This café is unassuming from the street, but the inside is charming! They have local art on display and some antique accessories. The music choice was so soothing. It's a small, quiet place, and the largest table is for 4, so not a place to go with a big group. When I entered I was greeted very cheerfully by one of the staff members who handed me a menu and explained that I could sit anywhere and come to the front when I was ready to order. This person and the other staff I saw were both so sweet but gave me plenty of space while I ate, which was much appreciated, yet they brought out my dessert shortly after I was finished with my meal and were quick to clean up when other customers left, so they weren't being inattentive.
I was impressed with how big the menu was. They have all-day Japanese breakfast, both traditional and Western-style, plus Japanese comfort food like curry, donburi, etc. And on top of the main food, a full coffee/tea bar and a large selection of Japanese desserts. I had the Japanese Style Breakfast with natto. It came out faster than I was expecting. Everything in this was very simple but it was all good, and put together made for an excellent comforting meal. I'm usually indifferent to miso soup, but this was one of the best I've had! I guess I've just been eating mediocre miso soup my whole life, because this was flavourful in a way that I didn't know miso soup could be. It was my first time trying natto and I really liked it! If it's your first time trying it I would suggest taking your first taste before mixing in the mustard, since I found the combination of the natto and the pungent mustard to be a lot to process at first. They go well together once you know what to expect. The breakfast is priced very well for the amount of food you get (~$10), but it was an extra $1.75 to add oshinko on the side, which seems a little steep for the 5 pieces, but since the base price was so low and because having the oshinko really elevates the meal for me, I didn't hesitate to add it. I got the Tiramisu for dessert. It was cute and the different layers were very balanced. Finally, I had a Hojicha Latte to drink. Originally I wanted to get the Lavender Latte, but I wanted an unsweetened drink, and the person taking the order told me they don't recommend the lavender unsweetened and suggested I could try half sweet, but I just decided to go for something else. The flavour of the hojicha was very pleasant, and I was also glad the almond milk they used wasn't one of the sweetened kinds. The desserts and drinks are also pretty inexpensive, which is especially nice to see for the desserts since they seem comparable to the stuff you see at boutique dessert/coffee shops around the city.
I would really recommend this place for simple and hearty Japanese eats in a calm atmosphere. I think if you came here expecting a gourmet culinary adventure you might be left underwhelmed, but (based on what I had) it's a perfect execution of straightforward and unpretentious comfort food, and they offer something unique from other brunch spots, coffee shops, and Japanese restaurants in the city, so I'm very happy to have discovered them. read more