One place I really wanted to go while visiting Japan was this little place called MUM Cafe. I found it on social media, and I was very excited about it. With our busy itinerary, we managed to go towards the very end of our vacation. And even better, with my parents! It was located in more of a residential area, and the restaurant looked more like a regular home as well.
When you walk in, it is as if you are walking into someone’s home. Very cozy with tables and chairs that does not match, which I love. The atmosphere is very homey and comfortable. I believe this cafe is owned/managed by mother-daughter duo? The daughter greeted us with a warm smile and took us to our table. It was shortly after they opened, and we were the first one in. Soon after, it was a full house.
Their kitchen is by the entrance, I imagine small, like an old, traditional kitchen of a regular home. The reason why I say that is because it took a while for food to come out. The busier it became, the slower it got also. This is a place to relax with a nice book, or with a family and friends to enjoy each other’s company. Keep that in mind… The decoration was interesting, they also had some artworks by local artists. Another mismatching item was the lighting fixtures, they were simple and elegant, went great against the wooden beam accent.
We were there for lunch, and their lunch menu comes with a choice of basic drinks, such as coffee, tea, juice, and oolong tea. We tried their Coffee and Apple Juice. The coffee was really good, it tasted like the traditional Japanese coffee known as “sumiyaki Coffee” which is a coffee roasted by using sumi charcoal. It was very fragrant and tasty cup of coffee! The apple juice was really good too, almost surprisingly tasty.
For lunch, I went with Meatloaf (お野菜たっぷりミートローフ) (1,300 yen including a drink). It comes with hijiki seaweed and vegetable crunchy salad, marinated vegetables, barley rice, and miso soup. Look at the plating! Simple yet attractive and yes, efficient in the use of plate and bowls. I was so excited!
Meatloaf had honey mustard on top, which is unusual from American perspective, but unique and interesting. The slice was rather small, or I would say Japanese size. LOL. It was again, unlike any meatloaf I had in the US. Very original with bits of veggies, with sesame crust on top. Barly rice was fluffy and went great with everything. Miso soup was well made with deep earthy flavor.
Although the meatloaf is supposed to be the main item of this set, the “crunchy salad” was so interesting and fun to eat, and it was delicious! The salad content was inside a crunchy shell, almost like a thin taco shell. I’ve had taco salad in the past, and I always enjoyed it. The ingredients were all so fresh and the seasoning was perfect. I have never been a fan of hijiki seaweed, but this one was really good!
My hubby went with Soybean and Japanese Yam Croquette (大豆と大和芋のコロッケ) (1,300 yen including a drink). It comes with deep fried eggplant, marinated vegetables, sweet potato simmered in honey, today’s side dish, barley rice, and miso soup. Again, look at the plating! So cute and elegant at the same time.
The croquette was in a perfect dome shape, coated in a tasty sauce. Lightly fried and packed with natural flavors. Eggplant was really good too, actually, all the side dishes were delicious. It is not that they were super gourmet dishes you get from high-end restaurant, but something that makes you think of and feel of home. Think of your grandmother who is a really good cook, making you all these dishes with a flare.
Both of my parents went with Fried Chicken with Yuzu-Miso Sauce (揚げ鶏の柚子味噌あん) (1,300 yen including a drink). This one comes with hijiki seaweed and fried tofu salad, spinach namul, sweet & sour cabbage pickles, barley rice, and miso soup. Everything looked really good!
They were generous to share some chicken with us, and let me tell you, the chicken was AMAZING! It doesn’t look like much, but it was so flavorful and delicious! Although I was happy with my order, but still, I was very jealous of their food. LOL. Marinated spinach was nice and fresh, with just the right combination of seasoning., Sesame Mayo sauce was great with the seaweed and fried tofu.
With everything tasting so delicious, we had to stay for desserts… Good thing about Japanese potions, you usually have room left for desserts! MUM Cafe also had very interesting looking special drinks, so we decided to add some drinks too. We got Brown Sugar & Kinako Milk (黒糖きなこみるく) (450yen), Maple Latte (メープルラテ) (430 yen), and Black Sesame & Kinako Milk (黒ごまきなこみるく) (450 yen). They were all so very tasty!!! I got a sip from all, and I LOVED them all! The cup was not a large size, but I could have had a huge cupful of each one!
For dessert, we ordered Carrot & Walnut Cake (にんじんとくるみのケーキ) (450 yen), Chai Cheesecake (チャイのチーズケーキ) (460 yen). The carrot cake was tasty, with crunchy walnut. Simple and comforting. Cheese cake had very nice flavor of chai, with the chai leaves you can see in the cake. Rich and velvety, creamy and delightful.
Then there were MUM Parfait (MUMパフェ) (500 yen)! Look how cute and enticing! Again, it is not something super fancy, but tasty and hits the spot. It had some pound cake pieces, ice creams, and few other delicious ingredients in there.
We had a really great lunch here at MUM Cafe. The food, drinks, and the atmosphere were all great! It really was relaxing, and it is always lovely to be able to spend time with my parents. Since only one person is managing the entire place, and another person cooking, the service can be quite slow. But I really didn’t mind it at all. And the other customers seems to know this as well, so no one was bothered by it. I think it is such a wonderful little neighborhood spot, where locals can go with family, friends, or a good book. Stay a while and chill out with a home-cooked meal! I would love to visit again the next time I am in Japan.
MUM Cafe – 2 Chome 12-4 Chiyoda, Kashiwa, Chiba
MUM Cafe – 千葉県柏市千代田２丁目 12-4