Vogue Cafe in Porto

The last time I visited a magazine-themed cafe was at the Nylon Cafe in Tokyo in 2012. I almost thought that such cafe concepts were only a thing of Japan. You can imagine my surprise and wonder when I discovered the Vogue Cafe while wondering the streets of Porto. I have since learned that there are Vogue Cafes all over the world, but this first one in Porto was still special. 

In the entry way is a small but stylishly designs shop selling books, wine, and other luxury items. Up a short staircase leads one to the cafe. 

From where we sat we had a view of the big screen, which played runway shows and other fashion documentary footage. 

After reviewing the menu and seeing the gorgeous bar counter, it was very tempting to order some cocktails, but I was already 3 months pregnant, so had to settle for some mock-tails. They were both exquisitely crafted and delicious. 

Breaking from my usual cafe tradition in which I only order espresso beverages, I ordered food at this one as well. The menu really tempted me and I wanted to try some of their offerings. My partner and I shared a pesto tagliatelle and rhubarb dessert. 

Unlike the Nylon Cafe in Japan, which was basically just a cool place to read tons of Nylon magazines from all over the world, Vogue cafe was much more about propagating the Vogue brand into all thing luxury. They didn't really have a lot of magazines lying around, and certainly not ones from all over the world. Still, this was a very worthwhile visit and I enjoyed the novelty of this cafe in Porto. 

Why Japanese Cafe Magazines are the best in the world

I was first introduced to the world of Japanese magazine on my very first trip to Japan at age 15. Since then, I've been saving room (and weight) in my suitcase for 5-10 magazines per trip. This obsession started with fashion magazine, then spread to travel magazines, and finally: cafe magazines.

What is a cafe magazine? We don't have such an equivalent in the united states. There are many coffee trade magazines for people in the industry. There are food and travel magazine that may feature some cafes. But nothing in the U.S. is quite like a Japanese cafe magazine.

The closest equivalent may be American websites that features cafes. Eater regularly publishes a heatmap of cafes in each city, so do local news sources like PDX Monthly, and of course every American knows Yelp. But these are simply lists of cafes that exist - and often only feature a short blurb and one photo.

Nothing goes as deep, or is quite as thorough, as a Japanese Cafe Magazine.

Here are 7 Reasons why Japanese Cafe Magazines are the best in the world:

1. Information Density

There is an enormous amount of information on each page, from photos to floorpans, to maps, to contact info, to stories, and blurbs. when it comes to Japanese magazine, more is more. In addition to cramming information in each page, you will fine ZERO pages devoted to advertisements.

2. Photo Heavy

In addition to jam-packing text on each page, there are color photos throughout the magazine.
No reader wants to spend time on long articles that merely describe a place - I want to see it. And why the hell not? If we can get photos from the most remote corners of the world, the journalist can damn well walk down the street and photograph a local cafe.

Let's zoom in one cafe feature, which shows 3 photos: one of the interior, one of coffee (looks like its in a wine glass) and one of a house dessert.

3. Food Focused (not just coffee)

In Japan, cafes are known for their food. They are most associated with foods like curry (Japanese have their own take on this Indian dish), sandwiches, and pancakes. If that doesn't tempt you, these mouth-watering photos will.

4. Atmosphere and Architecture

Cafes are not just about the food and coffee, they are as much about the experience of being in the cafes. That is why lots of space in cafes magazine is devoted to the architecture and interior design of a space. Some even go so far as to include floor plans.

5. The Human Connection

Short blurbs show you the owners of the cafes, the cafe staff, or the roasters. This allows you to learn about the people behind the cafe and to feel connection to them. Japan, after all, is a very relationship-oriented culture. I also appreciate that the magazines are pro-small business and seek to humanize the cafe experience.

6. Behind-the-scenes access

The magazines also give you an insider glimpse into the business of cafes. Differing from the trade magazine of America, in Japan they tell you only enough to appreciate the background. Short articles and photos highlight everything from local Roasters, to bean imports, to Menu Design!

7. Regional Lists

Lastly, this is my favorite feature of cafe magazines, and the very reason I buy them. Through their lists, I can learn about cafes in a certain city or region I am visiting, and then decide which ones are worth the trip and which ones to skip.

This is not merely a list with a few photos like American websites, this is thorough. Cafes Guides includes maps, contact info for the cafes, and even checklists that include info on number of seats, smoking/nonsmoking, wifi, take-out, and even whether you can photograph inside.

In conclusion, cafe magazines highlight every element of the cafe experience. Whether you are just looking for a way to pass time in a foreign city or you have an unrestrained cafe obsession like me, these magazine will delight and entice you to journey deep inside the world of cafes

The End of An Era

2017: My last cafe trip with Nylon; also pictured, my 2017 agenda, and Tote from Athens

I am writing this from a café which is both old and new to me. I was first introduced to Insomnia Coffee mere weeks after I moved to Portland in 2009. At the time, there was only one location off of Baseline road in Beaverton and I loved their ice chai so much I made the 20+ minute drive from my house every weekend. Naturally, Insomnia was the perfect setting for my ritual of reading Nylon magazine at a café. What began as a simple weekend amusement in boring Orange County, turned into an obsession over time which lead me to reading this magazine in cafes all over the world.

