[Tokyo 東京] Cobi Coffee 古美珈琲

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Cobi Coffee

Add: 5-10-5 Minato, Minami Aoyama, Tokyo / 東京都港区南青山 5-10-5 第一九曜ビル 1F
Tel: +81-3-6427-3976
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8am-8pm [Sat-Sun] 9am-8pm
Website: bloom-branch.jp/shop/aoyama
Price: coffee 450~750 yen
Visited: Oct 2016

Before we talk about Cobi Coffee, let’s take a look at Bloom & Branch, the select shop that houses the cafe. Bloom & Branch is a boutique with a curated selection of clothing and housewares, highlighting craftsmanship whether it’s a pair of jeans or a coffee cup. Curiously, it’s also got a shoe shine bar called  “The Bar by Brift H” installed right at the center of the boutique – very stylish.

南青山有一家非常漂亮的 select shop,名為 Bloom & Branch。這裡除了有服飾、雜貨、咖啡之外,非常有意思的一點是裡面的 “The Bar by Brift H” shoe shine bar(擦鞋吧)。想要保養皮鞋的,不論是擦拭,清理劃痕還是補色,都可以在這裡得到服務,這個一般的合集店可是沒有的。

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In the right corner of Bloom & Branch is Cobi Coffee, a sleek little cafe done in seasoned wood, aged brass, and copper. The seating arrangement is modeled after a Japanese tea room, where the host sits at the center and prepares tea in front of the guests. Cobi (古美) translates roughly to “beauty in age”, and this is reflected in many parts of the coffee shop, such as the beautiful copper pot and the ceramic cups in which coffee is served.

而位於 Bloom & Branch 入門口角落的 Cobi CoffeeCobi 也很有自己的風格。(こび)意思是 “古美”,很有味道的一個名字,店裏的裝修和杯具也都是如其名的沈穩古典風格。

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The coffee is from Obscura Coffee Roasters, and though they offer espresso drinks, the pour-over coffee prepared through a cloth filter is what they most excel at.

而 Cobi Coffee,則是由位于三軒茶屋的咖啡名店 Obscura Coffee Roasters 打造。這裡有義式咖啡也有手沖咖啡,不過手沖咖啡似乎比較出色。

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[Tokyo 東京] Yakumo Saryo 八雲茶寮

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Yakumo Saryo 八雲茶寮

Add: 3-4-7 Yakumo, Meguro Ku, Tokyo / 東京都目黒区八雲 3-4-7
Tel: +81-3-5731-1620
Hours: 9am-9pm
Website: yakumosaryo.jp
Price: tea 1,090~2,300 yen
Visited: Oct 2016

It took us a little while to find Yakumo Saryo. This restaurant, hidden inside a quiet residential neighborhood in Meguro, was about a 15-minute walk from the closest station Toritsu Daigaku. After some exploration and retracing of steps (even with Google Map), we arrived at the restaurant, which looked more like a private mansion with a large yard, all ensconced in shades of green. The calming ambience is immediately soothing, and all of our worldly worries seem to be left at the door.

這次在東京探訪的第一家茶館隱身於目黑區安靜的住宅區內,門口看上去像是個有大庭院的私宅,低調的寫著 “八雲茶寮”。要不是事先打聽好,路過就算注意到,也不敢貿然入內吧?穿過庭院來到入口處,靜谧的氣氛讓人心自然沈澱,所有令人煩惱的思緒,都遺留在布簾之外。

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The founder of Yakumo Saryo is designer Shinichiro Ogata, whose design studio Simplicity has put together well-known interior design works throughout Japan, such as Aesop Shinsaibashi and Andaz Tokyo. His style inherits, preserves, and adapts traditional Japanese culture to contemporary designs, often merging the old and new to reveal a refreshing outlook on the traditions.

八雲茶寮的負責人緒方慎一郎本身是位室內設計師,他的設計事務所 Simplicity 出品了非常多知名的店鋪,比如京都和東京的 Aesop 門店(很美,沒看過的速速去網上搜圖),以及之後要介紹的 Higashiya 和櫻井焙茶研究所。他的風格是簡約設計的美學概念裏融合日本文化的細節,讓人能感受到傳統的新觀感。

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At Yakumo Saryo, breakfast and lunch are by reservations, dinner is by invitation (from an existing member), while afternoon tea is open to walk-ins. The number of guests accepted is limited as they wish guests to enjoy the time with as few disturbances as possible; on the afternoon of our visit, there were only 2 or 3 other guests in the tea room.

八雲茶寮有早茶、午飯、下午茶、以及晚飯,午晚飯是必須事先預訂的,招待方式大多是由熟客介紹。這次我們前來用下午茶,被服務人員領到了茶室裏;由于希望客人不受太多打擾,茶室接受的人數不多,除了我和朋友外也就兩三個客人。

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[Tokyo 東京] Cafe Kitsuné

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Cafe Kitsuné

Add: 3-17-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato Ku, Tokyo / 東京都港区南青山3-17-1
Tel: +81-3-5786-4842
Hours: 9am-8pm
Website: www.kitsune.fr
Price: coffee ~500 yen
Visited: Oct 2016

French music + fashion label Maison Kitsuné’s cafe in Paris used to be one of my go-to places with friends when I lived there – the outdoor seating under the green shades of Palais Royal is simply perfect on a nice day. But even before Paris, the first Cafe Kitsuné was actually opened in Tokyo back in 2013, located in the stylish Minami-Aoyama area. We explore.

