Roman Records Cafe

One of my friends and I were both off today, so we decided to have a deluxe cafe adventure. We planned on wandering around some stations on the Toyoko line and stopping into a couple different places. The first station we got off at was Jiyugaoka. We ended up having lunch and a donut there, but not at any cafes. The one we had found that we wanted to stop in was full. We were around right at lunch time so it was as expected.

We then moved to Gakugeidaigaku station. We wandered around a bit before happening on Roman Records Cafe. It looked cool and the signboard said that had waffles, so we went in. I ended up with mixed feelings about this place. Let me tell you why. First off, when we went inside, the man who runs the place greeted us and said "We close at 4:00. Is that okay?" "What time is it now?" "3:20." We decided to stay in for a bit. So far, no big deal. The part that left a bit of a bad taste was that we weren't given a menu for about 5 minutes. Then once we got it, we got about 1 minute for both of us to look through it. So, both of us felt that we were being unnecessarily rushed due to initial bad service. Granted, I'm sure the guy just wanted to be able to get out on time, and I probably would have done the same. But still, as a customer I was not getting a good first impression.

So, after placing our order and waiting for it to come, I took a look at our surroundings. And I have to admit, it's a pretty cool place. It's rather small but the seats are large and comfy. There's a bit a DJ corner thing going on, and I think the music is the main appeal of this place, though the food looks like it might be amazing too. Like I said, it's rather small but not at all cramped. And while it's not dark per say, it does have a rather masculine feel to it. I suspect that during peak hours it's good and smoky too. As you may know, I'm not such a fan of smoky places, but I think it might kind of suit the ambiance of Roman Records Cafe.

I will say, that I started thinking more positively about this place when the coffees came out. They came out quick, maybe five minutes later. Maybe. And presentation-wise, I had no complaints. I ordered a regular cafe latte and my friend got the coconut one. Mine had a lovely heart in it and my friend's had coconut powder sprinkled on the top of his. Taste-wise, I also approved wholeheartedly. Mine was very rich and creamy. The coffee and milk was balanced quite nicely. The coconut latte was good, but since I'm not really a fan of coconut, it's hard to really make a judgement there.

So, the final conclusion is if I'm ever in the area again anytime other than between 4:00 and 6:30, I will go in again. I want to like the place and I feel like the circumstances just didn't allow for a proper experience. So, I'll reserve judgement for now. Though it's probably good.

Order: Cafe Latte (¥560) and Coconut Latte (¥580)
Review: Probably a great place to go.

Website: http://romanrecordscafe.p1.bindsite.jp/
Access: Gakugeidaigaku Station (about 1 minute or so on foot)
Address: Ito Building 102, Takaban 2-20-4, Meguro Ward, Tokyo