Royal Tea

When Kio first told me about Royal Tea, he prefaced it by explaining a newish fad in Japan, where you have these coffee houses where primarily men go and are waited on by cute girls in maid outfits. Hmmm? It took me a while to make my way there but there I was with Kio. Oh, this isn't what I thought it was going to be. The Culver City version is called Royal Tea at 8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City CA
(310) 559-6300. The owner is an art collector who has the largest collection on the west coast of Japanese Super Flat artwork, i.e. Murakami and Nara. Royal Tea is a showcase for this collectors collection but most recently has become much more than a gallery space. It's got a full menu, a hip gift shop, a film screening space, a performance space and yes, cute girls in maid outfits. I think what is interesting is 1) the artwork isn't for sale per se and 2) the "servers" are artists, at least the one who took our order this weekend. It helps that Kio knows the manager and evidently everyone else who works there. Every one's super nice albeit super flat. The coffee is excellent and the breakfast we had was delicious; granola and yogurt, breads with butter and jam, herbal teas and fresh fruits. However, it's the artwork that blew me away. What an amazing collection!