A Polished Little Jewel: Café Verführen
Last year, I served in the YaoiCon café. It was a lot of fun, but I think our guests deserved better, and I felt compelled to apologize. senshixdoukeshi linked it over on the YaoiCon forums, where some people thought I was being unreasonable, some were supportive, and more than a few mentioned Café Verführen. 
I’d heard about it, of course, but I hadn’t actually attended, and I made a point of going this year. I was lucky enough to secure a reservation for one of their Friday-evening sessions.
To visit, I had to leave the frantic, hurried energy of the con; it takes up an inconspicuous, well-furnished suite tucked away on the third floor of the hotel. There was a small line waiting by the door when I arrived, but Café Verführen seats only twenty-two at capacity, which kept the group small and patient. Everyone was seated in short order, more or less on time. I can’t imagine that the two cafés attract substantially different clientele, so I’m left crediting the room’s accoustics for keeping the background noise to a low murmur. The quiet was a very nice touch; even when the evening ran a little behind schedule, the atmosphere stayed relaxed and graciously unhurried.
Having experienced (and enjoyed) the (non-professional) host-café as both server and guest now, I have a hard time expressing how much I admire what Café Verführen has created. Details like that make the difference between a great event and a mediocre one, and the details are where they sweep the field. They’ve created something full of little refinements, tiny considerations of the nuances of their guest experience. Some of them are as simple as sheets of paper; the menus weren’t printed on plain white bond, and they weren’t stack-cut to quarter-sheet. The drinks are served in glass, not Styrofoam. Those sound small, almost inconsequential, and on one level they are, but on another they’re tactile, hardwired directly to the brain, and I felt the difference even through gloves. Those choices have weight, in a very literal way, and even if they weren’t made consciously, weight has meaning; it feels like a natural manifestation of a commitment to do things right.
I felt a sense of pride coming from the staff - not arrogance, just confident, fannish pride, a friendly sort of Look at this wonderful thing we’ve made to share with you - and I think it’s well-justified. Our food came arranged on small, comfortable plates, simple and well-executed. One of my tablemates ordered a cocktail, some beautifully colorful concoction decorated with lemon and cherry, and mentioned that, even half-consumed, it looked like it had come out of some food-porn magazine studio.
N.B.: not all of the cocktails are fancy or proper; one I noticed consisted of a can of soda topped in whipped cream. I’m sure there’s a story behind that. This is almost expected when the sealed packets on the tables are not, in fact, moist towelettes.
As food-centric a person as I can be, though, I have to say that host cafés should not be slightly-pricey at-con restaurants; the hosts should be their star attractions. Again, Café Verführen shines through in the details. Almost by necessity the YaoiCon Café’s boys exist in vacuums, apart from one another, if they step in-character at all; it’s hard to construct a milieu where so many different characters (from so many different worlds and genres) can wait tables side by side. On the other hand, Café Verführen has a unified sense of identity, and it gives the staff room to create not only distinct, in-context personas, but also chemistry.
For example, the chef is temperamental about his kitchen, and he commonly shouts at waiters and underlings who get in his way, even threatening them with bodily harm. Sometimes he even locks horns with his half-brother, the owner; in perfect YaoiCon fashion they manage to kiss and make up once their tempers cool. Even in lower-key moments it’s hard to escape the feeling that these characters have lives that their guests never see; Jacob, one of the servers, is an artist in his off-time, and he can’t resist signing the desserts he serves, or decorating them with flourishes and hearts. In one-off comments, in-jokes, and body-language, the staff suggest that we’re only seeing a few scattered pages out of some longer, cohesive narrative. As much as Jacob likes to sulk and mutter about the drama surrounding him, I think that even he would admit that it’s a pleasure to be drawn in, at least for a little while.
All this said, Café Verführen isn’t perfect; for all its polished details, it misses one or two, slipping out of character here and there to remind us of its charming, fannish roots. It might be better that way; I think I might feel exploited afterwards, almost offended, if it were too professional.
I’m gushing a little bit, I know, because it struck a chord with me, something more important than a light dinner and an evening’s entertainment. Last year, after serving, I said that our guests deserved better than what we offered. For this visit, at least, Café Verführen was the better that I hoped we could have given.
That sounds wonderful and I’ll have to make a point to go next year. ^_^ Cafe V always gets good reviews from the people I talked to. This review and the pictures just make me want to go that much more. The food looks good and it looks like a good time. Thank you for the review and I’m hoping that someone will elaborate on the Bishie brunch, I’m rather curious to how that went down.
Hello Adrian,
I am Matsuo from Café V (The angry chef you mentioned above). Jacob pointed this post out to me, and after reading it over, I have to say this is one of the best, most well written reviews that we have received to date. I speak for the Staff of Café V when I say that we are sincerely happy that you enjoyed our event.
I hope you don’t mind if we share this review with others: And I would like to ask permission to link to it on our website (I am looking to create a feedback area so that future guest may read the reviews and experiences of past guests)
Again, thank you for this review. It was delightlyfully well written and the photos added much to help the reader really get a feel for what Café V offers.
Sincerely,
Matsuo Tsukihara
Hi Matta!
Welcome to my corner of the Internet! Are you sure you don’t like my review just because it’s so positive? It’s always easier to link to someone who doesn’t have many bad things to say about your event. I tease, of course; please don’t hit me when I come in next year. ;)
In all seriousness, though, I’m flattered; please feel free to link and quote as much as you’d like. I wouldn’t post if I didn’t want to share my thoughts.
Thank you to the staff, for raising the bar.