Featuring a Dry-Aging Cellar for Rich, Concentrated Flavors

'Neuf du Pape', which operated for 16 years with 150 seats in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, has opened a new branch in Roppongi.

The owner, Mr. Takuro Ito, though originally from Tokyo, 'relocated to Morioka by fate'. He has a career spanning eight and a half years at 'Sakagura', a legendary liquor store in the former Yurakucho Seibu department store's basement, which boasted over 150 tsubo of space and was designed by Ikko Tanaka, and was then considered to have the best selection in the East.

The selection includes two types of draft beer from Iwate's 'Beareing Brewery', wines from Kuzumaki, and the estate-grown 'Shia' wine, alongside a curated collection of over 200 international wines, leveraging the owner's extensive experience. The cuisine features select Kacho beef, guinea fowl, and Shirogane pork sourced from Iwate producers with whom the owner has built long-standing relationships. Guests can also savor the profound flavors of Iwate's bounty, such as wild mountain vegetables, mushrooms, and organic produce harvested from the deep mountains of Iwaizumi.
The interior boasts a dry-aging cellar, and the menu highlights house-made charcuterie (cured meats like ham and sausage) and dishes featuring carefully aged 'Morioka Kacho beef' at its peak, prepared over charcoal or roasted to perfection, allowing guests to savor the concentrated umami of the red meat.


The interior design, with its striking orange walls, was handled by Mr. Yoshiyuki Watanabe of 'ZGF Architects', a Portland, Oregon-based firm renowned for its environmental architecture and counted among the top 10 architectural firms in the US in 2002. The space, a fusion of orange, black, and natural wood, is said to express 'a blend of Roppongi's allure, Iwate's warmth, and the sophisticated strength of the South of France'.