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

Straw Hat Cafe

My birthday was this week, and since my friend and I were off on the same day, we decided to celebrate. We went to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. It was quite cute but there were tons of kids. I really liked the building itself and I want it to be my house someday. But I haven't seen any of the main Ghibli movies so I couldn't really appreciate some of the attractions. But anyway...

The cafe! There is a rather cute place in the museum called the Straw Hat Cafe. We were both looking forward to going in but there was quite the queue. We were surprised to see that there was a special waiting area with seats and books and such, and that there was a queue for that! We had to wait to wait? I guess all in all we waited about 30 or 40 minutes or so. And then we finally got in!

The place is cute, as expected. It's got a nice country cottage feel to it. My friend and I were sat at the counter, which looked directly into the kitchen area. That meant we got an interesting view that we could both look at without craning our necks. We could also nonchalantly take pictures.

My friend has decided to "man up" and start drinking coffee. So instead of tea, he also got a "coffee with foamed milk". But we mainly chose this drink because we heard that it came with some sort of art on top. We were excited about that, as you can probably guess from some of my previous posts. They basically painted a cute image on the top with chocolate. I was a bit worried because I don't like chocolate coffee but there wasn't enough chocolate to affect the taste. It was pretty good, by the way.

Also since it was my birthday celebration, I decided that I was going to eat cake too. So we ordered the day's seasonal chiffon cake - chocolate fig. They gave us a huge piece so the two of us were able to share it and still be full. I'm not really a fan of chocolate cake - I don't dislike it, but it's not my favorite - but this was quite nice. It was really airy and fluffy. The flavor was also quite light, so perfect with the coffee.

So, it was a really cute place with nice food and coffee and everything we saw served to other people looked amazing. I wouldn't recommend going to the museum for the cafe, because that would be inconvenient and pricey. But if you're going to the museum, definitely stop in.



Order: Coffee with foamed milk (470yen) and Chocolate Fig Chiffon Cake (500yen)
Review: A great addition to the museum

Website: Museum's page
Location: Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

Clover Cafe

So, the other day I was going through some photos from when my parents were here and I found a picture from a cafe we went to in Asakusa when we went there for a rickshaw ride. I remembered the cafe a bit so I decided to go head back out there on my way back from work. The cafe is called Clover Cafe and it's pretty much right next to one of the metro exits.

I went there, and like always, I was pretty hungry so I got coffee and food. I went with the caramel cappuccino because it was the cutest. And for food I got the pizza toast. The staff here is quite cheerful and because it's in a major tourist spot, they've got an English menu that they automatically show foreigners. This cafe also allows smoking in the back so I chose a seat near the front of the shop. I was never bothered by any smoke but my spot wasn't particularly cozy. I think the cafe in general lacked the cozy feel, actually.

So after my order came to me, I took a couple pictures before chowing down. Okay, the pizza toast was pretty good. Of course, I think it's hard to mess that up too much. But the bread was really nice and thick, and because of that there was the crispy outside and the soft inside going on. Quite nice. As for the cappuccino...it was nice to look at. But to be honest, that's it. It wasn't very good. It was really weak. I'd like to say it was really milky, but it actually tasted watery. This is probably the first place that I actually will recommend avoiding. One of the chains nearby would be a better choice, I think.


Order: Caramel Cappuccino (¥380) and Pizza Toast (¥350)
Review: Drink looks good but tastes "meh". There are better choices in the area.

Website: http://www.clovercafe.jp/en/
Access: Asakusa Station: Ginza or Asakusa lines. (about 30seconds from exit A4)

紹介 と 最初の冒険 (Streamer Coffee Company)

Original English Post
 
最近、新しい趣味を始めようと思った。いつもカフェに行っている。気が散らないところで勉強したり、何かを待っている間時間をつぶしたり、コーヒーを飲んだりしに行っている。惰性で行動する私は新しい活動をする時、緊張する。だからいつも行っているチェーンにしか行かない。東京にはスターバックス以外、カフェが多いということを知っている。それで、少なくとも1ヶ月に一回 (もちろん、1回以上の方がいいけど、1回は最低限だ) 新しいカフェに行ってみることにした。そこで、今日友達と最初のカフェイン冒険をした。

渋谷のStreamer Coffee Companyに行った。先日ネットサーフィンをしている時、そのカフェを見つけた。ラテアーチストの澤田洋史 (サワダヒロシ)がこのカフェを2010年を開業した。東京のバリスターのシーンでその人は有名のようだ。コンテストのアート部門で受賞までした。だから、撮影禁止がわかった時、がっかりした。

渋谷の裏通りにあるから、表通りにいる買い物をする人や観光客はいなかった。混んでいなかった。寛げる雰囲気があった。部屋の一側面に心地良い大きな椅子があって、その反対側の長い共同テーブルがあるため、大学生の時行ったカフェを思い出した。シンプルなデザインである。ちょっと前衛的な雰囲気だけど、もったいぶった感じはなかった。

コーヒーについては、「Streamer Latte」を注文した。私はコーヒーが好きだけど、濃くて苦いコーヒーが苦手だから、このたくさんミルクが入っているコーヒーはとても美味しかったと思っている。それに、注文した「Military Donut」というスイーツ(迷彩柄のアイシングがされているドーナツ)によく合った。

注文：Streamer Latte (520円) と Military Donut (400円)
所見：進んでいるところだ。雰囲気がよい。コーヒーが美味しい。
アクセス：渋谷駅下車 13出口 徒歩10分

(Translation checked by Myoga-sensei)

Introduction + First Adventure (Streamer Coffee Company)

So, I recently decided that I wanted to try a new hobby. I'm always going to cafes, whether to study with less distractions, kill time while waiting for something, or just to get a caffeine fix. But I, a creature of habit and someone who gets a little nervous trying out new things by myself, always go to the same chains and shops. I know that Tokyo offers way more than Starbucks. So, I've decided that at least once a month (I'm hoping for more than that of course, but one is the minimum), I will check out a new place. So today, my friend and I went on the first Caffeinated Adventure!

We went to Streamer Coffee Company in Shibuya. I found it while perusing the interwebs one day. It was opened by latte artist Hiroshi Sawada in 2010. Apparently this dude is a bit of a celebrity in the Japanese barista scene. He's even won awards for his art. So, I have to say, I was a bit disappointed that we weren't allowed to take pictures in the cafe. Since it was on one the back streets of Shibuya, it wasn't crazy busy with shoppers and tourists. It had a real comfortable feel to it and with the big comfy looking chairs on one side and a big wooden communal table on the other, it reminded me of the cafes I used to go to during university. There was a minimalistic feeling to it - hip but not pretentious. As for the coffee, I got the standard "Streamer Latte", which was pretty mild and milky, and though I like coffee, I am a bit of a wuss, so it was perfect for me. It went well with the "Military Donut" (regular donut with a camo frosting design) that I had too.

Image from TimeOut Tokyo's Review

Order: Streamer Latte (520yen) and Military Donut (400yen)
Review: Very cool and comfortable environment and pretty good coffee

Website: http://streamercoffee.com/
Nearest Station: Shibuya (10 minute walk from exit 13)