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Eat not like a king, but like a cat at this cat food-themed restaurant in Japan

Kay Feb 22, 2014
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Each year, cat lovers in Japan celebrate annual “Cat Day” on February 22, based on the fact that the number 2 sounds somewhat similar to the sound of a cat’s meow (pronounced “nyaah“) in the Japanese language. Well, this year cat fans will have an extra special way to celebrate all things feline — by feasting like a pampered cat! For a very limited time, Nestle Purina, the makers of popular “luxury” cat food Mon Petit will be operating the “Restaurant Mon Petit”, and while the restaurant is named after cat food, it’s most definitely a place for humans to eat, and in fine style too!

Befitting an establishment operated by a famous cat food manufacturer, the Restaurant Mon Petit is offering beautifully executed dishes that are recreations of actual cat food products. And not to miss such a special opportunity, one of the reporters from our Japanese site rushed to the restaurant to find out first hand what it feels like to dine like a cat!

The restaurant, which will be in operation for just four days from February 21 to 24, is located in the fashionable Azabu area in central Tokyo and has a very distinguished-looking appearance.

▼The exterior of Restaurant Mon Petit monpetit (6)

▼A very special feline greeting from the staff monpetit (28)

▼Stylish signs mark the establishment monpetit (7)

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Even before the food is served, cat fans should be particularly delighted with the staff at Restaurant Mon Petit, as they are in cat make-up and costumes.

▼It should certainly be a pleasure to be served by such a beautifully made-up and smartly dressed “cat maître d'”.
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▼All the other waiters and waitresses are also in cat gear — and we think they look adorable! monpetit (12)

And it’s not just the staff who are sporting cat ears in this restaurant. Guests are also given a set of “necomimi” — amazing (and ridiculously cute) mind-controlled electronic cat ears — to put on. These cat ears are supposed to move in response to the wearer’s brainwaves, and they should be an excellent way to start feeling like a cat.

▼Here you are, your very own necomimi head gear!
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Now, the cat ears are exciting, we admit, but this is a restaurant, after all, so we shouldn’t forget about the food, especially since the full course meal consists of dishes created by accomplished French chef Phillipe Batton and based on actual Mon Petit cat food products. Let’s take a look at the menu:

▼First we have a plate of several appetizers.
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▼There’s turkey terrine.
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▼This is the tuna with Japanese-style bonito flakes.
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▼There’s also the creamy soup with two types of seafood.
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▼This is the tender chicken breast cooked in a thick soup.
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▼And here is the chicken and turkey blend with cheese. It even has crouton-type crackers that look like a popular cat snack on top!
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▼You can choose either meat or fish for your main dish. This is the grilled beef — that sauce looks absolutely sumptuous.
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▼And this is the grilled fish in a creamy sauce.
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▼Of course, we have to have dessert — a beautiful crème brûlée!
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▼These crackers also look very much like a snack for cats.
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▼It’s not surprising that cats are so well-fed! They own us after all, don’t they?
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The dishes were all quite light in taste and not too salty, but that didn’t make them bland. Instead, the food tasted of the concentrated flavor of the protein-rich meat ingredients, which we guess isn’t surprising, since cats are carnivores, and their diet shouldn’t contain too much salt to begin with.

And what’s impressive about the menu is that the dishes were not simply inspired by Mon Petit’s brand image, but they all exist as actual Mon Petit products. Yes, the turkey terrine, the creamy seafood soup, grilled beef and fish all are cat food products actually on the market. Well, one thing we can say is that these cats certainly seem to be eating well — better than some of us, probably!

For cat owners, we can imagine it must be nice to be able to try the same kind of foods their beloved cats eat, especially when it looks a lot like the actual product, like the crackers on the chicken and turkey blend.

There are also other ways to have fun at the restaurant, like the virtual motion-capture game using a mirror-type screen.

▼You can see yourself reflected as a cat on this large mirror screen. monpetit (14)

▼The screen is connected to a live motion-capture device that reflects your movements.
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▼Oh, and you can of course buy delicious cat food for your cats too.
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The most amazing part about Restaurant Mon Petit is that everything is free! Yes,the food and the activities are all provided at no cost, in honor of “Cat Day”. We have to say, that’s awfully generous of Nestle Purina, but then again, they’re in the business of “luxury” cat food, so maybe they can afford to be generous.

Dining at the Restaurant Mon Petit is by reservation only, and normal advanced bookings have already been closed, but there may still be a few seats left the evening of February 22 and 23, although we’re sure they will be gone pretty quickly. You may not always be able to eat like a king, but at this restaurant, you can certainly eat like feline royalty!

・Details for Restaurant Mon Petit
Address: 2-25-32 Nishi-azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Open: February 21 (Fri) – 24 (Mon)
**Reservation by phone: +81–**3-5423-6720

Report：Megu Sawai
Photos：RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]