A skip and a hop from Minami Machida station and Grandberry Mall in an unlikely part of town is a groovy little spot that goes by the name of 6889 Café, which is also incidentally its address.
This vegan restaurant is stylishly done up with lots of wood and plants, stained glass, and iron accents. A few screens are constantly playing offbeat movies like the ones where Johnny Depp wears a lot of make-up (which is, admittedly, most of them), world travel documentaries, and music videos for those of the reggae and world music bent.
The soundtrack tends to reggae, Tom Waits, plunky folk, and newer acts of the Paolo Nutini and Jack Johnson ilk. You would be at home here wearing hemp and tie dye, but at the same time the place is polished and sophisticated, and while there may be a touch of incense in the air, it doesn't absolutely reek of patchouli.
The menu is entirely vegan and tends toward Indian food with its curries and chapati plate specials, but also shows bits of Japanese macrobiotic style with offerings like the brown rice and veggie meat special, with a fresh organic salad to round it off. Other choices include pasta dishes, taco rice, chapati wraps, pizza, and ramen. We had the "fish" chapati wrap with tartar sauce and it was tasty indeed. A reliable choice is the deli plate, which comes with several small side dishes of the day such as cherry tomato marinade, fried eggplant with sauce, or simmered sweet potatoes, served with a portion of brown rice. A set plate of food will set you back about 1000 yen, while a la carte menu items go for a bit less. A kids' plate with a balanced meal and a few cute embellishments can be had for 780 yen.
Coffee, tea of the black, green, and herbal variety, sodas, and juices are all available here for about 500 yen per glass. The restaurant has a full bar and most standard cocktails can be made, and beer comes in many bottled varieties as well as one non-alcoholic - a Sapporo concoction. Drinks are a bit spendy at around 800 yen per if you're planning to tie one on, but an all-you-can-drink plan can be purchased for 2000 yen/2 hours for a selection of over 100 well drinks and cocktails. Party plans with course menus are also available
Those with a pooch pal can eat alongside their canine companion in the euphemistic "garden lounge" – a rather nice outbuilding with a woodstove, a decent selection of music playing from someone's iPod (it's possible to plug in your own if you book a private party) and a slightly more rustic feel than the main cafe. Finally, if you want to take it on the run, that's no problem here. They also deliver to the surrounding areas with a minimum 2500 yen order.
