melanwhip
Renowned as a leading figure in Japanese pop art, the café produced by Mr. Takashi Murakami. Previously, there was a café (Bar Zingaro) in Broadway, and I was disappointed when it closed before I could visit, but now it seems to have reopened after nearly 3 years. I finally decided to go check it out! It's interesting how Japanese people like Murakami and Haruki Murakami seem to have a high profile overseas. I thought Murakami might have some connection to Nakano, but I couldn't find any information on that (maybe influenced by otaku culture, hence the Broadway location). Nonetheless, Broadway is still a maze as always. Finally arrived at the shop. The spacious seating was limited, so it was almost full, but since it was a weekday, we were able to get in without much of a wait. The name of the café includes "jun kissa" (pure coffee shop), but the retro and psychedelic interior gives it more of a neo-jun kissa feel. It's quite different from the existing traditional coffee shops in town (laughs). And compared to the previous "Bar Zingaro," it looks like a completely different place. There were quite a few foreign customers (maybe it's in guidebooks). All the table seats have custom-made Invader game consoles. The colorful monitor screen makes you want to try it out, but at 500 yen per play, it's quite a price (maybe that's about the value of the currency back when it was popular). The menu is a digital menu that seems out of place for a coffee shop, but you can't order from there; you have to place your order at the counter. I ordered the "flower pancakes" and the "cafe latte (dark roast)" with flower latte art. They accepted PayPay, but for some reason, they asked for my name (laughs). There was no receipt or anything, so it was a bit confusing (other cashless customers were also asked, so it must be part of the process). The items were brought to our table, so we waited there. The staff was friendly and even shared information about the Murakami Takashi's goods shop on the 4th floor (I couldn't make it due to time constraints, but fans should definitely check it out). I thought it would take a while, but it was served in less than 10 minutes. They also brought us water. The pancakes had a beautiful flower stamp on them ★ It's been a while since I've had pancakes! I don't think they were made from scratch considering the serving time and appearance, but they were slightly warm, and the butter and maple syrup soaked in nicely. It wasn't quite like a soufflé texture or a castella texture, but rather dense, not quite like pancakes but more like the hotcakes you'd find at a traditional coffee shop (maybe they were going for that kind of texture). Delicious and finished it all ★ The cafe latte came in an original mug, with clear latte art and a paper coaster with the cafe's name. It's a bit pricey, but the art and bitterness were spot on ★ I wish it were a bit cheaper so I could visit more often, strangely comfortable and satisfied (it might get too crowded if it were cheaper, and I might not be able to maintain this level of comfort). I enjoyed the otherworldly experience!