Coffee House The CAFE — Restaurant in Yokohama

Hotel New Grand is the birthplace of Doria, Neapolitan pasta, and pudding a la mode.

Hotel New Grand History from its homepage:

Since its opening in 1927, the Hotel New Grand has been witness to the history of the exotic port city of Yokohama as Japan's leading hotel.

The Main Building, which remains unchanged from 1927, has welcomed many historic figures including General MacArthur, Charlie Chaplin, and Babe Ruth. From the guest rooms, restaurants, and banquet halls in the Tower adjacent to the Main Building, you can enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the port of Yokohama, such as the Bay Bridge, Osanbashi Pier, and the night view of the Minato Mirai district.

Under the slogan "the latest equipment and French-style cuisine," the Hotel New Grand has made significant efforts to make its restaurants shine. As part of this endeavor, the first grand chef, S. Weil, played an important role; he not only produced authentic French dishes but also incorporated dishes inspired by the free spirit of downtown Paris into a hotel restaurant, though at that time such restaurants were usually very formal and classical. He also demonstrated a customer-oriented food service by offering an a la carte menu in addition to the course menu.

Furthermore, he introduced rice gratin, spaghetti Napolitan, and pudding a la mode, dishes that are now widely enjoyed throughout Japan. He therefore significantly influenced Japanese food culture.

These "yoshoku" (Western-style) dishes, which originated at the Hotel New Grand and spread across Japan from Yokohama, are still served at the coffee shop on the first floor of the...

Was giving myself a little treat as this place was known as the birthplace of seafood Doria, spaghetti napolita and pudding a la mode. Perhaps my expectations are high , surely I'm disappointed. Do not know why I was chuck right at the rear corner of the cafe , where the staff hardly "patrol" the zone. I couldn't feel the heart of service by them to render that extra dime here. Language itself is a barrier as only one staff could speak decent amount of English . I will gave an illustrations of heartless service here. When the waiter set up my table, he places the disposable wet nakpin over the serviette covering the property logo. I couldn't believe such 5 star hotel staff could made such juvenile mistake let alone a Japanese historical entity. Water wasn't refilled as and when . Most of the time , the staff congregate around the table of a local old couple making small talk. Probably they are the regular there. Food wise , Doria is ok , generous with its prawns . Almost 80% of bite , there is a peice of prawn . Cream is mellow. Other than the generous amount of prawn nothing to shout about. Coffee is average. Dessert is average too. Pudding has its right amount of bounce and richness though. I tried two of their three signatures but was not impressed. Not extremely tasty not outstanding. Sub par service, average food. Nothing for me to justify paying extra other than the historic legacy...

This is the place where the Japanese "Napolitan" spaghetti was born. The only thing that really makes it distinct from regular spaghetti is the fact that it uses ketchup, so it has a sweet twist to it. And that might not be for everyone. For me, it's nice as a one-time try, but I don't see myself going back for it again. Otherwise, the setting and atmosphere is really quiet and classy,...