Roses and Flames at the Vampire Cafe

Once again I found myself behind those red curtains.

Dressed for the moment, wearing my vampire shoes. Not the best photo and you can't see the wings in the back, but they are comfortable.

The reason for dining at the Vampire Cafe in Ginza? A chance to try another of the Moi-même-Moitié x Vampire Cafe collaboration menus. This time the drinks and dishes were available to the end of December 2019.

First to arrive at my table, the "The fate of the blue rose that tears and erodes the feelings of innocence", named by musician and fashion icon Mana.

A very pretty blue violet non-alcoholic drink of ramune, orange juice, pineapple juice, soda, and blue syrup. With a jelly rose on top. It didn't look quite like the menu photo but it was refreshing and nice.

The second to arrive was “Jade of temptation and blue green of grief were the bloody fate of the rose”. Also named by Mana, it was a mixed alcoholic cocktail of gin, milk, blue curaçao and gum syrup. Very cool looking glowing green drink.

I decided to order a salad to go with my main course. From the Vampire Cafe's menu I chose "Dead Forest where Bats Wander". The description was a green salad with herbs and vegetables. I wasn't sure if this would be too much since most items at the Vampire Cafe are made for two people. But it was fine for just one person. The apples were nice with the salad dressing. It was a good choice.

The main course arrived and was set on fire by Vampire Rose. “A burning melancholy goes with a scarlet rose to oblivion”, also named by Mana, was a gratin brûleé with salted kōji salmon and sweet potato. I was afraid this would be salty but it wasn't. The flavor of the salmon stood out from the rest of the ingredients, which was good.

I finished dinner with that glowing green drink. Was I drinking alone? Ah, non, non, non, I had a companion with me.

Very cool effect with the drink. However I wished there was a little less milk in it, because that was most of the flavor. Over all though, the dinner was enjoyable and with Vampire Rose as host, the Vampire Cafe is a fun place to visit.

A Stormy Night at the Vampire Cafe

My last full day in Tokyo and it was...raining.

I still got out and about. Places I'd been to before so not going to repeat photos, and secret places. Of course one does need to get photos of hydrangea in the rain.

This was an interesting trip. One day I went for a very long walk in the hot sun to a place I had never been to before. But I don't really have photos to share. It was difficult but it was something I wanted to do.

Since it was my last night there, I wanted to celebrate. A return to Vampire Cafe in Ginza. Where I was the only diner at that time. How many people can say they have had the Vampire Cafe all to themselves?

I braved a tempest to get here. Because it was my last chance to try the May-June Moi-même-Moitié special menu. 

I decided this time to try both drinks. The left is the non-alcoholic "アラルめいかいへしずみこうさくするへきるりのとき". Seems I was not the only one who had difficulty figuring out these names. There are references to Ramsses and Day of the Dead with this menu. Perhaps a nod to Babylonian demons by Mana, the creator of these drinks? 

The cute little appetizer that comes with drinks. At the Vampire Cafe it is required to order at least one drink. I've enjoyed all of the ones I have had there, so it's not a problem for me. 

The blue rose on top is gelatin. It is pretty. The drink was citrus juice with blue curacao syrup. I do think I tasted pineapple juice in there. It was nice.

However I really liked "ラマスさのいけにえとこんせいへんいするびょうぼうのとき

アルコール". It was a gin mojito styled cocktail with blue curacao, lemon and mint.

I can say these drinks are not that strong, perhaps because there is a lot of ice in them, along with the light. It does look pretty before and after pouring in the blue curacao.

I really liked this. I will admit to enjoying two of them with my meal, since I knew I would not be able to have it again.

As for my meal, I ordered the flaming grilled risotto. I can say that no evil Babylonian spirits or the King of Darkness appeared.

I wish I could have taken a better photo. But it's really dark inside the dining booths. I am glad you can see the Moi-même-Moitié candelabra logo, created with cheese. Along with the risotto. Made with pork bacon, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese, it was nicely done. The rice held up well, the cheese was not too strong, and I liked the bits of crispiness created by the grilling.

No cake for me this time. I enjoyed my meal and drinks. It was a lovely evening.

Over to Waikiki

Day four in Hawaii found me walking over to Waikiki. Day three had been filled with Moi-même-Moitié and Mana events, and day four was the Kawaii Kon Tea Party. Here are the links to my posts about those events.

Day Three Moi-même-Moitié Fashion Show http://blukats.blogspot.com/2019/04/2019-moi-meme-moitie-kawaii-kon-fashion.html

Day Three Mana Question and Answer Panel http://blukats.blogspot.com/2019/04/2019-mana-questions-and-answers-at.html

Day Four Moi-même-Moitié Tea Party and Mana Autograph Signing http://blukats.blogspot.com/2019/04/2019-moi-meme-moitie-tea-party-with.html

The day was ending with a rather dramatic sky. 

I decided I wanted to eat a really good meal to end my trip. Since the hotel was not far from Waikiki and there were a number of restaurants there, I decided to head that way in hopes of something good. 

Of course Waikiki is land of hotels. 

With interesting Hawaiian style details. 

I was starting to feel like I was in a Hawaiian version of Disneyland. 

As the sun was setting I could see the beaches of various hotels. 

