CAFE LAMA, a cafe in Kariya City where you can take a break surrounded by plants

This time we visited " CAFE LAMA" on the first floor of "LAMA APARTMENT" in Takakura-cho, Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture.

Plants and a sign with cute illustrations welcome you. LAMA APARTMENT, a 15-minute walk from Aizuma Station, is a complex facility that includes a cafe, hair salon, and baked goods shop.

The first floor is a cafe, the second floor is a hair salon and baked goods shop, and the third floor is a hair salon. (Business hours are subject to change. The latest information can be found on the store's Instagram).

The interior of the store has a warm, stylish, yet relaxing atmosphere. The owner, Mr. Kato, carefully selects the desks, chairs, and lighting in the store one by one.

The most particular of all is the plants found throughout the store. Some are rare species, and some customers come to the store for them.

Someday I'll have my own cafe.

Mr. Kato, the owner of the shop we interviewed

The owner, Mr. Kato, used to work in the restaurant industry. We asked him why he opened the shop.

Mr. Kato: “Originally, I had a desire to open my own cafe someday. I opened CAFE LAMA when I was 37 years old, but before that I worked at izakayas and restaurants.

I had fun when I worked in other people's stores, but the longer I worked there, the more I wondered, "Will I still be doing this when I'm 40 or 50?"

Either go independent or quit working in the restaurant industry itself. I thought about joining a company and working in development or education, but I still liked cooking and working in the field.

At that time, the current owner of "Salon Lama," who was originally a friend of mine, invited me to open a store with him, and I thought it sounded interesting. I was also attracted by the fact that it was a complex, so I decided to open a café."

Enjoy the change because it's your cafe.

Mr. Kato: “I think the most appealing thing about owning your own store is that you can enjoy the changes in the store as you change yourself.”

When you work in someone's store, you still have to put aside what you want to do and what you like to do, and adapt to the store.

As we get older, what we like changes. I can change the flavor of the cafe and the menu to accommodate such changes. I think it is only at my own cafe that I can realize what I want to do now.

I'm trying to fill the space with things I like, so I'm happy to have guests who are interested in that and share my enjoyment."

Mr. Kato has a wide range of hobbies, including plants, interior design, and music. The shop sometimes invites Irish musicians to perform live.

Something that satisfies both my customers and myself.

Mr. Kato: "When it comes to food, I want to offer something that I can truly and confidently say is delicious. I want to put 100 percent of my effort into every dish on the menu.

At one point, we added a lot to our dinner menu, but no matter how hard we tried, some of the dishes ended up being only 80% good.

Instead, I would make repeated revisions to each menu item to improve the quality of each dish. I thought that would be a better way to approach cooking.

We carefully select the types of menus so that we can offer something that satisfies both our customers and ourselves. ”

Special spice curry

Lemon rice and two kinds of spice curry (¥1,200, tax not included)

CAFE LAMA's recommended menu item is the "Lemon Rice with Two Kinds of Spice Curry.

A spicy chicken curry made with plenty of coconut milk and pork keema curry based on a Japanese-style dashi stock.

Although it's quite filling, the freshness of the lemon and the aroma of the spices will make you feel refreshed.

A lot of spices for curry on the counter in the store

All menu items come with side dishes.

Large onions grilled in the oven are surprisingly sweet and delicious! It's nice to be able to eat plenty of vegetables even with the garnish.

Classic desserts and baked goods

There is also a standard delicious dessert menu such as chocolate gateau, cheesecake, and French toast.

Baked cheesecake (¥400, tax not included)

French toast (¥650, tax not included)

On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, in addition to the cafe's original desserts, baked sweets from "beco" on the 2nd floor of "LAMA APARTMENT" are sold, and can be purchased exclusively for takeout.

Take out menu

In addition to enjoying a meal at the café, you can also enjoy the dishes at home with a take-out menu!

There are two types of lineup: “Lemon Rice Spice Curry” and “Lemon Rice Khao Man Gai Style”.

Take-out menu (¥1,000, tax included)

The owner, Mr. Kato, says he does not want to pursue profits only for his own cafe, but wants the entire community to thrive. Many local customers and customers from other stores in the area visit his cafe, and he also values local connections.

Please come and visit CAFE LAMA once to eat the spice curry that is full of commitment.