Today another brief post, this time, perhaps briefer than my usual brief posts. Although this introduction will really cut into the brevity. Platinum Fish is a part of one of those hidden chains owned I guess by a huge company. Although in this case, the chain is only half hidden, as most of the bars are called at least something related to a fish. They have a total of thirty bars according to their website and seem to pretty much have a go at whatever food style you might fancy. I imagine they back that up with a pretty similar bar experience though. There seems to be big money behind them and with that comes big chain buying power. Not sure that is really reflected in the prices though. I doubt I will bother visiting any of the other bars as I usually prefer to spend my money at more independent places. This branch does however have a little edge over some of the other places given that it comes with an added bottle shop. Anyway, let’s stop this long intro for a supposedly brief post and get on with what you need to know.
– Shopping centre bar on the third floor of Atre, attached to Kawasaki JR station. Counter for 10 and seating at tables for maybe eight. Feels like a pretty slick and classy dining establishment and consequently lacks a bit of soul, but what do you expect from a massive chain’s bar in a shopping centre?
– 12 taps of Japanese craft beer served in two sizes, regular (300ml) and large (500ml). Prices range from ¥820-¥850 for the small and ¥1250-¥1280 for the large. Not sure what the distinction is that means it needs to be ¥30 more for some beers to be honest! The slightly unorthodox size of the servings makes it a little difficult to judge value, but I think that given the size of the chain, the prices seem a little on the high side.
– No cover charge thankfully, and lots of daytime opening. There is wifi in the shopping centre and it’s a no smoking establishment. The big thing that makes this place stand out in spite of its relative run of the mill-ness is the bottle shop opposite the bar. There was a big range of Japanese bottles from lots of breweries and there were some seasonals too. I’d love to comment on the prices of these bottles here, but stupid me didn’t look. Probably shouldn’t have gone to TK Brewing and worked my way through the tap list before coming here. But glad I did as I really like that place.
It might seem a bit harsh to judge a whole massive chain from one branch, but I’m going to do it anyway. I can’t imagine these places will be on anyone’s list of their favourite bars, but they do offer a service. If you’re a daytime drinker then this will be good for you. It’s also a good place to pick up some bottles. And to be honest, they did have some interesting beers on. So that’s all good, but the experience is definitely more functional rather than being joyful. Perhaps others will disagree, but this place was very much average in my opinion. Nothing to get too upset about really, but also nothing to particularly get excited about either.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Fujizakura
Minoh
Tokkaido
Swan Lake
Johana
TK Brewing
Nara
Hop Kotan
Ushi Tora
Opening Hours:
Daily, 10:00-22:00
Location/map:
駅前本町26-1 アトレ川崎 3F, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
It’s in Atre on the third floor, and attached to the JR station, so probably no need for a map here.
Telephone:
044-244-9000
Links:
Website