High Tea, Art, & Kawaii Couture @ LA's Royal T Cafe

  If it has a pink tiara over the doorway, how can you go wrong? The Royal/T cafe in Culver City (Los Angeles) did not disappoint. Upon entering, the first thing I saw was a pink pony hair Richard Prince for Louis Vuitton bag (1 of 12 produced) on display, generously loaned by its proud owner.  In addition to this stunning piece, Royal/T houses a café, pop shop, and art exhibits that offer an entertaining plunge into contemporary Japanese culture.

Royal/T is modeled after the cosplay (costume play)  restaurants originating in Tokyo's Akihabara district. Cosplay sites are an important part of otaku culture, politely described as 'persons with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, and video games'.  In other words, nerdy guys who like the idea of having young ladies in French Maid outfits serve them tea and generally be nice to them. Although we didn't see any bonafide nerds, the young man at the table next to us, decked head-to-toe in tie-dye with his Teddy Bear in the empty seat, seemed adequately obsessed with some type of theme. 

In any event, whether or not you're into letting your freak flag fly, Royal/T is an excellent place to have a cuppa or meal at reasonable prices. Our pots of Royal/T soy milk brewed tea and Sencha tea were $4 each. Entrees are priced around $11, including a hefty Kobe burger and delicious plates of Japanese, French, and American fusion cuisine. Best of all, though, the maid service is sincere and sweet as sugar. Plus there aren't any pushy gallerists or salespeople to interrupt your enjoyment of the exhibits. 

Although we didn’t order food, we enjoyed the opportunity to relax and peruse the interesting art. We loved the wall size photos capturing aspects of Tokyo's Harajuku fashion culture, especially Goth Lolita as seen in Yoshinaga and Ishikawa's Gothic and Lolita and Godoy's Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion - Tokyo.

The store assembles an exquisitely curated selection of merch, from a wall of manga titles to a wide selection of books including my all time fave: Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook  Several available-only-in-Japan pieces highlight the collection, including the sold out Hello Kitty Tokidoki collaboration, in addition to the popular Tokidoki t-shirts (paired in the window with a tutu), the rare Moofia skateboards, and Kid Robot hoodies. If you’re a fan of Japanese Kawaii culture and enjoy a little kitsch, then Royal/T is a must see.

A few more pics covering the scene at Royal/T (click on pictures for larger views):

 

Comments

[freeteyme]

love that pink bag!