If you’re hungry for cute desserts in Tokyo, the new Cafe Ron Ron offering conveyor belt sweets is a place you’ll want to check out!
Sweets and all-you-can-eat are words that go together well in our books. Now combine that with the idea of a conveyor belt restaurant, and you’ve got something that sounds delectably fun and tempting.
So when we heard that just such a cafe was opening in Harajuku, you can bet we were excited! We were actually fortunate enough to have the chance to visit this unique cafe a few days before the official opening, and we thought we’d share our experience with you.
Here’s the exterior of the new MAISON ABLE Cafe Ron Ron. The name of the cafe, Ron Ron, apparently comes from the French expression for the purring sound made by cats.
We’re sure everyone who was there was anxious to try some sweets going around on a conveyor belt.
The menu is all-you-can-eat for a 40-minute period at a fixed price of 1,800 yen (US$16), which you pay by purchasing a ticket from the machine at the entrance.
The ticket also includes a drink of your choice, which you can choose from the selection of teas, coffees, and juices that come in stylish bottles.
Some of the more interesting choices available include colorful drinks like rose water, mango & passion, and strawberry & passion. If you’re feeling particularly thirsty, you can buy additional drinks for 500 yen a bottle.
And now, for the sweets. Yes, they really were going around, just like at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, except it certainly wasn’t sushi on those plates!
Plate after plate of dainty desserts moving along right before your eyes — it’s a sweets lover’s dream!
We can certainly understand how people would be excited about capturing the long lane of desserts on their cameras.
You can choose from approximately 35 different menu items going around on the conveyor belt.
And unless you’re intent on eating every single item being served, we think you’ll have a pretty hard time choosing which ones to eat, as everything looks so pretty!
Let’s take a closer look at some of the treats on the menu. There’s jelly in a striking blue color.
Here’s a lovely looking chocolate cupcake.
The delicate crepe filled with whipped cream and berries looks delectable.
There’s also “cake on a stick” topped with plenty of cream.
They even have brightly colored cotton candy!
We also saw a matcha flavored mousse that should be a refreshing treat.
And not everything on the menu is sweet. If you want something salty for a change, they have potato chips…
…and other savory items such as boiled egg and mayonnaise on bread.
And they even have what looks deceptively like ice cream but is actually potato salad!
And here are some of the items they set aside specifically for us to view on display. Yup, there’s some seriously photogenic sweetness going on there.
The cat-themed treats are particularly adorable! Here’s a strawberry shortcake with a cat motif just begging to be admired as well as consumed.
Who would have thought that a cat tail would add so much style to a macaron?
And here’s a version that combines both a macaron and cotton candy! We hope wanting to try two sweets in one doesn’t make us greedy.
Obviously a piece of cat-shaped chocolate makes cake even more magical than it already is.
We selected a few items to try for ourselves. Having plates of delectable looking treats lined up in front of you is always a thrill, isn’t it?
We also chose a bottle of jasmine tea as our drink, which was truly refreshing and likely to go well with most any of the items being offered.
And how were the items we tried? They were delightful to both look at and taste. The miniature pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries not only looked divine, but the cream and drops of syrup placed on the plate added just the right amount of sweetness.
The dainty miniature dango dumplings made of rice cakes in three colors offered an enjoyable chewy texture without being too strong in flavor.
And to try something from their savory menu, we had this adorable miniature bun with Japanese-style yakisoba fried noodles sandwiched in between. The sauce used in the noodles provided an enjoyable change from the sweet treats.
Also from the savory menu, we tried a bite-sized steamed bun.
The bun contained a pork filling, which again provided a welcome salty flavor among all the sweet desserts.
But now, back to the sweets, since this is a conveyor-belt sweets cafe after all. As our final item, we picked up this dessert steamed bun. And how cute are the small cat paw prints on the bun?
To our delight, the bun contained a satisfyingly rich custard filling, and we loved it!
We definitely enjoyed the treats we tried, but moreover it was simply a delight to see so many colorful and daintily-presented sweets going around the entire cafe. We’re of the firm opinion that you can never have too many sweets options, be it ice cream sandwiches in drinkable form, mystery McFlurries, or even a scoop of the night sky.
The MAISON ABLE Cafe Ron Ron opens Monday, July 16. If you’re looking to get your fill of sweets and salty bites in the Harajuku/Omotesando district, this could be the perfect place for you. And it could also be your chance to find out just how many plates of snacks you can eat in 40 minutes!
Restaurant information
MAISON ABLE Cafe Ron Ron
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingu-mae 6-7-15
東京都渋谷区神宮前 6−7−15
Open: 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. (7 p.m. last order)
Website
Photos ©SoraNews24