Itameshi cuisine for the win!
Food — both savory and sweet — and coffee go together. It’s a fact that is served deliciously at Key Coffee Kissaten, a classy restaurant at Opus Mall in Quezon City that serves Itameshi cuisine by combining Japanese and Italian culinary cultures.
If your gustatory excursion at the restaurant starts with a cup of Toarco Toraja, a coffee variety that grows in the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia and is said to be one of the rarest and most sought-after coffee by royals and coffee connoisseurs. Just indulge, sit back and relax in the comfy and cozy coffee shop, and savor elegance in every sip.
“After World War II, almost all the coffee plantations were left unfarmed and this rare coffee was almost lost, until in 1978, Key Coffee made it a mission to reintroduce this coffee for everyone to enjoy,” says Bryan Chua, president of Boosterfoods Inc., the mother company of Key Coffee Kissaten.
Bryan is a “coffee crawler.” He travels around the world in search of the perfect blend. He says Key Coffee is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected coffee roasters with more than 100 years of history. The Philippine franchise is a modern take on the famous kissa, Japan’s traditional coffee shop. Because it’s a coffee shop, expect also food dishes that are luscious. Think Crab Ikura Udon, served with generous crab fat, or Japanese Melon and Prosciutto Pizza or Tiramisu — with Blue Mountain coffee. But that’s going ahead of the story.
“Though Japan does not grow coffee, it has nevertheless the best craftsmen who roast coffee beans. The most flavorful coffee beans from all over the world like Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala are brought to Japan for roasting,” said Bryan. The coffee beans collection at the restaurant are, like diamonds, a rare find.
Apart from Bryan, Key Coffee Kissaten in the Philippines is also owned by his wife Kathleen Chua, and his brothers Jamieson and Marvin Chua, in collaboration with Key Coffee Japan along with local chefs. Their extensive coffee exploration in Japan inspired them to create an experience that authentically captures Japanese coffee culture while appealing to Filipino tastebuds.
After Key Coffee Kissaten found a following when it opened its flagship branch in Mitsukoshi Mall in BGC in 2023, the restaurant’s new branch at Opus Mall is an answer to its clientele’s growing demand. The new location, faithful to the mouthwatering dishes it serves, brings its signature blend of Japanese coffee culture and Italian-Japanese culinary artistry to a wider Filipino audience. It continues Key Coffee’s century-old legacy while embracing the innovative culinary concept of Itameshi. This cuisine concept, which blends the words “ita” (Italian) and “meshi” (Japanese for meal), harmoniously fuses the rich culinary traditions of both cultures.
The restaurant’s culinary team includes chefs Thirdy Dolatre (of Hapag) and Jorge Mendez (of Modan), who bring their innovative approach to Itameshi cuisine. Alexa Versoza, R&D consultant for Four Seasons US, is head of commissary and oversees the dessert program. Chef Mianne Manguiat ensures the highest culinary standards and smooth operations of the restaurant. Key Coffee has impressive and intricately detailed interiors done by architects Noel Bernardo and Yolanda Bernardo.
An appetizing example of an Itameshi dish is the restaurant’s Buta Bianca Doria, a rice dish of pork chasu cubes made more temptingly good with seaweeds like wakame and aunori and Doria cheese. It has a pleasant kick courtesy of Togarshispice.
A hearty serving of Beef Hayashi Donburi is enough to spell joy in the belly. (I love Japanese rice dish with Shimeji mushrooms — heaven!)
The restaurant’s Metaiko Udon (with cod roe sauce, onsen egg, leeks, aunori and tempura balls) and Octopus Putanesca (a spicy spaghetti dish with pomodoro sauce, slivers of octopus, olives, capers, anchovies, Shishito peppers, tobiko or fish roe, arugula and parsley) are heaven-sent to those craving for pasta perfection.
To seal the deal of a truly enjoyable meal, there’s the Key Cofffee Signature Chocolate Cake: coffee-infused chocolate cake with miso caramel, earl grey milk and chocolate ganache.
It’s appetizingly inevitable to experience the perfect blend of Japanese precision and Italian warmth at Key Coffee Kissaten, where tradition meets innovation in every cup and dish.
Saluti! Kampai!
(Key Coffee Kissaten is located on the 2F, Opus Mall, Bridgetowne Destination Estate, Bridgetowne Boulevard cor. C-5, Quezon City. For reservations, call 0947-5816122.)
For your new beginnings, e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. I’m also on Twitter @bum_tenorio and Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed weekend.
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