Asia de Cushion

Chill out on beanbags and shag carpets in Kabukicho

Photos courtesy of C’est la vie Resort

Dangerous, crime-infested, dirty. Full of grimy telephone sex clubs, “soaplands” and mafia lairs. When fresh faces arrive in Tokyo, the first warning they usually receive is to avoid, at all costs, that cesspool of Tokyo known as Kabukicho.

But wander through this labyrinth, and maybe you’ll find a diamond in the rough. And maybe that gem will be Asia de Cushion. Cushion is one of a dozen or so dining and drinking spots around the city operated by the C’est la vie Resort group, including Shibuya’s ever-popular jail-themed izakaya Lockup, as well as Budweiser Carnival and Arabian Rock—both in the same building as Cushion.

But if there ever was a polar opposite to Lockup, this is it.

Stepping off the elevator is enough to make you forget the disgusting surrounds you must, sadly, experience to get here. You’ll need to go shoe-less before entering the lounge so as not to dirty the carpeting, cushions and pillows strewn about the long, semi-partitioned room, which seats 100. Candles burn on tables surrounded by a sea of orange walls and white curtains.

We were led to a comfortable knee-high table, and plopped down to order some drinks. Beer always tastes better when you can relax and enjoy it—and relaxed we were: those Coronas (¥700) were the best we’ve ever had. Cushion also takes the mojito (¥800) to new levels; each comes with a big stick of sugarcane to gnaw on as you savor the rum, lime and crushed mint leaves. The only misstep was with the margarita (¥980), which we hold to a higher standard after tasting the best of Tokyo, which can be had in Nakameguro at a little joint under the train tracks called Junkadelic.

With the night fully underway, we started with the dip sampler (¥980), which comes with three pieces of deliciously flaky palata Burmese flatbread. We can’t recommend this enough—and were happy to hear palata comes à la carte as well. We followed up with grilled eggplant steaks (¥780 for three), cheese gratin (¥680), and a few pizzas margherita (¥980) overflowing with basil and semi-melted mozzarella. For vegetarians, the attentive and thoughtful waiters prepared a special order of pasta, further cementing Cushion as our go-to spot in Kabukicho, if not all of Shinjuku.

After the drunken feast came some amazing desserts that were exotic, sweet and huge. Hailing from Vietnam, our Che Chuoi (a steal at ¥480) took top honors, with its delectable combination of banana, coconut milk and tapioca. There was also a parfait of bananas, chocolate and ice cream (¥900) that made us never want to leave.

Over the course of many visits, it’s become clear that those who know about this cozy corner of Kabukicho love and appreciate it. Asia de Cushion provides the food, beverage and respite—and the rest is up to you.

8F Shinjuku Square Bldg, 1-16-3 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5292-5547. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-5am, Sun and hols 5pm-midnight. ¥500 table charge, plus 10 percent service charge.

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