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by
Martin Webb Diego  |
It wasn’t until we’d walked across the whitewashed
floor, settled into our furry gray armchairs, and rested our
elbows on the surgically white table that it dawned on us.
There, in glorious Technicolor on a giant plasma screen, was
an image of the handsome young Argentinean sportsman who came
to be known as Maradona. One of the most skilful soccer players
ever, the man every England soccer fan loves to hate, the
man responsible for eliminating England from the 1986 Mexico
World Cup with his fabled “Hand of God” foul play,
Diego Maradona is now the man who has a bar in Daikanyama
dedicated to his fame.
Smirking at the contrast between the Diego’s painfully
cool-and-clinical café interior and its sweaty, testosterone-driven
theme, we ordered a glass of the sweet and swiggable house
red (¥600) and a white Russian (¥750), which came
with an extra-generous serving of vodka courtesy of the beaming
barman. Quite taken with our sophisticated surroundings, which
included a big, bristling cactus plant in the corner, an attractive
Japanese couple slurping spicy pasta dishes, and an unoccupied
DJ booth stacked with club flyers, we chatted over the sounds
of Latin lounge music flowing out of neat white Bose speakers
screwed to the ceiling. How refreshing, we agreed, to find
a South America-themed watering hole that so studiously avoided
clichéd sentimental souvenir displays and tacky trophies,
and one with such a secluded, exclusive location.
Although our fellow patrons seemed to be delighted by their
dinner, we hadn’t the stomach for a full meal and instead
opted to sample the black sesame pudding (¥450), which
proved to be a subtly flavored and smoothly textured gray
goo that was an ideal partner to a second glass of that house
red and an icy gimlet (¥750). Having discussed the arrangements
of an upcoming private party with the still-smiling barman,
the blissfully in-love couple at the adjacent table wandered
out into the night, leaving us with only the company of a
plasmafied Maradona and the flourishing cactus. Heavy eyelids
and pressing next-day deadlines prompted us to make our excuses
and make an exit too, but we were sure we’d be back for
some masochistic Maradona gawping and cocktail gulping before
the soccer season began in earnest and stylish Shibuya-based
sports fans stole all the seats.
6-6 Uguisudani, Shibuya-ku. Tel:
03-5458-8105. Open daily 11am-1am. Nearest stn: Shibuya or
Daikanyama, near Air.
Photos
by Nobby Kealey
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