Friendly staff, a fantastic mix of Japanese and Western dishes, a good range of wines and drinks at reasonable prices are a winning combination that make Wordsworth a hit for singles, couples, groups and parties.
Remodeled at the end of 2012, Wordsworth offers views out to the city's Nagarekawa drinking district from the third floor. It is open every night except Tuesday, from 6pm until late (usually 2-3 am). Popular with large groups, it is a good idea if to book ahead of time if you want to guarantee a table without having to wait to be seated. The interior is styled in wood and has an open style kitchen plan and has seating at tables and along the counter for a total of around 30 customers at a time.
The attentive staff are very good at managing the tables with ease, and deliver dishes and drinks quickly. On my way back from a vsist to the bathroom, I was greeted by a loud sizzling sound and saw the chef using a small, wood-fired hibatchi BBQ grill set up on the counter to cook up some fat, juicy steaks and other meats. It looks and smells like a good place for carnivores.
However, even lighter eaters like myself are spoiled for choice. The specials board is only in Japanese and there are only a few category names written in English on the main menu, but if you point to a certain category and ask the staff for a recommended dish (eg: "fish no osusume wa..."), you won't be disappointed.
The atmosphere is like a modern izakaya, Japanese style pub. There were many frosty glasses of draft beer (nama-biiru) making their way around to the tables, ice jugs and bottles of wine being brought to others. There was a large reunion party happening next to us with speeches and toasts, smaller groups of friends at other tables, a couple or two on a date and some tables of businesspeople meeting for a post-work drink.
The food was a range of seafood, fish, vegetables, meat and a few desserts that are an interesting mix of Japanese and Western styles. To start, try the Wordsworth salad, a combination of hot and cold vegetables and pan-fried seafood drizzled with a mayonnaise. We tried the smoked saba makerel; its subtle smoky, salty flavor the accompaniment to beer. We loved the assorted cheese moriawase selection which came with a mini baguette. The creamy seafood cheese sauce pasta was rich and yummy comfort food. The potato and white fish fritte was crispy shoe-string potatoes surrounding delicate white fish, very yummy. We couldn't resist the French Toast at the end of the night which came in individual hot, sticky portions covered in a cold dollop of vanilla ice-cream. The menu offers many Japanese and Western delights served in an original way.
As we enjoyed all the food, our group of four shared a few bottles of wine as well as cold beers. Our bill came out to 4,000 yen per person which seemed very reasonable for the amount we consumed over the 4 or so hours we were there. I'd expect to pay between 2,000 and 6,000 yen per person to drink and dine here. With good company Wordsworth is an easy place to spend a good few hours.
