by Laura Fumiko Keehn 

Sometimes you just want to relax, stretch your legs out and laugh out loud with the wind in your hair. Sometimes you really need to do these things on your lunch break. That’s when you take your business to TY Harbor Brewery.

Floating on the Tennozu Harbor, it feels miles away from the bustle of Tokyo. Walking into the entrance bar area, huge beer tanks greet us. This already had us excited; I felt like Charlie entering the Chocolate Factory. Who cares if it’s our lunch break, we were definitely ordering beer.

The lunch menu has us feeling even more pampered. For one thing, the half pints for ¥400 looked very appetizing, and our party of three wasted no time in ordering one of each of the TY Harbor house brews. The soft and golden Pale Ale; very good. The cloudy, honey colored Wheat Ale; also good. The dark, crisp Amber Ale, even better. Resisting the urge to order a full pint, our spirits quite high, we each dug into our respective lunch plates. My prosciutto and vegetable Sandwich Lunch (¥1,100) was delicious, but that didn’t stop me from stealing a few bites from the Salad Lunch, a tofu and chicken salad with ume vinaigrette. The plate seemed to defy the rules of logic, with bean sprouts, cucumbers, fresh onions, cherry tomatoes, leafy lettuce and chunks of chicken and tofu somehow all fitting onto the plate. By the time the waiter cleared away our plates and brought our coffee, we each felt premature separation anxiety. The friendly waiter must have felt our pain, because he brought us an extra plate of baguettes as a send-off.

We walked back to work feeling far too relaxed and happy for a Thursday afternoon. I’m saving my next visit to the Brewery for when I need a real perk-up.

GO

2-1-3 Higashi Shinagawa
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5479-4555
www.tyharborbrewing.co.jp
Lunch, weekdays 11:30am-2pm, brunch, weekends and holidays, 11:30am-3pm, dinner 5:30-10pm.
Three minutes from Tennozu Isle Monorail station, Central Exit.

EAT

A Lunch Special. The specials change daily, with the overall menu changing weekly. Soup, Salad, Sandwich, and Pasta Lunches are always on offer, as well as Today’s Special. If nothing else, you’re guaranteed to leave with a full stomach, as each Lunch comes with French bread, salad and your choice of hot coffee or ice tea. The crispy baguettes were unlimited, as far as we could tell. We ate two baskets full.

DRINK

A Tennoz Ale! The place is called TY Harbor Brewery after all. The three house ales are Pale Ale, Wheat Ale, and Amber Ale. Half pints available for ¥400, so indulge.

SIT

Harborside! The place is, again, called TY Harbor Brewery after all. This side of Tokyo is open and spacious, so take advantage.

PAY

¥900-¥1400 for the Lunch Special.

SEE

International businessmen on their lunch breaks or meetings, looking very comfortable and relaxed for a weekday.

ASK FOR

Any of the friendly wait staff. Make sure you also ask about their special brews. The Maple Ale is the current brew of the season.