Uni and bone marrow noodles - Sea Urchin, Bone Marrow, Anchovy Miso Sauce, Bottarga

Not just bone marrow, but bone marrow and uni. When served, they’ll let you take a photo before mixing it all up and tossing the pasta together with everthing mixed up. Cliche? Totally. But we killed it. And with empty bone marrow bones comes bone marrow luges.

SG LOW Hadouken — HADOKEN!! Nikolaschka - SG Shochu IMO, Kimchi, Oreo

We closed out the night with SG Low’s version of a Nikolaschka with our bartender, Yoya. Eat the kimchi and crumbled oreo, then take a shot of sweet potato shochu. Sweet, savory, and salty at the same time.

On the way back to the station we spotted this relic. Tower Records Japan split off in 2002 a few years before the parent company went bankrupt. There’s a nice cafe on the second floor for getting work done.