It was a heavy, heartrending Friday morning. My mind was flooded with stress and sorrowness as I quickly dashed my way towards 中目黒警察署 (intentionally left untranslated). But for some reasons, my selective attention was completely drawn to this coffee sign.
After dithering for 90 seconds, I took a deep breath, and went up the 2nd floor.
The name of the shop was "Under the mat"
いらっしゃいませ。どうぞ (Welcome, please come in), the shop owner greeted me with a soft smile.
Took another step forward. I was dazzled. It was like a whole different virtue behind the wooded door, similar to the one in Pinocchio
A bakery inside Geppetto's workshop
The interior was very chic, with a vintage touch to it, which harked me back to Geppetto's (Pinocchio's dad) workshop: wooden tables and wooden chairs with wooden windows overlooking the neighborhood. The shop had a bit of everything. Books and records, Gadgets and gizmos, Tools and toys, complemented by a piano to the right side of the room. In brief, it was a rustic charm.
In addition to the retro decoration, this cafe offers an assortment of home-made desserts and drinks, all neatly written in parchment papers.
Recommended sweets by the owner are scones (¥350). Other options include Milk doughnut (¥300), Chiffon cake (¥400) or Popcorn (¥350).
For drink, they also have a collection of wine and whiskey, but their tea and coffee choices stood out, particularly the そば茶セット - Roasted buckwheat tea set (¥650).
Nonetheless, my personal preference would be to sit back and ponder, with a cup of Hot cocoa and Oreo muffin on the side. As soon as you take the first bite, it sort of just melts in your mouth, with a lingering sweetness on the tip of the tongue. The aroma from the hot cocoa as well added a playful flavor, affirming these two are the perfect combination.
As I set my drink aside, attempting not to finish it in one go, I find myself, once again, caught up with the little items around me. I felt like a little girl running around the toy store, picking up and playing with the stuffs I found. Everything around the shop was cleverly arranged, all had their own personalities, all had their own purposes.
"It's the little details that count"
One of my favorite corners would be this "子供注文" (kids-ordering) hole. Children have a special menu of their own, and can directly order via the tube. I hope the kids know how lucky they are
A coffee shop like no other
Now there are many things I love about this place (if it isn’t obvious enough), but what I love most is how all the earlier stress and sorrow were alleviated and filled up with happiness:
The ambience: an intimate, quiet hiding place that overlooks the friendly neightborhood, with soothing jazz and instrumental Disney classics played in the background (I figured the owner was very fond of Pinocchio as he occasionally put on "Wish upon a star" and other songs from the movie). Before I realized, I had been hanging around the place for almost 3 hours.
The pastime: customers can freely use and play with the items around the store, ranging from books, mini toys, or sketchbooks (yub, i went for the sketchbooks immediately). It was almost 2 months since I last picked up a sketching pencil. and I missed that sensation very much. Art is so therapeutic as it sets oneself free and puts the mind at ease (just what I ne
The experience: the owner definitely made my day, 100%, no questioning that. He was a tall, slim, middle-aged man with flowing hair and a pair of thick glasses. Although he denied being able to speak good English, the conversation we had proved otherwise. He did not seem like he was trying to hold a conversation, but rather, the flow was very natural, as he was extremely easy to talk to. To my surprise, I was the first Vietnamese customer to come to the store. He took out a book of countries around the world, a book that he asks customers to mark their countries of origin with a sticker, and write ”Where are you from?” in their languages.
Before I knew it, we went from discussing where to visit in Vietnam, to him showing me his Rock Collection (which, in fact, was amazing - he found a rock shaped like a car 🚘, a thumb-up 👍, and Snoopy the dog).
As I wrapped up my drawing and finished my drink, i knew it was time to go home. I inhaled, and looked around one last time: the wooden table and the wooden chair, my oreo muffin and my cocoa, the books and records and the hanging decorations . . . I carefully looked once more.
"What a magical place", I thought to myself
If only I had discovered this place a bit sooner, it could have been the ideal hiding, healing spot. But as always, we save the best for last, and I can't agree more.
Until next time,
Under the mat - a hidden healing spot in the heart of the city
Link: http://www.underthemat.jp/#
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underthemat_nakameguro/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Under-the-mat-1556627944664221/
UNDER THE MAT - BOOKS, COFFEE & A BIT OF EVERYTHING