WINEMAN FACTORY is located just a short walk from Mita Station, but is tucked away in a back alley that can easily lead you astray. Once you've visited, you'll be hooked on the food and wines on offer.
The fatty swordfish, smoked with cherry wood chips, has a pleasant texture. It is stir-fried with anchovies, onions, and tomatoes in soft-flavored Sicilian olive oil. The three herb pastes of thyme, dill, and chervil add a refreshing touch. The handmade tagliolini has a firm dough with just enough moisture to prevent it from being put through a pasta machine. This gives it a chewy texture, and its unique texture is addictive. The photo shows the amount served as a course. The à la carte portion for two is 2800 yen.
Text by Yui Togawa
Photo by Yu Mitamura
Photographs by Yu Mitamura
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
A combination of boldness and delicacy in both his cooking and his personality
When I was in high school, my girlfriend told me about this mysterious thing she'd eaten, Gorgonzola gnocchi, and although I was a big rice fan at the time, I started to get curious... This was over 30 years ago, at a time when I only knew about Neapolitan and meat sauce, but I was a kid living in Denenchofu, so I guess I was eating trendy food." This is what Inoue Yuichi, owner and chef of WINEMAN FACTORY, told me when I asked him why he wanted to become an Italian chef. Inoue, who gives off a slightly intimidating impression, suddenly shared this story, which made me smile.
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1977. After training at a renowned restaurant in Tokyo, he traveled to Italy and honed his skills for two years, mainly in northern Italy. After returning to Japan, he worked as a chef at "PAPPATORIA" in Monzen-Nakacho, Tokyo, and "Aroma Classico" in Shinagawa. In 2012, he opened his own restaurant, "AnticaBraceria Bell'italia" in Meguro. It moved to Mita in May 2021.
He then traveled to Italy, questioning "what is true Italian cuisine?" The skills and sensibilities he cultivated while working in a wide range of establishments, from trattorias to Michelin-starred restaurants in Friuli, Rome, Verona, and Alba, are clearly evident in his current cooking. "Bigoli in salsa, a local Veneto dish based on anchovies and onions, was the first time I tried it at the staff meal at La Taverna, where I worked in Friuli. I still remember the impact it had on me. Since then, I've made improvements and finally settled on using smoked swordfish." The pairing is with tagliolini pasta, a uniquely textured dish prepared using the Aroma Classico method, where he served as a chef after returning to Japan. The pleasantly chewy pasta blends seamlessly with the sauce, and as it reaches your mouth, you'll naturally reach for the wine. This dish seems to encapsulate Inoue's journey to date.
Although he does all the cooking himself, he offers four courses and a full a la carte menu, and the sheer number of options is hard to believe. When the restaurant is full, he moves about at a speed that seems unbelievable, like a comedy skit.
Inoue is not only a chef, but also a winemaker. His interest in wine grew, and after obtaining a liquor sales license and a liquor manufacturing license, he moved and opened a winery. This year marks the fifth year since he started making wine himself. WINEMAN FACTORY is a restaurant, winery, and shop all packed into an old house in a back alley in Mita. It is no exaggeration to say that knowing about a place like this can change the richness of your life.
WINEMAN FACTORY
5F, 20-22-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel.03-6412-8251
Closed Sundays and Mondays 17:30-23:00
A la carte from 700 yen, course from 7500 yen
