While “kissaten” literally translates to “tea-drinking shop”, the term has grown to encompass old-style Japanese coffee shops that had become meeting grounds for creatives and intellectuals in the 1920s—around the time Japan opened itself up to the Western world, both culturally and politically. “The mix of old world traditions and new worldviews started to emerge in all facets of life from the way people dressed, the role of women, and even what people started eating and listening to,” Chua explains. “Kissatens played a big role in this transformation, as people would converge to share ideas and exchange cultures while listening to jazz, enjoying coffee, and eating “Western” food through the invention of yoshoku cuisine (Japanized Western food).”

The Key Coffee Kissaten flagship is a celebration of these social hubs, realised through a stylish past-meets-present space. Designed by Noel Bernardo and Yolanda Bernardo of EC studio, the eye-catching kissaten marries traditional earthen materials and textures with playful modern structures. Integrating an array of seating—be it the bar, communal tables, plush sofas, or intimate booths—the result is a comfortable, contemporary locale. Complete with analogue Hi-Fi sound systems (including a vintage Japanese Micro Seiki turntable from the ‘80s) and a curated selection of records spanning classic jazz, Japanese city pop, retro soul and R&B, jazz-trip hop, and other selections from the 50s to the 80s, Chua reveals that they plan to host guest vinyl DJs in the near future.

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The kissaten also captures the intermingling of Japanese and Western cultures through its innovative menu. Created by chefs Jorge Mendez (Mōdan), Thirdy Dolatre (Hapag), and Alexa “Leky” Versoza (Apo Baking Society), the selection features one-of-a-kind dishes like chicken karaage and croissant waffles with miso butter; miso-milk French toast topped with tobiko mayo, citrus-shoyu glaze, and uni; and handmade udon with crab-fat sauce, lump crab, and ikura. “We wanted to create non-traditional dishes that were very Japanese in presentation but still catered to the Filipino palate,” Mendez comments, expounding on their hopes to transport you between the Philippines and Japan with every bite. 

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For Versoza, who specialises in French pastry, the East-meets-West approach came almost naturally. Fascinated by the way Japanese pâtisseries take French desserts and make them their own, the pastry chef says that she “incorporated Filipino touches through the ingredients and flavour profiles,” highlighting her signature guava and pomelo mille feuille with cheesecake ice cream as an example. At Key Coffee Kissaten, each of the three chefs have their hallmark dish—Dolatre’s being the okayu (Japanese rice porridge) bento with gamet (seaweed from Ilocos Norte), and Mendez’s, the silky egg katsu sando with truffle cream. “Most kissatens in Japan are perfect time capsules of East-meets-West and past-meets-present from over a century ago,” Chua details. “Our version captures the same mood and story, but merges this storyline of old kissaten shops with our own modern Filipino culture.”

“That’s what drew me in,” Dolatre discloses. “As someone who specialises in Filipino food, I wanted to be a part of it because I wanted to highlight Filipino ingredients.” With such an extensive menu, guests can even indulge in fresh Neapolitan pizzas, as well as more traditional yoshoku dishes like the Wagyu “hambagu” steak and rice with demiglace sauce.

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Of course, their coffee is no joke, either, boasting high-quality beans from deep Columbia roasts to fruitier Kilimanjaro and nuttier Blue Mountain coffees. Key Coffee’s signature beans even come from their farm in Toarco Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia—a small coffee-growing region highly sought-after by European monarchs before the Second World War. In addition, all Key Coffee Kissaten baristas were trained by Key Coffee’s head coffee master and coffee grader Fujita-san, honing the traditional Japanese pour-over technique. Those after-fun, modern coffee beverages are well catered for too, with drinks like Sagada-lavender honey latte and shoyu caramel popcorn cappuccino.

Like many kissatens in Japan, this Key Coffee outlet functions as a day-to-night destination. “They are the neighbourhood cafes where people meet at the start of the day and enjoy a highball before heading home,” as Chua describes. At Key Coffee Kissaten, enjoy classic and modern cocktails like Toki highballs, and espresso martinis, plus draft beer and an extensive selection of Japanese whiskies. You can even pop into the kissaten’s dedicated wine and sake shop to pick up a bottle to take home or enjoy in-store. Meanwhile, the bake shop displays an array of chef Versoza’s takeaway-friendly creations like bread, croissants, and choux, and the retail shelves feature coffee for home-brewing as well as vintage Japanese glasses for sale.

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“The Key Coffee Kissaten is designed to excite the senses and ignite curiosities about Japanese kissaten coffee culture,” says Chua, inviting foodies and coffee lovers alike to visit the new space. “But at the end of the day, it is really just a place for the neighbourhood to relax and hang out with friends, enjoy good food and coffee while listing to good music—a place you can come back to, time and again.”

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