Something that was mentioned during the question and answer session was pizza flavored ice cream. Since Lappert'S was within walking distance, why not? It's interesting that there is a Round Table Pizza restaurant right next door. 

I am sorry to report there was no pizza ice cream that night. 

I did enjoy their Kona Lava Java. I figured at least it's Hawaiian inspired.

Back to walking around to see the sights around the hotels.

Like this semi-gothic chapel with waterfall. 

I finally made it to Waikiki Beach where the afterglow of sunset made a beautiful sky. 

I spent a bit of time walking along the water's edge while waiting for my turn at a table for dinner.

  My choice was Tropics. My hope was because it was part of the hotels that the food would be good.

A bit noisy inside but I did my best to enjoy myself. Started with a Blue Ocean, an upscaled version of a Blue Hawaii. Local vodka, rum, blue curacao, and fresh local pineapple juice. This was delicious and strong.

I ended up ordering their Roasted Kona Kampachi. Great choice! Tender and sweet kampachi fish on top of rice, covered with local garlic greens, carrots, green onions, ginger and cilantro. It was dressed with hot sesame oil and yuzu-dashi-soy sauce. I love dishes like this where each bite can bring a different flavor. Finally a dish that was worth the money.

One last look at Waikiki. After my dinner I walked back to the hotel. I was still searching for my Moi-même-Moitié Jewelry and Roses fan that had gone missing. Sadly it was never found even though I contacted all the places I had been at that day. I do hope one day Moi-même-Moitié will re-issue the fans, since I have not see any come up for sale on the second-hand selling sites. So I unpacked everything looking for it, and then started packing for the trip home.

Getting a Bite to Eat at the Vampire Cafe

What I ate while in Tokyo, was mostly nigiri sushi, onigiri and salads. I think in part because of the weather. But it is fun to get out and try something new. And there was one night that I wanted to be distracted. Because it was the night of the first Deep Sanctuary VI concert, and I did not want to be tempted to look online. I didn't want to be spoiled as to what would happen at the concert.

So I met up with an online friend for the first time in real life. She has been very helpful with information about Ikebukuro. So we met at the station and headed to Ginza. We made it out of Ginza Station only to be unsure of which way to go because the original exit we needed was closed.

Along the way we ran into this guy. It was nice to finally see the Ginza Cupid. He seemed a little preoccupied.

My friend consulted her GPS and I had remembered the name of the building. I look up and we have arrived. Yes, I finally bit the bullet and made a Gurunavi online reservation for the Vampire Cafe. 

Walking in I can't help but remember my childhood, and okay, my adulthood, celebrating Halloween. My parents participated in haunted houses for charity so I spent my fair share playing witch or other haunted creature. The interior of Vampire Cafe definitely is in this spirit. I was a little worried that it might be campy, but that was dispelled.

We ordered drinks. This may be the Necromancer, with Dracula's Blood, blue curaçao, gin and lemon and a few rose petals for good measure. I'm not sure since it does not look like the photo online but then none of the current drinks look like this. No matter what it really was, it was good, and the light is a nice touch since the booths are fairly dark.

My friend ordered the Bloody Rose, a mixture of cranberry juice and tonic water. She said it was very sweet.

Over time, my glass was glowing brighter. A bit strange and interesting.

 We had put in for the Vampire Favorite Course when I made the reservation. Our first dish was the Garden of Beautiful Roses ham charcuterie plate.

Next was the Ritual of Resurrection to Awaken Those of Darkness. A Caesar salad of avocado and salmon, topped with a black rice bat cracker. This is where the fun began. Vampire Rose, the host of the cafe, came over and poured the red dressing onto the salad, while chanting, which the rest of the staff replied to. Entertaining way to serve up salad. And the salad was very good. We ate all of it.

 Following that was the Roses of Destiny, an ajillo of tomatoes and avocado with bread. I don't think this went over as well with us, but it wasn't bad. The tomato rose was pretty.

 What was good was the Name of Despair: The crime of the death god dyed in the jet black. Pasta with squid ink, ikasumi, cream sauce and mushrooms. Even though it made our lips and teeth black for a few minutes, it was worth it. That's a skull rice cracker, and I did disturb Death on the rim of the plate. I have live to tell about it.

 More dining entertainment. The Tragedy Burning Punishment for Judgment of the Rebels, half a chicken with herbs and spices, turned into a flaming inferno by Vampire Rose.

While we waited for dessert, I couldn't help but take a photo or two of the room beyond. Atmosphere is a good word to describe the restaurant. Helped by the playing of the soundtrack of the Nightmare Before Christmas. I have a few Halloween soundtracks, maybe I could send them over to help out with the ambiance?

 Finally our Dark Poison Spiders arrived. Rather cute for something supposedly dangerous. And pretty delicious also.

Heading out I took a couple photos. Seriously, it's like being at home around Halloween. I was smiling the whole time there.

I know I and my friend had a bloody good time. I hope I will get the chance to return, because the food was good and I did enjoy both the decor and the service. Thanks a lot Vampire Rose and the staff of the Vampire Cafe!

The Vampire Cafe website is here https://www.dd-holdings.jp/shops/vampirecafe/ginza

and there address is 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chūō, Ginza, ６丁目７−６ ラペビル