Alas, after a ten-year subscription to Nylon (which was transferred from Kinokuniya in Costa Mesa, California to Portland, Oregon to Oda, Japan, back to Portland, Oregon) I have decided to end my ritual. My reasons are many, and considered how long I have maintained this ritual, the extent to which it has followed me around the world (Japan, South Korea, Thailand), and how beloved it was to me, I feel I owe myself en explanation.

2015: A photo I took after moving back to Portland. Also pictured are my 2015 agenda, and Tote from Seoul. 

1. Nylon Magazine Changed

Nylon magazine changed for the worse in April of 2016. The magazine became significantly thinner, the paper became more light weight and shiny, like a cheap tabloid periodical. The back half of the magazine felt like it was made out of newsprint. The one provocative covers were replaced by close-ups of heavily made-up models. The visual aesthetic changed significantly as well. Instead of edgy contemporary styles, every model looks like she could have been pulled right out of a Nirvana concert. I don’t mean I just dislike the current season. I have had a subscription for over a decade; I have been loyal to this magazine even when the mainstream trends don’t appeal to me. I have help on through good and bad seasons. What I am seeing now is not a new season. It is a new direction for the magazine. And I dislike it. In fact, I dislike it so much that I recycled the new Nylon issues, something shocking considered how well-preserved my collection is from 2005 and on. 

Left: last issue of good Nylon; Right: first issue of bad Nylon. See the difference? 

2. Insomnia Café Changed

After building a new location 10 minutes further on Amberbrook Road, I began frequenting that store. It was great for a while. I also got a good seat. Customers where quiet and courteous, but the neighborhood has grown considerably in the last few years, and last few times I went there were not positive. It has now become so crowded that it is nearly impossible to find an open seat at any time during the weekend. This has become the de facto hangout for high school sports teams, coming in ground of ten or fifteen at once. Parents have started taking their tiny children there; not just one or two, but I once saw a father drag in a wheelbarrow of six toddlers. Barista have taken to playing 90s hits like the Backstreet Boys. It is no longer a place where I can read my magazine in peace. It does not create the ambiance I prefer.

Nylons from all over the world, read in cafes all over the world

3. I Changed

I made several lifestyle changes recently which seem incompatible with this ritual. First, I am no longer eating or drinking sugar. This means I cannot order my once favorite Iced Chai Latte, and if I can’t order that, there is no point going to Insomnia because I can get much better lattes in cafes closer to my home in Portland. Second, I no longer find joy in the long drive to the café, preferring instead to walk 30-40 minutes to cafes in SE Portland. Walking is healthier as well. Third, I am no longer reading fashion magazines. I realize now that one of the biggest contributors to my poor self-esteem and self-image is the fact that I have been constantly reading fashion magazines which, insist on showing me nothing but bone-thin beauty. I will never look like these women, so why should I keep looking at them. From now on, I will seek out new fashion ideas from bloggers who not only share my aesthetic, but also my body type.

My tradition of reading Nylon at cafes brought me much joy and stability for many years. I am a creature of habit, but this habit has seen its last days. I celebrate the end of an era at Insomnia’s newest location in downtown Hillsboro, where I have come for the first and last time.

Goodbye Nylon.

Goodbye Insomnia.

Old Habits Die Hard: Nylon in Thailand

For years I spent one Saturday afternoon per month at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Costa Mesa, California reading the latest issue of Nylon Japan. I had a subscription through my local Kinokuniya store, so the magazine was shipped directly form Japan to my local bookstore. When I moved to Portland I resumed my subscription with Kinokuniya in Beaverton, OR, and took up reading the magazine at Insomnia Café nearby.

When I lived in Japan, even in the rural mountains of Shimane, I would drive 40 minutes to Oda city and pick up the magazine at a “Just Books” store, then I usually preferred to read it at Starbucks in Hiroshima, specifically the one in Hondori, where the view from the second-floor window provided a great show of the fashionable shoppers on the streets below.

Now I am here in Chiang Mai, where I have picked up a copy of Nylon Thailand, and am enjoying reading it in the shaded patio of Impresso, one of Nimman’s many fashionable cafes. As I thumb through the glossy pages, I am struck by how location –specific the magazine is. I always loved Nylon Japan more than Nylon America because of it’s specific focus on Japanese brands and designers, Japanese photoshoots, and Japanese style and travel. In the Thailand issue, I am seeing similar signs of cultural specificity. One fashion photoshoot features EST, a Thai brand of soda. Another photoshoot features styles that I have only seem on the streets of Bangkok. A short travel guide has a series on fashionable places in Chiang Mai, very fitting, considering that I am here right now. Well, it’s looks like I’ve got my schedule figured out for tomorrow.