The highly-anticipated, Japanese bar is opening up in the city this spring to serve the people of Birmingham wonderfully-crafted cocktails and sensational sake. The team behind the award-winning Birmingham bar The Pineapple Club will be opening the Japanese bar Shibuya Underground from March 18 with the venue disclosed when you book.
Shibuya Underground is set to take you on a liquid journey around Japan, showcasing an authentic Japanese drinking experience where you’ll be discovering Japanese philosophies, culture and flavours, all from the land of the rising sun. The name Shibuya refers to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station, which is often referred to as the fashion capital of Japan and known for being a major nightlife hotspot.
Nestled away under the streets of Birmingham you will find the traditionally styled, eight seater venue, similar to the famous bars of Golden Gai. Shibuya Underground will boast two menus to choose from- a Japanese cocktail menu or a Sake menu.
Both are set menus of six courses of drinks, which have been curated by the Shibuya Underground team under the watchful eye of sake expert and owner, Samuel Boulton. This style of service is called Omakase, in Japanese, which translates to ‘I leave it up to you’, and it’s most commonly used when dining at Japanese restaurants where the customer leaves it up to the chef to choose and serve their freshest and most exciting dished from the menu.
The cocktail menu will consist of six stories (drinks), with each story exploring a different area of Japanese culture. One drink worth trying is the Matcha Martini, which consists of Ki No Tea Dry Matcha Gin and a in-house made clear matcha cordial, and as you sip it the team will talk you through Japan’s rich cultural love for tea, including the famed Tea Ceremony.
The sake menu will take a similar form and is designed to give you an introduction into Japanese sake and help you try many different styles. On the sake menu you can try six glasses of sake chosen by the sake experienced team, with each sake selected to best show off the style, region and producer of the brew. Along this journey you’ll also learn some history of sake, how it’s made and finally have the chance to take some bottles home with you, should you wish.
Shibuya Underground will also be hosting many events including the long awaited monthly Sake School lead by Samuel Boulton who will take a deep dive into one style of sake, giving you a chance to learn more about your favourite sake or explore the rice-based drink further. The team also have a host of other events planned from Karaage nights dedicated to Japanese fried chicken to tea Ceremonies and the much wacky Japanese animated horse racing.
The experiences starting at £40 per person and last for two hours to allow enough time for the team to guide you through the stories and tales. Shibuya Underground will be a very intimate space seating up to eight people at any time, with bookings required in advance. For all bookings and enquiries, send an email to bookings@shibuyaunderground.co.uk.