In 2002, “serendipity”—what my school dictionary describes as “the faculty of making happy discoveries by accident”—topped a poll of the UK’s favorite words (the runner-up was “Quidditch,” but let’s not get into that). Takayuki Yoshida chose well when he picked a name for his new bar, which opened in March. Though it’s only a couple of minutes from Roppongi Crossing, it couldn’t feel further away. Steps lead down to an imposing black door that’s breached only by calling on an interphone, leading into a space that’s rarified without being snooty.

Yoshida is well-versed in this kind of thing: he used to work at Transit General Office, the company behind Audi Cafe, Sign and the Japanese branches of Bills. It was during a stint at Transit’s Kita-Aoyama Salon that he first became friends with Tyler Brûlé, international design dandy and editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine. There’s a cocktail at Serendipity Bar named after Brûlé—vodka, yuzu juice (he’s a big fan, apparently), pineapple juice and soda—and copies of Monocle are available to read at the bar.

The interior is all Yoshida’s work, though he freely admits that he’s a total amateur. The upholstered chairs and subdued lighting will be familiar to anyone who visited his old digs in Gaienmae, but he adds a few original touches, including a battered trunk that doubles as a standing bar, a crudely daubed oil painting which lords it over the counter, and a toilet adorned with
elegant stencils of couples discreetly shagging.

Cocktails are the main draw here, and Yoshida has a few corkers. He starts me off with a Lady in Devil (¥1,200), a blend of vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, Parfait Amour and pomegranate jam. Sweet but not cloying, it makes for an excellent aperitif. Next up is the Tokyo Mojito (¥1,500), made with dark and white rums, yuzu juice and shiso. At first, it’s the taste of the shiso that hits me—not all that dissimilar to mint, actually—but after being left to sit for a short while, the flavors blend into something more complex. I could (and just might) drink this all summer. The eponymous Serendipity (¥1,400) is also mighty fine; Yoshida won’t say exactly what’s in it, though reveals that it has an apple base, with apricot brandy and a variety of spices (definite hints of clove and cardamom).

The food selection is limited, and the pricing a bit wobbly. The tortilla española, with runny middle and added spinach, is a tasty morsel but hardly worth ¥900. The asparagus in blue cheese sauce (¥1,200) is a mixed bag, the limp, overcooked greens outclassed by a smoky flavor explosion of a Mornay; I sheepishly suggest making it more al dente the next time, and Yoshida seems to agree. There’s no faulting his homemade cherry liqueur chocolates with cinnamon-dusted almonds (¥800), which are pure decadence, especially when accompanied by a shisha filled with Prucia plum liqueur and orange juice (¥1,500).