Haute Couture Cafe, Meguro City, Tokyo

By Andrew Ferlitsch and Mauie Caratao

Disclaimer: Copyediting and polishing assisted with ChatGPT4.

The Haute Couture Cafe, a unique gem nestled in Tokyo, prides itself as a specialty afternoon tea store. This rare find not only offers a seasonal menu but also transforms its interior decor to match the changing seasons. Conveniently located at 1 Chome−16−9 Aobadai, Meguro City, Tokyo, the cafe is a mere six-minute stroll from Naka-meguro train station.

Upon exiting the station’s west exit, turn left onto Yamate-dori. You’ll spot the “I’M Donuts” shop marking the corner. Continue for approximately 150m before making a right onto Kamimeguro, where a “Family Mart convenience store” stands on the corner. Cross the bridge and take the first left onto Aobadai. After another 100m, you’ll find the cafe on your right, just past the Frapbois clothing store. The cafe is situated on the second floor, accessible via an exterior staircase.

The cafe requires a reservation. To make a reservation, you browse to the cafe’s website – https://www.hautecouturecafe.com/ – select ‘Menu’, and then click and select your preferred package. This will redirect you to the reservation site. If you prefer a more personal touch, you can also make your reservation by calling 050-5872-7271.

For this day, we set a reservation for 4pm for the Peach Afternoon Tea package, which is priced at 5300 yen per person ($36 USD). Their website describes the package as:

The main dish is parfait Peach Melba topped with a whole peach.We carefully select the ripest peaches from all over the country and serve them to you.

Enjoy with peach sorbet, Earl Gray cream, homemade white chocolate crunch, etc.

Peach is also abundant in sweets and savory items.

We have a luxurious lineup including cold peach cappellini and mousse au peche.

Upon entering, it’s impossible to overlook the restaurant’s lavish floral decor, cascading from the ceiling down to the tables. This summer season, the theme is “hydrangea”, a motif the cafe eloquently describes as:

The interior of the restaurant is covered in beautiful world hydrangeas, a combination of ice blue and pale
purple hydrangeas. Enjoy a gorgeous and luxurious afternoon tea that looks like something out of a
painting, in a charming interior.

Upon arrival, we were ushered to our prearranged table, already set with our Peach Afternoon Tea package. The sight was breathtaking, with the beautifully presented desserts surrounded by a sea of hydrangeas, even before we took our seats.

Once we settled into our seats, we took in the breathtaking ambiance of the surroundings, which was further enhanced as our hostess gracefully served our tea. The cafe describes the peach parfait as:

Parfait is a peach melba with an impressive appearance, topped with a luxurious peach.
We use the ripest peaches shipped from all over the country.

From the bottom, the parfait consists of peach sauce, Peche jelly, Earl Gray cream, homemade white chocolate crunch (granola, soufflé, almond praline), Peche cream, peach sorbet, peach compote, fresh compote peach, and coconut chocolate.

The parfait is a visually impressive peach melba with a luxurious full peach on top.

Peaches are shipped from all over Japan at their peak ripeness.

After taking our initial sips of the aromatic tea and savoring the delightful peach parfait, we found ourselves contemplating how we would navigate through the rest of the enticing sweet treats.

The cafe describes the right plate as:

Peach

TartinePavé

de chocolate pêche

Pave de Chocolate Caprese with peaches and burrata

Cheese Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich Peach and prosciutto sandwich

Having savored the delights of the right plate, we then turned our attention to the left plate, which the cafe describes as:

Poached swordfish with mashed potatoes and Vichyssoise with Genovese sauce Cold Peach Cappellini

After savoring the delights of both the right and left plates, we took a moment to immerse ourselves in a deep conversation and appreciate the exquisite interior design. Every so often, we would pause, contemplating whether to succumb to the temptation of the center plate, which the cafe describes as:

Mousse au Pêche Plum

3-layer entremets of citrus jelly

pêchet jelly and almond pudding

Eventually, our patience wore thin and we surrendered to our cravings.