Eerie Christon Cafe (2004-11-22)
The restaurant where KL took me to have dinner the day we went Christmas shopping is called Christon Cafe. It is located on the 8th floor of the big building on Yasukunidori Street in Shinjuku (
)
where I sometimes have yumcha with my girlfriend.The first impression that hit me when I walked into the restaurant
was how dark and smoky (from cigarettes) it was. The decor of the
restaurant plays on the theme of Christianity with numerous statues of
Jesus, Mary and other biblical figures throughout the interior.
The high ceiling from which hugh chandeliers elaborately decorated with
crosses hang above our table. There are sconces on the wall lit
with electric lights and large candles burning on the banisters of the
staircase. A big and prominent setting of the statue of Christ,
relics, lighted candles and altar decorated one end of the
restaurant. It's as if the restaurant is renovated from a church
with pews replaced by tables and chairs. The ambiance can be
quite creepy and unnerving to devout Christians, some might even say
the use of symbolic religious artifacts for commercial gain is
blasphemous. The
eeriness in the restaurant is greatly lightened by the ear-poppingly
loud music in
the background and all the conversation and noise diners make.
A restaurant can't survive on gimmicks alone, food is what it sells
afterall. Apart from the unusual decor, Christon Cafe has very
good dishes and they are presented beautifully, but they took a little
long to come to our table. If you want an intimate dinner with a
loved one, this restaurant is not a good choice. All your
intimate words will be drowned out by loud music and shouting over a
meal is unlikely to impress your guest. But if you are looking
for an unusual place and delicious food to surprise your friends,
Christon Cafe may very well be the one.
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