Magazines › 48hrs Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries Wednesday, 18 March, 2015, 10:50pm LEISURE Gloria Chan and Vanessa Yung With rents soaring in Hong Kong, many cafes are moving upstairs.We visit a few with quirky themes that are about more than just food and drink If you're a fan of cats, or dogs, of board games or comics, or you've got a thing for cute food arrangements, there's a place for you beyond the highrent monotony of streetlevel chains. Cat Store Nine cats roam freely in this treasure tucked away in an old building in Causeway Bay. The cafe started out selling catthemed products, says one of the owners Cat Li Yuetyu. The idea of having real cats in the shop started when another owner brought her cats to work in order to spend more time with them. Feline fine: moggies rule the roost at Cat Store (above and below). Photos: David Wong Most of the cats at Cat Store are adopted strays. You may find one sleeping peacefully next to
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3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries
Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairseateriesWednesday, 18 March, 2015, 10:50pm
LEISURE
Gloria Chan and Vanessa Yung
With rents soaring in Hong Kong, many cafes are moving upstairs.We visit afew with quirky themes that are about more than just food and drink
If you're a fan of cats, or dogs, of board games or comics, or you've got a thing for cute foodarrangements, there's a place for you beyond the highrent monotony of streetlevel chains.
Cat StoreNine cats roam freely in this treasure tucked away in an old building in Causeway Bay. The cafestarted out selling catthemed products, says one of the owners Cat Li Yuetyu. The idea ofhaving real cats in the shop started when another owner brought her cats to work in order tospend more time with them.
Feline fine: moggies rule the roost at Cat Store (above and below).Photos: David Wong
Most of the cats at Cat Store are adopted strays. You may find one sleeping peacefully next to
3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries
you as you sip on your drink, or you can grab a pet toy and amuse one of the kittens while youwait for your food to come.
Customers can enjoy the warm and fuzzy atmosphere in this cafe overlooking Lee TheatrePlaza, leave their comments or drawings in notebooks on each table, and learn about the ninecats via cute cartoons on the menu.
3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries
1,500 sq ft space originally housed a comic book store, and when it closed down six years agoand left most of them behind, Ease Cafe's owner decided to keep the impressive collection ofmanga.
Ease does it: manga fans are spoiled for choice at Ease Cafe(above and below). Photos: Edmond So
Current owner Nolan Ng Naikung has background in the food industry and confesses that heisn't an avid manga fan himself. Still, with collections ranging from the popular One Piece, to thelongrunning Captain Tsubasa and classics such as Doraemon, there's plenty to keepenthusiasts occupied.
It has ceilinghigh bookshelves and comfortable sofas as well a large platform in one cornerwhere you can slip off your shoes and lounge on cushions. While reading or playing board
3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries
games, you can dig into some pasta or a fullday breakfast and enjoy a bird'seye view of MongKok.
Banana boat.
Unit 250809, 25/F Golden Era Plaza, 39 Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok, tel: 2780 3362 [2]. Open:MondaySunday, 12pm1am
JPoint CafeA regular hangout for Japanese culture aficionados since 2004, JPoint Cafe is experiencing arevival since its recent move to step up its plating game. Inspired by fancy bento box lunchesJapanese mothers are known for creating for their children, owner Eddie Chan Yatfong and his
team hope their homey dishes can take guests back to their childhood and enhance the joy ofdining.
JPoint Cafe.
Get your cameras ready before the meal is served. While the lacklustre interior is hardly photoworthy, it is redeemed by the outrageously cute food arrangement. Think sweet curry ricereimagined as a sleeping teddy bear, tucked in a blanket of omelette with a polar bear cub(potato salad) and a brown bear (beef croquette). The "curly hair of a girl" turns out to be stirfried instant noodles, adorned by a pink bow made from strips of ham.
Chan is eager to roll out more designs. Even if you turn up hungry you may be reluctant to pokeyour fork into the food, so take a sip of the slowsimmered vegetable soup that comes with eachdish as you ponder the dilemma.
3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries
Jolly ThinkersIt is hard to get bored at Jolly Thinkers. Even if you try yourhand at one board game per day, it would take you morethan a year to be able to finish all of them. Started by severaleducators including Joyce Lam Yuenhan and John Guest in2006, the board game cafe has expanded to include twooutlets — one in Prince Edward and a newer, bigger branchin Wan Chai.
Although the essence of the cafes is to nurture a fun Englishand life skillslearning environment for youngsters, JollyThinkers has attracted a loyal following from all walks of life.There are staples such as Monopoly and Scrabble, but alsoa large collection of lesserknown finds. Meanwhile, fuel upwith their long list of drinks, mayonnaisesmothered bakedpotato skins or egg toast.
OnDogDog CafeIt can get a bit noisy — and smelly — at OnDogDog Cafe in Ho Man Tin. But regulars don'tseem to mind at all. As the five energetic dogs roaming freely around the 1,000 sq ft space arenot only incredibly lovable, but have been known to break into song when the mood strikes.
OnDogDog Cafe manager Candy Chung gives one of the residentpooches a treat; dining dogs. Photos: May Tse
The fouryearold cafe and the pack — three huskies, one akita and one shiba — are owned byBrian Tse Mingcheung and mostly taken care of by his girlfriend Candy Chung Cheukling. Theobservant customers soon realise it's actually a rescued ginger cat who rules the place. Guestscan mingle and play with the friendly dogs, but are reminded not to feed them.
3/27/2015 Dog, cat and manga cafes: 5 of Hong Kong's quirkiest upstairs eateries