Tsubakiya Coffee

I had another language exchange meeting today, but this time was a first meeting. The person I met found a cafe in Ikebukuro for us to go. It's a small local chain with a few shops in various places throughout Tokyo. He said that he had never been to the Ikebukuro branch but the other ones were good so, "let's go!"

So, this shop is called Tsubakiya Coffee. And it's definitely different than the other places I've been. The female uniforms were maid style and the service was impeccable. I actually felt a bit uncomfortable by the level of service. There was no refilling of water, for example. No, the waitresses replaced your empty glass with a new full glass of water. But before they did that, they'd wipe the table to make sure it was dry first. This kind of service isn't bad, but it was a little much for me. I'm used to a more homey feel, I guess.

Anyway, aside from the service, the place is comfortable. Not in that relaxing or cute sort of way. More like a restaurant actually. According to the website, the theme is supposed to be Ginza in the good old days, and they're trying to give people a sense of old but chic luxury. But at any rate, it was nice. My language exchange partner and I both ended up ordering the "Mix Sandwich" with hot coffee. The sandwich wasn't that great, but it wasn't bad either. It was nothing to write home about. But the coffee was good. Usually I go with cappuccinos at new cafes, but this was a plain coffee kind of place. I even drank it black! What!? And while I'm not actually a fan of black coffee, I wasn't complaining.

Anyway, while this is a place I would have never come to on my own, and I have no real intention of coming here again, it was a pretty good place for a first meeting. So if you've got some sort of language exchange or business meeting, I might suggest Tsubakiya Coffee to you.

Order: Mix Sandwich and coffee set (1500)
Review: A decent place for a formal first meeting.

Hours: 9:00~23:00
Non-smoking / Smoking Sections
Website:http://www.tsubakiya-coffee.com/
Access: Ikebukuro Station (a few minutes from the East exit)
Address: (B1F) 1-6-4 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo

Analog

So, if you think another language exchange meeting with my friend means another cafe adventure, you're right. Today was my turn to pick the cafe and our destination was Ebisu. As you may recall from the previous posts, we'd decided to start avoiding places that allowed smoking. But all the cool looking cafes that looked like we could chill for a while were smoking. Not even a nonsmoking section! What to do?

Well, what I decided was to pick two places and if one was too smoky, hopefully the other would be okay. I chose two, Ark and Analog, that were pretty close to each other and were actually run by the same company. After meeting my friend and taking a peek at the two places, we settled on Analog.

Analog is on the 4th floor of a building not far from the station, just off the main road. After climbing up four flights of stairs, we entered a pretty snazzy area. The lighting was dim, though not too dark, and it felt a bit like walking into an attic filled with old furniture. (Being as how this place, along with Ark and a few other places in Tokyo, are run by Attic, I'm sure this atmosphere was by design.) It was hard to choose where to sit because the seating areas were all so different. There even appeared to be "rooms" or separated areas. We went with some big comfy chairs that were in the section a couple stairs higher than the first bit.

The place wasn't crowded at all, a few couples or random people here and there, so the smoke wasn't really an issue. Once in a while when the people sat kind of near us lit up a cigarette, it got a bit smelly, but nothing worth getting irritated with. Also, with it not being so crowded, it wasn't noisy either. Although that might also be due to the design itself, or the fact that it was just that type of cafe. I even spotted one girl napping in one of the oversized arm chairs. If I had been there alone, I might have been tempted to do the same.

As for the drinks, I went with a cinnamon cappuccino and my friend went with a cafe latte. They took a little while to come out. Not excessively so, but they took long enough for me to notice. But once the drinks were brought out and placed on the table, I decided the time spent waiting was definitely worth it. The drinks were beautiful. The cappuccino was piled high with froth and cinnamon, and the latte had a really lovely design in it. I don't know about the latte in terms of taste, but the cappuccino was really good.

So, the final verdict here is that, if I hung out in Ebisu, I would come here often. I'd have some coffee and probably the occasional nap. But this was probably my second or third time in the area after living more than two years in Tokyo. So as it is, if I'm in the area again, I'll probably check out Ark instead.

Order: Cappuccino (¥650, I think)
Review: I wouldn't mind if this became a regular hangout.

Website: http://www.atticroom.jp/analog-ebisu/
Access: Ebisu station. (2minutes on foot)
Address: 1-8-3 Ebisuminami (4F), Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Downstairs Coffee

Pic from official website

So after the disaster that was sick Neena at a smoky cafe, my friend was in charge of finding a smoke free place for our next language exchange meeting. Since he had something to do in Roppongi that evening, he found a cafe nearby. The one he found is called Downstairs Coffee and it's run by the same guy as Streamer Coffee, Hiroshi Sawada.

The cafe is in the Mercedes-Benz showroom. I had seen it before but never went in. It looked a bit swanky and expensive. It is pretty cool but the prices aren't bad at all. I didn't know it at the time, but this cafe, and possibly the entire place, is only opened for a limited time. It will be closing in December of 2012, this year.

My friend and I found a cafe magazine (that I don't have!) that mentioned this place. I didn't read it at the time, but I took a picture of it for later study. It said Downstairs, and Upstairs (a bar/restaurant), opened as part of the Mercedes-Benz Connection. The magazine article also talks about the coffee and its creaminess, and how customers can use the wifi freely. And even though they're basically in the showroom, people can relax and feel a welcoming atmosphere. (It's a short article, but it briefly touches on all the selling points.)

So, I have to say that I agree with the article. The coffee, just like at Streamer, was delicious, and pretty. And this time I could take a picture of it. I didn't take any pictures of the place, because I forgot, like an idiot. But the place is very bright with lots of big windows. It's a car showroom after all. When it started getting dark, the lights came on, and the lighting was the kind that is green and then before you know it, it's pink. It was kind of nice and somehow subtle. I don't remember the seats, and I think our window side table was white, but I'm pretty sure the communal table in the middle was wooden. Quite comfortable and easy to relax and chat or study in.

So, I would definitely recommend this place. And over Streamer Coffee at that. But since it'll be closing in just a few months, you'd better get a move on it if you want to check it out.

Order: Soy Latte (¥430)
Review: It's a shame that it's closing soon.

Website: http://www.mercedes-benz-connection.com/index.html
Access: Roppongi station (exit 8 maybe, the Roppongi Hills side)
Address: 7-8-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo