2019.11.20Very local spot, shopping arcade
The cafe has 2 doors.
“Jazz & Cafe Salle a manger” I run is a brick wall cafe in the Shimabara Arcade. While listening to jazz, you can enjoy exotic dishes such as tacos and gapao, and alcohol such as craft beer. There are also music events such as live performances in my cafe.
Next to "Cafe Salle a manger" is my younger sister's cafe. The cafe where you can eat sweets and pasta at a reasonable price. If you are a local, “Jack and the Beanstalk” may ring a bell. I had a sweets shop in front of Shimabara Central Park for 20 years from 1980, and moved here in 2000.
First-timers to “Salle a manger” are wondering which door to enter, but since inside of the cafe is connected, you can come in from either side. At 21:00, my younger sister's cafe is closed, so we will mark off in the cafe.
Exotic dishes using materials from Shimabara
“Jazz&Cafe Salle a manger” offers Tex-Mex cuisine (Mexican-style American cuisine) and Thai cuisine that are still rare in Shimabara. Because I studied at a friend's restaurant in Tennessee, USA before I started the cafe. The dishes are arranged in Japanese style so that people in Shimabara can accept foreign cuisine.
Popular menu is “Santa Fe Burger”. It is a spicy burger with 100% beef patties. Avocado dip is sandwiched with salsa sauce and sour cream.
After all, Shimabara has delicious vegetables. We use vegetables from Kyushu, mainly from Shimabara peninsula. I grew herbs such as Pakchi, Basil and Jalapeno. Shimabara also has herbal culture, such as “Former Shimabara Domain’s Medicinal herbs park”, so I hope that people who are not used to those fragrance will accept them little by little. There are also dishes using soft Shimabara beef.
Since the menu is written in English, foreign tourists and foreigners living in Shimabara often come. I'm glad that the relationship will continue even after returning to their home country, such as being connected via SNS and coming back to my cafe when they visit Japan again.
More live performances in Shimabara
Music events are held in my cafe once every two to three months. Well-known artists in the music industry, such as Masahiko Sato, jazz pianist master and Noriko Kojima, jazz fruitist performed at my cafe. They complimented me that this cafe has good sound! The material and shape of the wall are devised so that the sound rotates and diffuses well.
Because I was playing drums. A lecturer of drum class at Shimabara Arcade's musical instrument store. After that, I worked as a member of an amateur adult big band. I'm glad to hear that people who are not familiar with jazz say “jazz is also fantastic” when they listen to live music performance.
I hope that “Jazz & Cafe Salle a manger” will be a place for everyone to interact and help Shimabara's music scene and local revitalization. Let’s connect with others through music and exotic cuisine.
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You can hear some sightseeing information from local customers in this cafe.