Have you ever had an unexpected craving for Neapolitan pasta?
It's not the kind of spaghetti you'd find at a convenience store or a chain restaurant, but the kind you'd find at a local coffee shop. When I picture myself ordering it with an iced coffee, I can't think of anything else. My head is completely filled with spaghetti and iced coffee.
Although my image of the place was swelled, I couldn't immediately think of a coffee shop in Yoyogi that served Neapolitan pasta. Still, I searched across the station, hoping there would be at least one, and finally found that "coffee shop." It was called Cafe Restaurant Maison de Poupée. As usual, it was a bit of a walk from Monosas (12 minutes from Monosas, 4 minutes from Yoyogi Station), but for Neapolitan pasta and iced coffee, I didn't mind.
Reunion with Cafe Restaurant Maison de Poupée
Actually, I've known about this restaurant for quite some time. I kept walking from Yoyogi Station towards Sendagaya in search of a coffee shop, and just when I thought I should stop, I suddenly realized, "Hey, I've been here before," and stopped. The exterior is the same as it was before. Looking closely with a mixture of surprise and nostalgia, I discovered the words "Spaghetti Napolitan" on the menu sign next to the door (ecstatic)!
I had completely forgotten about it until I was standing in front of the store, but when I used to go to the gym in Yoyogi once a week, I used to have tea with a friend at this shop on my way home.
"Little House" in Yoyogi
The first thing you notice when you enter the shop is the amber-colored walls stained with tobacco. On the walls are several paintings with a French doll motif. The name of the shop, Maison de Poupée (French for dollhouse), must have been inspired by these paintings.
I was impressed that the interior was just as I remembered it, and it made me realise that they must have been careful to preserve the image of the store.
While the shops on either side of it have changed, this shop is the only one that has remained the same, making it seem just like the fairy tale "The Little House."
The inside of the restaurant around 3pm on a certain day. The restaurant is always full during lunch time, so you have to wait outside to get in.
Here's one thing you'll find in any coffee shop. It may seem like a given, but smoking is permitted throughout the cafe. Perhaps because of this, I felt that most of the customers were businessmen from the neighborhood, and regulars. Newspapers are also available.
The Neapolitan pasta is delicious, even though the noodles are thin.
Ohiya, a wet towel, and a large menu with a vinyl cover were placed on the table. When I opened the menu, I saw a parade of Western dishes such as omelet rice, shrimp doria, pork ginger, and hamburger steak (delight)! Today, of course, I had no choice but to have the Neapolitan (although I was actually undecided). Salad and coffee were included for 650 yen. I was also impressed with the price. As I was eating the salad that was brought out earlier, the long-awaited Neapolitan arrived, piled high in a dome shape.
The long-awaited Neapolitan spaghetti, served with salad and coffee or tea, costs 650 yen.
The spaghetti noodles are surprisingly thin, but they mix well with the main ingredient of minced meat, so this thin noodle Neapolitan is good in its own way. It also contains the standard mushrooms, bacon, onions, and green peppers. And it has a lot of ketchup. It tastes just like the Neapolitan you imagine. With the powdered cheese (the green tube kind) and Tabasco on the table as accents, I ate the whole thing in one go while drinking iced coffee.
I found the place I had imagined, and was able to eat what I wanted. It was a very satisfying lunch. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and drinking iced coffee.
I heard from the owner that it has been open for about 25 years. In an era when ordinary local coffee shops are becoming rare, Maison de Poupée has continued to operate unchanged and is a place of relaxation for people looking for a coffee shop where they can eat Neapolitan pasta.
After the Neapolitan, we had omurice, and of course iced coffee.
Cafe Restaurant Maison de Poupee
Chateau Yoyogi 1F, 4-27-13 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku
TEL: 03-5410-3671
[Monday to Friday] 11:00 - 23:00
[Saturday] 11:00 - 23:00
Lunch service
FURIHATA Yukari