Post #772504 by Michelle66 on Sun, Jan 29, 2017 1:21 AM

It has been a few years since this Trader Vic's Tokyo thread has been updated, so I figured I'd add another 2¢ to it...

The big news I guess (and I'm surprised no one has mentioned it yet) is the redesign the Boathouse Bar area received at the beginning of 2015.

The entire central sofa/table section that had been facing the bar was removed and replaced with a few high tables and bar stools. Blue lighting was also put under the bar at the same time.

This photo is courstesy of the Trader Vic's Tokyo website:

The redesign opened up the bar area quite a bit, and when the section is now set up for the Sunday brunch, the platters of food have easier access than before. (A large central table allows more platters to be offered than the old setup.)

(Full disclosure time: I guess the redesign had dampened my enthusiasm for TVT. However, after returning for brunch after not visiting for well over a year, it wasn't so bad after all. The tasty food more than made up for any reservations I still had. I had even felt very silly for letting my distrust of any sort of change get in the way of enjoying my favorite restaurant.)

Karim Belgnaoui is still TVT's general manager and he often arranges special events – like recent dinner buffets done for both Halloween and Thanksgiving (not to mention a countdown party on New Year's Eve). (I have the New Otani's TVT website bookmarked and check it quite frequently. The Japanese-language page gets updated more often than the English page, so it's better for learning what's going on. http://www.newotani.co.jp/tokyo/restaurant/vics/index.html )

After visiting TVT for the first time in over a year, I had been pleasantly surprised to see that they had begun offering some TV glassware and mugs for sale in the front showcase. Since the Trader Vic's Online store in the USA doesn't ship internationally, it was fantastic to finally be able to buy an authentic Fog Cutter mug. (Kudos to Karim for opening the "store". Much appreciated!)

Anyway, I kind have been making up for lost time recently and had lunch at TVTs four or five times in the past couple of months. I haven't been by for evening cocktails yet, so haven't seen the newly-designed bar area in action yet, but I'll post some new pics once I do.