Maison Kitsuné 是個日法混血的音樂+服飾品牌,這幾年來也開起了咖啡店。我住巴黎時就很常去 Palais Royal 裡的 Cafe Kitsuné,簡單有型的小店面加上舒服的露天座位,是我和朋友們聊天的不二選擇。不過早在巴黎之前,Cafe Kitsuné 的第一家店其實開在東京,地點就在潮店雲集的南青山一帶。門面相當低調,一不注意就會錯過,得多多留意。

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The entrance is not especially noticeable to the passerbys, though most people come looking for it specifically, so it’s difficult to miss. The Tokyo cafe was transformed from a Japanese house, and much of the traditional elements have been kept intact or reinforced, such as by installing tatami and fusumi sliding doors custom-made from a 70-year-old studio in Shimbashi.

和巴黎的裝修風格不同,東京店將一個和式空間稍做改造,保留了濃濃的日本味。從門口開始就以竹子爲主材料,室內用了定制的榻榻米和日式拉門(聽說是在新橋一家70多歲的老工作室特別定做的)。

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The baristas are all clad in Kitsuné fashion, and the music is likewise Kitsuné. The vibe is cool, and business is good – the space has always been filled during the few times I passed by, weekends or not.

咖啡師們穿著 Kitsuné 的衣服,店裡的音樂也是 Kitsuné 發行的專輯,風格從頭到尾貫徹的很徹底。咖啡店生意非常的好,我幾次經過時店內都幾乎坐滿了,不論平日還是周末。

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[Tokyo 東京] Onibus Coffee

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Onibus Coffee

Add: 2-14-1 Kamimeguro, Meguro, Tokyo / 東京都 目黒区 上目黒 2-14-1
Tel: +81-3-6412-8683
Hours: 9am-6pm
Website: www.onibuscoffee.com
Price: coffee around 500 yen
Visited: Oct 2016

This time in Tokyo, I visited Nakameguro for the first time. This neighborhood might seem a bit too quiet for those looking for the typical hustle and bustle of Tokyo, but if you, like I, enjoy wandering along small alleyways to discover the everyday life of the locals, you might really like this residential area.

這次來東京,第一次去了中目黑。喜歡熱鬧氣氛,想要盡情購物的人也許會覺得中目黑有些平淡,但如果你和我一樣是喜歡在安靜小巷中逛逛,感受東京當地生活氣氛的話,應該會很喜歡這邊。

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And my reason for visiting Nakameguro was Onibus, a coffee shop and roaster sandwiched between a small park and train tracks. Its founder Sakao Atsushi, an architect-turned-barista, has been attracting coffee lovers from all over the world since he opened his first shop in Okusawa a few years ago, and he named the shop “Onibus” (which means public bus in Portuguese) for exactly this reason – to connect people via coffee.

會來到中目黑,是爲了 Onibus 這家咖啡店。老板坂尾篤史不僅在東京咖啡界是個名人,也紅到了國外 - 我到訪的當天就有從世界各地來喝咖啡的人,包括幾個從加州來的咖啡師。店名 Onibus 在葡萄牙語中是公車的意思,代表著坂尾先生想通過咖啡將人和人聯系起來的概念。

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The shop offers espresso-based coffee brewed on a La Marzocco Linea PB, as well as drip coffee done with Hario V60s. For drip coffee, four choices of coffee beans are available: Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, and Guatemala. I went with the first.

店裡提供義式咖啡和手沖,義式用 La Marzocco Linea PB 做,手沖則是用Hario V60s。我點了手沖,在下面四種豆子中選了 Ethiopia。

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[Tokyo] Le Chocolat de H

Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博! Le Chocolat de H Add: Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs B2F, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 2-21-1 / 東京都渋谷区渋谷 2-21-1 渋谷ヒカリエ ShinQs B2F Tel: (03) 54683167 Hours: 10am~9pm Website: www.lcdh.jp Price: Coffret du Chocolat ¥2,700~10,368 Visited on: Feb 2012 Hironobu Tsujiguchi, the youngest pâtissier to ever win La Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (a.k.a. the World Cup of Desserts), has a small but very…Continue Reading “[Tokyo] Le Chocolat de H”

[Tokyo] Ichiyuu 一遊

Ichiyuu 一遊

Add: 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町仙石原837
Tel: 0120-016-213
Price: approx. ¥8,000/set
Website: viala.harvestclub.com/restaurant/index.html
Visited: Jan 2011

Side tripping to Hakone, a famous onsen (hot spring) town about 1 hour away from Tokyo. With the help of a friend, we were able to stay at a membership-based onsen resort called Tokyu Harvest Club Viala 箱根翡翠, which not only offers a most relaxing venue for onsen, but also amazing cuisine.

Not wanting to over-stuff ourselves after a nice onsen bath, we chose the small 7-course kaiseiki set. Here’s the menu:

Choose your own sake cup.

The appetizer was a trio of tidbits. My favorite with the Botan shrimp with caviar, a decadent combination of plump sweet shrimp with caviar. The intensely flavorful dried mullet roe was also quite memorable, and the circular disk made from paper-thin daikon slices was especially impressive.

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[Tokyo] Shinjuku Gyoen 新宿御苑

Shinjuku Gyoen 新宿御苑

Add: 東京都新宿区内藤町11番地
Tel: 03-3350-0151
Hours: 9am-4:30pm (closed on Monday)
Website: www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen
Price: ¥200/adult, ¥50/child

On a freezing but delightfully sunny day, we came to Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑) for a morning walk. This expansive imperial garden, originally built in 1906 for the royal family, is now open to the public. We were lucky to catch the last of the maple leaves and even a scattering of early cherry blossoms. Shinjuku Gyoen is the perfect place for a stroll or a picnic, and I can only imagine how crowded it would be during the prime season for maple leaves and cherry blossom watching.

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