Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

I’ve pushed past dense crowds of salarymen and tourists, navigating narrowing, thinning streets, all in search of this—A corner cafe, nestled between office buildings and luxury apartments, and somehow maintaining an impressive 4.5 stars with…1005 reviews!? In a city as busy bustling as Kyoto, that is impressive. Managing to keep a score that high with that many reviews while also fending off hoards of other emergent coffeehouses testing out the newest fad (Currently—matcha infused ‘things’—if you were curious) is a hard thing to do. So, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how Okaffe Kyoto’s preceding reputation served a strong role in my initial decision to venture on my quest, to its cozy corridor. A certain rumor about the third best latte artist in the world being quartered there may have also played a teensy-tiny part…

So, armed with study supplies and circumstantial research, I was on my way. My first greeting wasn’t from hosts, but from the long narrow brick-built corridor dimly lit and drawing me in. I acquiesced to its request, following the light until I found myself outside the storefront proper. Entering inside, I was immediately struck with perhaps the definitive café ‘vibe‘. Cozy orange lamps shone down on clean oak tables, perfectly set for two study-buddies to be matched on opposite sides. Delicate jazz played on a lounged loudspeaker, rendering a rousing rendition of the well-known songbook standard, ‘Beautiful Love‘. A ‘bar’ style counter near the barista’s stockade tempted me, but in my quest to maximize the benefit of working here, I sat at the table instead.

A kind waiter handed me a menu, bearing the shape of a horizontal memo pad, the right pages offering the classic drinks and food (Americano, Espresso, Biscuit, and so on) with the left displaying the aforementioned items in picturesque glory. After a thorough perusal and restrained self-deliberation, I was decided. I hailed the kind waiter and pointed to my items of choice, tacking on a “kudasai”, “please”, or “atsui” as my own temperamental temperament chose. I waited for a few minutes, jiving to jazz in my own silent way, before my dishes were set atop the table in quick succession. First, the special coffee of the day, referred to as ‘Kenya Ruarai Washed‘. Then, the matcha latte, a staple in any Japanese coffeehouse. Lastly, and newest to my palate, was a pancake sandwich of Pandora. Two pancakes sat between a thick layer of Azaki, sweet red bean paste, the top pancake branded with the Okaffe name. A silent ‘itadakimasu’ ran through my mind, and I dug in.

As a self-professed red-bean-fiend, and an even more ardent coffee craving crazy, I must say I was delighted. The pandora held up to its savory-sweet expectation, though distinctly different from any of my past battles with the ubiquitous ingredient. Where mostly prepared warm-to-lukewarm, here I was served a cold paste against warm pancakes—A temperature contrast certainly worth scrutinizing, but one that held up, thanks in part to it’s biased eater. The Kenyan coffee, while not one I’d be sending postcards back home raving about, was tasty, holding a strong, acidic flavor that certainly woke me up. The matcha latte, I must say, was the true underdog of the whole ordeal. Not too appreciative of the earthy-plant-flavor myself, my reasoning for ordering one was two-fold: Obviously, when in Rome…, and also for that whispered rumor online, of a globally renowned latte artist… Safe to say, I don’t think I encountered the legend that day. But, I did have a change-of-heart for the dish, as the milk managed to offset the strong vegetal taste I was less than favorable to, and replace it with a bittersweet aroma that I can most definitely see the appeal for.

The drinks were slowly drained throughout the course of auxiliary work, propelling productivity and pushing me to completion. I sat for minutes after all the dishes were cleared, simply soaking up the atmosphere of this back-alley coffeehouse. I can see the appeal—No, I can imagine the appeal—Getting off work from your 9-5, tired, sweaty, and stressed by the pressures of daily life and the never-sleeping lights of Kyoto, only to settle in to this cozy cafe for a few hours, forgetting about all of that, and just appreciating the moment. If I were living in Kyoto, this would easily be my first-and-foremost haunt.