Eating out is such a highlight here in Japan – and also a challenge at times if you don’t know Japanese and are therefore limited to eating establishments which have kindly included English translations of dishes or have a picture menu (brilliant idea though unfortunately sometimes what arrives at the table does not resemble the photographic representation). Fortunately for me, one place I visited recently for lunch (on two occasions actually) had English translations on its menu.
Located in Harajuku (commonly known as the youth crib of Tokyo), Bape Café is what one might call a trendy spot. With two levels, the café is spacious and open. The ground floor opens up to the street on one side, which makes it all light, airy and quite inviting (useful in enticing the walk-in crowd). Concrete walls, grey and navy, along with the concave floor-to-ceiling glass windows and chrome steel tables create a minimalist look, a sophisticated vibe. The walls are decorated with rows of American graffiti artist Kaws’ individual small ‘The Kimpsons’ paintings (think images of Bart, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie et al but with their eyes replaced by Xs) which adds to the “coolness” factor. Upstairs, there’s even a huge Kimpsons print in the same layout as the Beatles’ Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album cover. Nice.
No doubt, the café most likely attracts interest because of its association with the hip-hop street clothing brand ‘A Bathing Ape’ (of which Kaws collaborates with). Diversification of A Bathing Ape into yet another “lifestyle” company includes not only the clothes and the café, but also a Bape Cuts hair salon amongst other initiatives. Indeed, inside the café, the brand’s simian-inspired insignia is ubiquitous – from the plates and glasses to the waiting staff’s funky uniforms and the sugar cube wrappers. Whilst A Bathing Ape gear is ridiculously overpriced, it was a relief to see that the dishes at the Bape Café were reasonable.
The lunch menu is rather limited in terms of variety with only 8 choices for the main meal, although affordable at no more than JPY 900 each (those with a sweet tooth however are sufficiently catered for with 7 choices for dessert, ranging between JPY 400 – 700 each). On my first visit, I had the ‘Teriyaki Tuna’ which was perfectly grilled and topped with a delicious teriyaki sauce and served with steamed rice and a green leaf salad with a light vinaigrette dressing. Delicious and satisfying (and I didn’t have to feel guilty because it was relatively light and healthy!). Mike chose the red ‘Shrimp Curry’, which had 4 big prawns and chunks of vegetables and heaps of steamed rice. It looked quite comforting. Mike informed me it was a safe mild spicey. Mich and Matt both selected the ‘Caesar Salad’ – their plates were piled up with lettuce (looked like romaine lettuce), mixed in with lean bits of bacon (“real bacon”!), topped with plentiful shavings of parmeson and a couple of thin crispbreads – thumbs up but “too heavy on the dressing”. We also had the option of having coffee with our meals for just an extra JPY 200 which we all decided to opt for – good espresso.
Second occasion, Auliya ordered the ‘Caeser Salad’ and said she had no complaints. I decided to try the ‘Special of the Day’, basically a pork chop with teriyaki sauce, served with some tomato-based penne and two pieces of baguette. This time, I felt the dish was a bit ordinary (the pasta being somewhat bland and the baguettes a tad too chewy) but still enjoyable enough.
Foreigner-friendly, comfy ambience, an efficient and polite staff and decently priced food (which, by and large, hits the spot taste-wise and size-wise), makes Bape Café a worthy place to visit.
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