Would you believe us if we told you the image above is not a bowl full of blue paint, but actually a batch of curry prepared fresh at the second floor cafe of the Niconico Headquarters building in Shinjuku, Tokyo?

Known as the “Unappetizing Blue Curry”, this 700 yen (US $8.70) dish is true to its name in that it doesn’t make your mouth water, but your stomach churn with nausea!

But wait, that’s not that’s on the menu! There’s also a horrible liquid concoction roughly translated as “Intense Disgusting Juice: Extreme”, which costs a shocking 3000 yen, or about US$37.oo. 

Why would they have such items on the menu? This is the question that piqued the curiosity of our own brave correspondent, Mr. Sato, who, no stranger to blue himself, was kind enough to sacrifice his stomach and give us a taste report. See what he has to say below.

■ So blue that it makes you lose your appetite
Blue is scientifically proven to be an unappetizing color.  They even sell blue-tinted eyeglasses  for dieters to wear so they lose their appetite just by staring at their food.  When it comes to food, the color blue makes you wonder if it is safe to eat, and that’s exactly how I felt with this bowl of curry in front of me.

■ It is tasteless and has no aroma
The look of it is so shockingly disgusting that it paralyzes the other senses.  No matter how much I sniffed, I couldn’t smell anything. No matter how much I chewed, I couldn’t taste anything.  It’s like the bright blue color controls the whole experience. The influence that the color blue has on a person’s sensory perception is larger than I expected. Still, I managed to finish the whole thing.

■ Intense Disgusting Juice: Extreme
It didn’t feel like I had eaten anything, so I decided to add an order of the suspiciously named Intense Disgusting Juice.  It costs more than a high-priced cocktail, but I went for it anyway.  After that curry, I thought I had nothing to lose!

■ This is what they give losers at game shows as a penalty
It turns out I had a lot to lose. Like, this drink is literally made for losers. According to the staff, this drink is ordered by groups, who use it as a penalty for losers to drink while playing party games, and also as a prank when filming Niconico videos live in the store.  It is intended to taste awful as a gag, but I couldn’t find anything to laugh about as I stared at the glass of mystery liquid before me.

■ The secret formula: fish, vinegar, and ice cream
I tried drinking it, but not before I smelled it first. At first there’s nothing, but then a slight sweet smell came wafting up to my nose, probably from the strawberry ice cream on top.  As soon as I took a sip through my straw, however, I got hit with the fish. The musky scent of fish filled my mouth, followed by a chaser of sour vinegar. When that was all over, the sweet strawberry ice cream kicked in but, as you can imagine, these are three flavors that should not be mixed together.

They told me it would be awful, but it was even worse than I thought! And I have to pay 3000 yen? Unwilling to let such an expensive drink go to waste, I held my nose and, with tears of frustration and eagerness, finished the drink.  This is definitely a good penalty for a drinking party…

For an experience in eccentric and peculiar dining, you can’t go wrong with the second floor cafe of Niconico Headquarters in Shinjuku.  And be sure to bring along some friends—or better yet, enemies— if you plan on trying either of these dishes on your own.

■ Information
Address: Niconico Honsha Bldg., 1-15-2, Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 
Hours: 11:00~20:00
More information here

The squiggly thing floating on top could be onion, the color keeps you from deriving any taste from this dish.

Here’s that water-color paint for you, with a little rice!

The superbly awful drink that costs 3000 yen!

The head of foam is enough to turn your stomach, Ugh.

This is the place! Just go on up to the second floor!


[ Read in Japanese ]