If I were to ask you to describe Harajuku for me, what would you have in mind? If I were to say I went to a restaurant called Kawaii Monster, what would you imagine? Now put those two thoughts together and enter into this very real very Harajuku world of Kawaii Monster Cafe…
It is located in, surprise surprise, Harajuku.
Upon entering the premise, we were greeted at the reception area and were then told that there’s a ¥500 charge per person for entry and a 90-minutes stay maximum. She then told us which area we would be seated in, and I was like, yep take my money already, I just want to go in and experience it all!
So she opened the door…
Okay, back to describing this place… Think Alice-in-Wonderland madness mixed with psychedelic-coloured fantasy plus a dose of soft-pastel cuteness. Oh and don’t forget a whole lot of fun and craziness. I mean, this is the first thing you’d see when you walk in!
Yup, a carousel filled with everything I want in life. Well, not literally obviously, but you get what I mean. Cute animals in pastel colours, kisses and cupcakes, and cute everything. I want this merry-go-round in my house so I can twirl from one corner of my room to the other, very efficient.
Anyways, we were then seated and given an iPad menu with a kawaii cover, because themed restaurants y’know.
I got so trigger happy but at the same time I was still a little reserved. Should I walk around and take photos? Should I order first? Am I allowed to? Thus, the first few photos were of the place from where we were seated (the mushroom area).
Ah-may-zing! And so, the hubby told me to “order first, then take photos” because he is a much more logical person and can compute rationally even upon seeing the wonders of this restaurant. So we did.
And while we waited for the food, I finally took the courage to walk around and take some photos of that carousel of my dreams.
Our drinks arrived and they were so pretty! I went with non-druggy experimental cocktail – funky name and awesome taste. The hubby had some sort of a pretty milkshake.
For the main meals, the hubby chose the Mad B.L.T. channelling some Mad Eyed Moody and all… And I had my eyes on the Colourful Rainbow Painter’s Pasta. Despite the look of things, I thought my pasta was really good! Like, I’d actually come back for more… Do try and let me know if you fancy it too, because I might just had a really low expectation on the food quality! LOL.
Towards the end of our meals (they didn’t time it that way, it was just the right timing), we had a special performance from the Kawaii Monster crews. They dimmed the light and had this whole light show happening at the carousel area. I went straight to the front, and soon after, many girls followed.
It was a bizarre and eclectic show, a little cabaret-like but probably with less professional dancers and more cheesy moves. But I loved it all! (As you can tell, I’m a sucker for stuff like these.)
In the middle of it, they asked two lucky girls to come up the carousel but oh gosh they were so shy to be in the centre of attention. I was thinking to myself: should’ve picked me. But who was I kidding?! I would’ve also hated that feeling.
And yep, even the waitresses were doing this “monster dance moves” toward the end. It was so catchy, if I didn’t have my camera on my hands ready to capture everything, I probably would’ve done the same.
Right after the show finished, they asked us to line up (in Japanese, I didn’t understand but I saw a line so I queued up) and to my astonishment (and joy), it was picture time! We got to take a photo with the Kawaii Monsters and the carousel and holding up the crazy sign! I almost exploded in excitement.
Yep, that’s me, in one of my proudest moment in life. And on my birthday too, doubly extra special.
So I went back to my seat and finished my slightly cold spaghetti with a huge grin on my face. I felt like a little kid who couldn’t wait to finish her food because she really just wanted to play. Once the food disappeared, I left the table to take more photos of everything!
And because there can never be too many photographs of my future home-decoration carousel, here are a few more… Including one with me and the Kawaii Monsters performers earlier!
I thought that we have ventured into all the parts, until I realised, there is another area we have yet to explore! Bar Experiment, I assume, serves the alcoholic beverages. It was very futuristic and cool.
And right next to the bar, a number of small booths with melting ice cream and colourful blocks as decoration. I thought to myself then: I’m liking this already, I guess this goes to my “next visit” list.
Nearby are the toilets. I didn’t enter the cubicle, but everything seemed to look as much the part.
And because I’m the kind of person who saves the best for last (that’s why desserts are best kept until the end of your meals, you see)… Here’s my ultimate favourite part of the cafe!!! I will return to be seated in this area.
YES! Macarons. Kisses. Polkadots. Strawberries and forks. Pastel pink and blue chandeliers. When can I move in?!
As you can see, I was one happy girl thanks to the Kawaii Monster Cafe!
We decided that it was time to leave, so we walked out and I sneaked in a few more snaps before then too… Because, oh really, I don’t really need a reason, do I?!
As we left the restaurant, there was one last monster greeting us at the end of our journey. It says: “arigatou” or thank you. No, thank YOU.
Kawaii Monster Cafe is everything I imagined it to be, and more. I recommend it very highly to all Harajuku lovers for an experience you won’t want to miss! But for those who are just a tad curious or don’t like themed restaurants, you’d probably think it’s overpriced (due to the ¥500 per head entrance fee) and overhyped.