Since its inception, the Aniplus Cafe at Singapore’s Esplanade Mall has played host to many exciting collaborations including a yearly partnership with Hololive, one of the world’s biggest VTuber agencies.
The latest Hololive x Aniplus celebration featured food and drinks inspired by eight VTubers, namely Hoshimachi Suisei, Minato Aqua, and Tokoyami Towa from Hololive JP; plus Mori Calliope, Takanashi Kiara, Ninomae Ina’nis, Gawr Gura, and Watson Amelia from Hololive EN.
As huge VTuber fans ourselves, we jumped at the opportunity to check it out! Here’s what we thought:
The Ambiance
The Aniplus Cafe was decorated both inside and out with artwork of the eight featured VTubers, from posters on the walls to standees that visitors could grab a selfie with. The mood was enhanced further by television screens in the venue playing a variety of Hololive song covers, so visitors could enjoy the music while they dined.
Upon walking into the cafe, a friendly staff member showed us to our table – which featured more Hololive artwork – and explained the rules of the cafe to us, including the event’s 1-hour time limit, and which dishes were still available to order.
While we waited for our orders to be prepared, we checked out the rest of the cafe’s decor, which included a wall where visitors to the cafe could leave drawings or messages for other fans to discover.
The Food & Beverages
The menu was made up of an array of themed dishes and beverages inspired by the featured Hololive talents. We were able to try all four main dishes: Gura’s Creamy Salmon Pasta, Suisei’s Spicy Yakiniku, Aqua’s Master Omurice, and Kiara’s KFP Fried Chicken Platter.
We also ordered three desserts – Calliope’s Parfait of Death, Amelia’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake, and Towa’s Angel & Devil Lava Cake – while washing it all down with Suisei’s Apple Juice, Calliope’s Sangria Mocktail, Kiara’s New Iced Tea, and Amelia’s Thai Iced Tea.
Though the dishes themselves weren’t particularly remarkable in terms of taste, the presentation of each dish brought things to the next level. Every detail seemed to have been taken into account, from custom shaped fish nuggets in the pasta, to lovingly crafted messages on the omurice, and even edible glitter mixed into some of the drinks.
Plus, each dish came with a cute mini standee of their respective VTubers, which was a nice bonus for the collectors among us.
If we had to pick a favourite, we’d have to go with the Spicy Yakiniku for a filling main course that will definitely leave you satisfied, paired with the Apple Juice or Sangria Mocktail for a refreshing drink. The desserts were all equally tasty, with each one sure to impress any sweet tooth.
The Official Merch
Speaking of collectibles, each purchase of a meal over $15 entitled you to a free Hololive coaster and lunch mat featuring the talents involved in this event. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for Hololive merch collectors though, as the Aniplus cafe also featured a wide range of collaboration-exclusive goods that were available for fans to buy.
Merchandise purchases also came with their own set of free gifts: a sticker for purchases over $15, a hologram ticket for purchases over $30, and a holographic fan for purchases over $50. For those looking to score specific merch items, we recommend booking an early slot and regularly checking Aniplus’s socials for merch updates, as a good number of items had already been sold out before our visit.
Aside from Hololive, there was also merch from various other fandoms on sale, such as Vocaloid, Trigun Stampede, Tears of Themis, Heaven’s Official Blessing, and many more. We’d love to come back at another time just to check out the wide range of merch they had on display!
Conclusion
Overall, we enjoyed our time at the cafe and would recommend it to other fans looking to have a relaxing lunch or dinner while surrounded by all kinds of Hololive decor. Though the prices are slightly on the steep side, we felt that it was ultimately worth it as the cafe was quite generous with the portion sizes and the amount of freebies we were able to redeem.
The event is ongoing until the 11th of January, so why not try it for yourself? Check out Aniplus’s website for more details!
