マダム・チェチーリア
Since last November, when I watched Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, I had not been to Ueno, where I had previously visited the Foresterie at Seiyo-ken. But when I went to the Tokyo National Museum to see the Pompeii exhibition in March of last year, I realized it had been since then. The café's name had changed to Everyone's Cafe. The opening was in July 2022, so it was four months later. The garden and terrace were the same, and the entrance layout was unchanged. I drove from Tengen-ji, where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, to Ueno via the Metropolitan Expressway. When I had tea at the Parkside Cafe, there was a Toy Poodle at the next table, and I thought, "Why isn't Beatrice here?" So, a year later, I revisited. It was a weekday, but there were a lot of cherry blossom viewers due to the peak season. There were also more foreign tourists than expected. After a short wait, we were seated on the terrace. Lucky! As soon as we were seated, a water bowl for Beatrice was brought along with the menu. Everyone's Cafe is a dog-friendly café for all generations, including babies and the elderly. There was a German Shepherd at the table behind us, larger than me, and on our way out, Beatrice greeted him with a big smile. We ordered the Bolognese with domestic beef (¥1639) and Darjeeling tea (¥858) for Beatrice's dad, and a glass of red wine (¥869) and the Garden Set (¥2189) for myself. The weather was nice, and Beatrice's shadow was clearly visible next to the Garden Set! Exactly 24 hours earlier, we had been on a cherry blossom cruise on the Ooka River in Yokohama, where I wrote about the memories of cherry blossom viewing with Rachel at Hemingway. I placed a photo from that time on the table and raised a toast to the cherry blossoms with Pinotage for Rachel in heaven. The wine, both red and white (Sauvignon Blanc), was Fairtrade certified, and the teas (Ceylon, Darjeeling, Earl Grey) were all made in Sri Lanka. The herbs used in the herbal teas come from a contracted farm in Nishi-Tokyo City. The topping for the Bolognese also included freshly picked arugula from Mr. Yagasaki. The Garden Set featured Tokyo-produced soft pork in the center, surrounded by croquettes, pickles, potato salad, carrot marinade, hijiki and quinoa, with plenty of vegetables. The concept of enjoying Tokyo-produced ingredients in Ueno's Ongakuen Park, where a new history of Tokyo has begun, is not bad at all. This year, sitting on sheets for cherry blossom viewing, which was prohibited until last year, is now allowed, and the once-a-year season has arrived. At the TO GO corner next to the terrace, coffee (¥300), Sakura Peach Soda (¥700), Fresh Herb Lemonade (¥700), Frozen Fruit Skewers (¥400), and donuts (¥400) were being sold. Beatrice was a hit with tourists from various countries, with many asking to take pictures with her. It was a joyful first lunch at Everyone's Cafe.