Cyril Roy is a natural-born barman. Like any professional, he makes it look easy. When he arrived in Japan six years ago, Tokyo's pub culture was bloated with English- and Irish-styled establishments serving classic and micro-brewed quaffs on tap. But Roy landed squarely on his feet, within a month, behind the bar as manager of Scruffy Murphy's in Harajuku -- which is not bad for a French national.

He had thought that he knew no one in Tokyo. But a few days after arriving, he accidentally ran into Go, who had DJ'd one night at a London pub where Roy worked. He discovered that he not only had a friend but also a well-connected one, as it was Go who introduced him to Scruffy's. Roy's well-honed people skills and love of music helped him to quickly establish Scruffy's as one of the hot spots on the pub scene. It also plugged him into the network of local musicians who play the circuit -- another area in which Roy was more than just a little practiced, having played in seven bands in the U.K.

No one who knows Roy was surprised when, two years later, he became manager of the Akasaka branch of Hobgoblin -- a company he was eager to learn from. Roy left Hobgoblin last year and, with the backing of his wife, started planning his own bar.

"It took nearly a year to find the location," says Roy. "I already had a solid concept but finding the right amount of space was difficult."

Finally, in February, The Baron opened in Nishi Azabu. And talk about space -- it's huge! This is both a benefit, in terms of room to move, and a challenge, in terms of filling it. Roy has divided the place into two areas -- a main room and a music room: the former for lounging, dining and drinking; the latter for enjoying music -- and loud, too. Each room features a bar, but the one in the main room is breathtaking in its length -- one of the longest I've seen in Tokyo. It is also one of the sleekest and most clutter-free, with the high-gloss sheen of its impeccably lacquered counter shimmering off into the distance.

"I told the designer to get the bottles out of sight," says Roy. "Every bar should have a full stock of every kind of liquor -- that's a given. There's no need to see them."

Instead, shelves have been cleverly created below the bar. The only bottles above bar-line are wine, but even those have been placed high up and out of direct sight. The area around the bar is furnished with restaurant-style tables and chairs. A couple of chandeliers, a few potted palms, a cozy reading nook, a plasma screen showing nonstop sports and a large kitchen serving hot and cold tapas all night complete the picture.

The music room is smaller, but possibly more important to Cyril. It has been professionally soundproofed and is entered through a proper lock-down type studio door. Inside is a stage and enough space to accommodate 100 people standing. The Baron regularly hosts live events by local and foreign musicians, and the stage is set up for karaoke (should anyone feel brave enough). There is also a DJ booth complete with turntables for vinyl and CDs, in addition to mixing decks for live sound and lights.

Groovy gadgets do a good music room make, but nifty nuts and bolt do not necessarily ensure a good bar. Fortunately, Cyril does. His regular bar crew include Mitlo (everyone's favorite Nepalese bartender, who used to work at the Pink Cow), and Go, his friend and frontman of the band The Rizzlas (who's performance with Barrence Whitfield blew everyone away at the Fuji Rock Festival this year). With these key people, Cyril has ensured that the best of both of his worlds is well covered -- friendly service and excellent entertainment.

You won't always have to fight your way to the bar. The Baron is so big that it would be impossible to fill it every night of the week. Sometimes -- like the night Miss Japan 2000 and a friend threw a joint birthday party for a few hundred people -- it gets packed. The bonus on quiet nights is that Cyril might be in the mood to dig some rare grooves out of his MP3 library. He played a superb '60s Cambodian rock song ("freak beats" being the genre he chose to describe it) after a raunchy punk track by Wayne County (pre-Jayne), but I'm afraid the title of that little gem is unfit for publication.

The Baron is definitely a hot spot to watch out for. Or, better still, grab a couple of mates (and guitars or records) and go help make it happen . . .