Here’s what happens when an employee of Final Fantasy’s publisher starts his own Tokyo café

https://ift.tt/2wyqTlG Casey Baseel

Chamber of Raven would be a cool video game stage, but instead it’s an amazing real-world restaurant.

“Chamber of Raven” sounds like the perfect name for the hub area of a video game. A place where rogues and heroes form unlikely pacts as they exchange information and pledge partnerships before heading out on grand adventures to make themselves richer and/or the world safer.

However, Chamber of Raven doesn’t exist in a virtual realm, but in real-life Tokyo. That said, its mix of Gothic and steampunk aesthetics still make it look like characters from a Final Fantasy game should e hanging around, and in fact the place is said to be owned by a former employee of video game publisher Square Enix.

But people don’t come to Chamber of Raven to exchange their pile of werebeast pelts for a set of upgraded light armor, or to learn the words to the incantation that’s been forbidden since it destroyed the civilization of the ancients, yet is the only way to defeat the evil encroaching on the borders of the kingdom. No, they come to eat and drink, because Chamber of Raven is an ultra-stylish cafe in the Ogikubo neighborhood.

▼ Even the maps to the restaurant look like directions for an epic treasure hunt.

The different rooms of the cafe each have their own unique feel, from the entryway with what looks like the skeleton of a compact dragon on display to the aptly named Crimson Bar.

There’s also a room that can be rented out for private parties, for those who’re dining with several comrades.

Considering the restaurant’s advanced design sensibilities, you might expect its website to be plastered with photos of its fare. Instead, though, it presents a series of masterfully illustrated representations, like something you’d find in the cooking mini-game portion of a passion project RPG.

▼ The most dramatic BLT we’ve ever seen.

▼ The cocktails, like the iced mojito green apple and caipirinha, look like they shouldn’t just quench your thirst, but also cure status ailments.

▼ Even the chocolate atop the banana pancakes is exquisitely decorated.

▼ And because every fantasy franchise needs a cute, comic relief mascot character, the latte art coffee features an adorable little raven.

Despite all the time and effort that’s gone into making Chamber of Raven feel like someplace from a world of magic and mystery, you won’t need to secure bags of gold of fistfuls of gems if you’re planning to go. Drinks run about 800 yen (US$7.30), most food items are around the 1,000-yen mark, and even the fancier items are under 1,500, which is pretty much in line for independent cafes in Tokyo.

Restaurant information
Chamber of Raven
Address: Tokyo-to, Suginami-ku, Amanuma 3-29-10
東京都杉並区天沼3-29-10
Open 11:30 a.m.-8;30 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays
Website

Source: Chamber of Raven via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Chamber of Raven
Insert images: Chamber of Raven (1, 2, 3)