It has been getting quite chilly lately. Being from Florida, this isn't my weather. I need to go somewhere tropical and take a holiday. But because of Covid, that really isn't a possibility. Is there a place in Ibaraki that makes it feel like I am somewhere tropical? Actually there is, and it is in the town where I live in. My wife and I decided to give this tropical themed cafe a chance. Off we went to Holiday's Cafe.
Holiday's Cafe
Holiday's Cafe is located in Tsuchiura city. It is pretty close to Tsuchiura AEON mall in the Kasuge area. The wife and I looked for it in Google maps and we're freaked out when we found it. The cafe is basically in the back yard of a house. I am not kidding. We both were wondering if it was OK to go in. After debating if we should go in or not, we went for it and went through the house's open gate. There isn't a lot of parking at this cafe. I would say only three cars fit in there. We both walked in feeling like we were trespassing, but once we went inside that feeling disappeared.
Inside
Well, the inside certainly had a tropical feeling and a very chill atmosphere. There was a fish tank, surfboards and guitars on the wall. There was a big TV and a N64 under it which surprised me. Sublime was playing in the cafe and the owner was just chilling at the counter. We sat down at a surf board table and checked out the menu.
Pancake Menu
My wife automatically went for the pancake menu. Got some good news for my fellow English speakers. All the menu pages are in Japanese and English. The top pancakes are the smaller sizes and the bottom pancakes are the bigger sizes. My wife decided that we would be trying the blue berry whip pancake that day.
Lunch Menu
The lunch menu is mainly rice bowl sets. The sets come with soup and salad. My wife had her sights set on trying the Jambalaya and I agreed. The drinks menu had coffee, tropical drinks and alcohol. There was another menu page which had BBQ written on it. It seems like you can have a BBQ with a small group of friends at Holiday's Cafe and the owner will lend you a grill.
Drinks
My wife ordered the pineapple juice and I got the Hawaii Kona blend coffee. The juice was cool and refreshing. The coffee came in a cool coffee plunger. It was so satisfying pushing that plunger down and then pouring it into my cup. The coffee wasn't too bad, not great, but not too bad.
Jambalaya
It is going to be hard for me to comment on the Jambalaya because I haven't really had Jambalaya in my life. I think this might be the second I have had it. The owner told us to mix the vegetables, egg and sausage together and try it. I liked it. I don't really think it was Jambalaya but a sort of Japanese fusion of it. It wasn't spicy at all and it was pretty light. It felt like I was eating a healthy dish. The small salad was pretty good and the soup was OK.
Blue Berry Whip Pancake
After we finished the Jambalaya, the pancakes graced our table and our eyes lit up. That mountain of whip cream was a sight to behold. My wife digged in first and had a look of pancake love in her eyes. The pancake was souffle style. It was incredibly soft and creamy, it just melted in your mouth. The blue berries were the frozen kind which I didn't mind too much. The whip cream with the pancake was absolute bliss. Everything was just so creamy and delicious. We were both glad we ordered the big pancake. My wife said that we were definitely coming back to try the other pancakes and she got no arguments from me.
Holiday's Cafe is an interesting place with amazing pancakes. I liked the atmosphere and I want to give the other rice dishes a try. The owner is really laid back for a restaurant owner which surprised me. According to the sign outside the restaurant, the restaurant seems to be more of a hobby. So don't expect the same professionalism you see at other places.
If you need a mini holiday with great pancakes, why not give Holiday's Cafe a try. Who knows, you might see the Ibaraki Eats duo there, my wife will be the one ordering more pancakes to try.
Enjoy!
For more information on Holiday's Cafe, check out their website:
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