Want to relax and unwind at a cafe?
Do you ever feel that way?
You can enjoy chatting with friends, or simply relax on your own.
It’s easy to lose track of time in a cozy cafe, isn’t it?
At a cafe, the menu is important, of course, but so are the space and atmosphere.
For those looking to spend time in a relaxing, soothing space, we recommend mug, a cafe in Tamashima, Kurashiki City.
mug’s displays aren’t simply there for decoration; they’re designed to “create a soothing space.”
Now, let us introduce mug, a relaxing cafe in Tamashima.
It closed in December 2021.
The information below is from when it was open.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in October 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Open the door and feel your heart flutter! mug’s soothing space
mug is a glass-fronted cafe located along Prefectural Route 60.
You can catch a glimpse of the interior from outside, and it looks like a relaxing place.
With anticipation building, I opened the wooden door to find a soothing space.
There are five tables on the floor, with plenty of space between them.
If a large table feels like too much when you’re on your own, we recommend the corner seat by the window.
By the way, if you want to take beautiful photos, the corner seat by the window is recommended!
The lunch photos in this article were also taken at a window seat.
Apparently, the staff always use this seat when photographing the menu, too.
The corner seat by the window is a sofa seat raised one step above the main floor.
It feels like a little private space, so you don’t have to worry about people looking at you.
I think you can relax even more here.
There’s also a counter, so you can easily visit even on your own.
The space is enclosed by walls on all sides.
It has a slightly bar-like atmosphere, and this seat is relaxing, too.
Taste mug’s popular hamburger steak lunch!
Now, let me tell you about the lunch.
The “Rice of the Day” menu changes irregularly. On the day I visited, the lunch special was Japanese-style gapao rice.
The lunch menu also includes sandwiches, with the fillings and other details varying.
I had the popular hamburger steak lunch.
It includes the hamburger steak as the main dish, along with side dishes, salad, soup, and a drink, for 1,050 yen (tax included).
The hamburger steak lunch is a regular menu item.
Of course, you’ll want to savor the side dishes as well as the main hamburger steak.
The roast duck is firm, and its flavor spreads through your mouth the more you chew. The lotus root stuffed and fried with a sweet glaze is even crispier thanks to being deep-fried.
The soup apparently changes with the seasons. When I visited in September 2020, the soup was cabbage potage.
You might automatically think “cabbage means consommé soup,” but potage works well, too!
It was a gentle-tasting potage with a lovely cabbage aroma.
The main hamburger steak comes with grated daikon, so I thought it might be Japanese-style, but apparently not. The sauce is sweet and isn’t soy sauce-based.
There are small pieces of onion in the sauce. That makes sense! The sweetness comes from slowly cooking the onions until they turn golden brown.
The lunch menu as a whole is colorful, isn’t it?
The hamburger steak is astonishingly fluffy. The sweet sauce has soaked right through.
There’s rice underneath the hamburger steak, and it’s a perfect combination! I made sure to coat the rice in the sauce and enjoy it together.
There was also cream cheese sandwiched inside the thick hamburger steak.
It adds a mellow flavor and makes the dish even richer.
A wide selection of lunch set drinks. Ask for a recommendation if you can’t decide
You can choose a drink with your lunch, and there are so many options that it’s hard to decide.
There are four types of lunch drinks: those included in the set, and options costing an additional 100, 200, or 300 yen.
▼ Drinks with no extra charge
- Espresso
- Americano (iced/hot)
- Milk (iced/hot)
- Earl Grey (iced/hot)
- Darjeeling (hot)
- Ginger ale
- Tonic water
- Calpis
- Orange juice
- Grapefruit juice
▼ Drinks for an additional 100 yen
- Cafe latte (iced/hot)
- Flavored milk (iced/hot)
(caramel/vanilla/hazelnut) - Ginger ale (spicy)
- Calpis soda
▼ Drinks for an additional 200 yen
- Flavored soda
(blackcurrant/peach/mango/pineapple/green apple)
▼ Drinks for an additional 300 yen
- Draft beer (Carlsberg)
- Wine (red/white)
▼ When I couldn’t decide, they recommended the green apple flavored soda, saying, “It’s beautifully colored and looks great in photos.”
Wow! I couldn’t help exclaiming.
The clear, refreshing green is beautiful. The citrus orange adds a nice accent, too.
It’s fizzy and refreshing to drink, with a lovely green apple aroma.
Enjoy some sweets with your lunch
Since I was there, I ordered a dessert, too.
You can add the daily dessert to your lunch set for an additional 400 yen.
The homemade desserts, available in limited quantities, can also be ordered individually from 9 a.m.
With options including gateau chocolat and Takahashi black tea creme brulee, I agonized over the choice and settled on the blueberry crumble cheesecake.
The moist cheesecake is richly flavored and quite sweet.
It pairs perfectly with blueberries.
The whipped cream, by contrast, is only lightly sweetened, striking just the right balance with the cake.
This dessert also offers a satisfying crunch from the crumbly crumble topping.
The limited-time “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea” menu is also recommended
Here’s a quick introduction to something sweet.
mug takes part in “Kurashiki Afternoon Tea,” an event held twice a year in Kurashiki City.
The Summer 2020 menu was also lavish, with quiche, scones, and a wide variety of sweets.
Surprisingly, the photo above shows one serving.
I wondered if I could eat it all, but it was so delicious that I finished everything.
During the event, you can enjoy special Kurashiki Afternoon Tea dishes that differ from the regular menu.
The quiche, fragrant with cheese and made with zucchini from Ushimado, was also a special menu item.
There are plenty of sweets, too! It’s lovely to be able to enjoy them all at once.
I savored a summery peach tart bursting with juice and a rich chocolate gateau chocolat, among other treats.
Kurashiki Afternoon Tea is perfect for anyone who wants to fully enjoy both a meal and sweets.
It soothes and satisfies both the heart and the stomach.
The stylish Tamashima cafe mug has a great selection of meals, sweets, and drinks. We interviewed manager Kenta Chiba.
mug (Mag) details
| Name | mug (Mag) |
|---|---|
| Address | 439-3 Tamashima Tsumazaki, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Shin-Kurashiki Inoue Building 1F |
| Contact | 086-523-5150 |
| Parking | Available 5 shared parking spaces |
| Hours | 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (last orders at 5:00 p.m.) *Evening hours are available only for private bookings and music events |
| Closed | Thursday Thursdays and the third Wednesday of the month |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 18 seats Sofas: 1 Counter seats: 4 Tables: 5 |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | mug: Facebook |
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