The Cat Café (猫飯店 Nekohanten?) is a small, two-storied restaurant established by Cologne and Shampoo that serves Japanese Chinese cuisine. It was set up after they relocated to Furinkan in order to provide a means of financial support and place to live while seeking to entice Ranma Saotome to marry Shampoo. In support of his daughter, Shampoo's Father works here as a cook although he stopped appearing in the manga after his debut. After moving to Furinkan himself in pursuit of Shampoo, Mousse establishes himself here as well. The Cat Café evidently fairly close to the Tendo Dojo. In at least the anime, Kasumi Tendo describes it has having been set up "just around the corner".
Overview[]
The upper half of the building is the living space, where Cologne and Shampoo, and presumably Mousse, sleep, eat, bathe and relax while not working or interacting with the other characters or customers. The lower half is the restaurant proper. Cologne oversees the whole operation, while Shampoo's father is a cook and the two younger Chinese are both laborers. Shampoo tends to focus more on waitressing and deliveries, while Mousse is typically stuck with cleaning up. Ranma briefly worked here as a waitress when she was stuck in cursed form thanks to the Full Body Cat's Tongue.
The Cat Café is fairly popular with the locals, due to a combination of its delicious cuisine, the entertainment factor of seeing frequent fights and martial arts displays break out, and the attractive female waitress. Ranma and Akane Tendo also drop by the restaurant when seeking Cologne's advice. Several events have happened at the café, resulting in varying degrees of damage to it.
- Cologne's attempt to get Ranma to confess that he loved Shampoo after she had worn the Reversal Jewel[1][2]
- Akane is awoken from the effects of the Incense of Spring Sleep[3] (anime)
The following only occurred in the manga:
- Herb's first fight with Ranma[4]
- Pink & Link's attack on Shampoo [5]
- Shampoo, Ukyo Kuonji, and Kodachi Kuno's meeting on how to confront Hinako Ninomiya[6]
- Jizo's rescue of Mousse to go on a date[7]
- Kiima, Koruma, and Masara's first attempt to recover the Jusenkyo map[8]
A few auxiliary branches were temporarily set up in various locations:
- the beach
- Snow Mountain (anime)
- Unnamed South Seas Island (Nihao, My Concubine)
Menu[]
The café is known for its ramen, which the characters who visit are typically shown eating. It is also a member of the Ramen Vendors' Association. According to the Cat Café Menu Song, a song released by DoCo and sung by Shampoo's voice actress, Rei Sakuma, the menu consists of or at least includes:
- Ramen
- Tanmen (soup noodles)
- Chaahan (fried rice)
- Chaashumen (sliced pork noodles)
- Wontons
- Gyoza (fried dumplings)
- Yakisoba (fried noodles)
- Wontonmen (wonton noodles)
- Champon (pot luck noodles)
- Shumai (open meat wonton)
- Kanitama (egg fu yong)
- Moyashi Soba (barley noodles)
- Gomoku Wonton (rice-meat-vegetable wonton)
- Ebi Chaahan (shrimp fried rice)
- White rice
- Suigyooza (dumplings)
- Hiyashi Soba (cold noodles)
- Yasai (Vegetable) Soup
- Tamago (Egg Drop) Soup
- Gomoku Soba (rice-meat-vegetable noodles)
- Niku Dango (sweet & sour meatball dumplings)
- Kani Tama Soba (egg foo yong with noodles)
- Chuukadon (Chinese style ricebowl)
- Gomoku Chaahan (rice-meat-vegetable fried rice)
- Ebi Soba (shrimp noodles)
- Tenshindon (Tenshin-style rice bowl)
- Yasai Itame (stir-fried vegetables)
- Maabo-tofu (tofu stewed with black beans and pork)
- Subuta (sweet & sour pork)
- Nirarebi Itame (garlic chive & shrimp stir-fry)
- Happosai (eight treasures dish)