The Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up Container arrives in Irvine, California at the Irvine Spectrum Center.
The metal shipping container is decorated in pink, with a neon Hello Kitty above a pink and white awning, and decorated with other Sanrio characters on the side. There is a very small patio seating area in front of the walk-up cafe with about five-six tables, enough to seat about 20-24 customers.
The pop-up cafe will be serving desserts and beverages, along with a few pieces of merchandise.
• Strawberry Custard Pastry Puff – $5.50
(Vanilla bean custard, strawberry, apricot glaze, puff pastry)
• Strawberry Cake – $9
(Fresh strawberries, vanilla bean custard cake, butter cream, with red chocolate Hello Kitty heads and bows on top and sides)
• Chocolate Opera Cake – $9
(Sponge cake, ganache, coffee and butter cream, with Hello Kitty images on the chocolate)
• Mixed Berry Tart – $11
(Vanilla custard creme, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and strawberry, topped with a chocolate piece of Hello Kitty)
• Birthday Cake – $7
(Vanilla bean cake, sprinkles, butter cream, topped with a red chocolate bow)
• Sugar Cookie – $4
(Butter sugar cookie with royal icing, shaped and decorated in the image of Hello Kitty)
• Mama’s Apple Pie – $7
(Assorted apples, cinnamon, buttery pie crust, topped with a small Hello Kitty crust piece)
• Strawberry Streusel Tart – $7
(Fresh strawberries, toasted streusel, butter tart crust, topped with a small Hello Kitty face crust piece)
• Hello Kitty Pocket Pie – $4.75
(Strawberry or nutella filling, royal icing, topped with red chocolate bow)
Drinks – $3-$5.50:
Lemonade and strawberry mint lemonade, hot chocolate, strawberry, peach and passion fruit iced teas and Hello Kitty bow water bottle.
Espresso – $4.50:
Americano (hot or iced), cafe latte (hot or iced), cafe mocha (hot or iced) and cappuccino.
Merchandise:
Ceramic mugs and T-shirts.
The grand opening was on Friday, July 15th, but I was able to attend the Private Preview Event the night before. I got to be one of the first to get a taste of the sweet treats and drinks that would be served there before the general public.
Among the beverages that was being served for this event was a Hello Kitty Spumante champagne that was mixed with a berry puree, which was very refreshing.
The Strawberry Mint Lemonade came in a plastic Hello Kitty Cafe cup, with mashed pieces of strawberry and mint. The latte drinks come stenciled with Hello Kitty’s face in cocoa powder on the milk foam.
Miniature versions of some of the desserts were available for tasting. The Mixed Berry Tart, Strawberry Streusel Tart and Chocolate Opera Cake tasted very good. Also served at the opening were some beef and chicken skewers, which were served only for the event.
Gift bags were given to some of the attendees of the event.
The bag included: A Hello Kitty Cafe box with a Hello Kitty Pocket Pie, Limited Edition Hello Kitty Cafe keychain and a voucher for a free dessert and beverage on a future visit to the Pop-Up Cafe, along with another box containing a Hello Kitty Cafe mug.
The pop-up cafe is located near the fountain in the Giant Wheel Court and will only be there, temporarily at the mall, for about a year before moving on to another location within the US.
The hours of operation are:
Monday-Thursday: 11am-9pm
Friday: 11am-10pm
Saturday: 10am-10pm
Sunday: 10am-9pm
For more information on the Hello Kitty Cafe Pop-Up, visit the Hello Kitty Cafe Facebook page at HelloKittyCafe and www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com.
