Key Coffee Isn't Just About Good Coffee, It's About 100/10 Sando and Steak Too
The food isn't just an afterthought at the Japanese coffee shop's PH outpost.
Key Coffee Kissaten
MITSUKOSHI BGC, 8th Avenue corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keycoffeekissaten/
Open from Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m
(SPOT.ph) There's a reason why coffee crowds thrive in neighborhoods like Bonifacio Global City—the coffee shops come dime a dozen, be it specialty or commercial, be it new or old. One of the newer coffee shops in the city coffee enthusiasts should add to their bucket list is Key Coffee Kissaten at MITSUKOSHI BGC.
Key Coffee, one of Japan's oldest coffee roasters, opened the first restaurant-café in the Philippines. The brand has always been synonymous with kissaten (Japan's traditional tea shops) which explains its vintage-rustic interiors. It's also a Hi-Fi cafe which explains the inviting jazz music filling the room and the quirky turntable and old-school telephone headphones placed in front of the café's entrance.
Also read:
SPOTTED: Japan's Key Coffee Opens Its First PH Flagship Store in BGC
Here's Your Definitive Guide to Restaurants at Mitsukoshi BGC
Check out Japanese coffee shop Key Coffee Kissaten at Mitsukoshi Mall:
Kissaten are known to serve yōshoku-style dishes, also known as Western dishes cooked through Japanese lens. Key Coffee Kissaten's menu has a few classic options—all marked by an illustration of cherry blossoms on the menu—that play on Western classics like spaghetti, steak, gratin, and hamburger.
The "Classic Kissa" that we do recommend is the Wagyu & Onsen Egg Donburi Bento Set (P980), only because of its fork-tender slices of grilled Wagyu beef that are salted just enough that it is proportional to the amount of yakiniku rice it comes with. The meat and rice are best tossed with the stir-fried mushrooms, the onsen tamago, pickles, and the fried seaweed for a medley of harmonious textures and flavors. If you need a palate cleanser, you have the shredded cabbage and the miso soup on the side.
The other classic kissaten dish that stood out is the Kissa Wagyu Hambagu Steak & Rice (P530). The patty is served on a sizzling plate, drowning in a pool of sweet demiglaze that will make you question your love for the hamburger-and-gravy combination. In our case, we've made room in our hearts for both.
Key Coffee Kissaten also serves a more modern take on kissaten dishes. These "Modern Kissa," marked by a solid black triangle on the menu, make the unconventional Western dishes even more unconventional.
A clear crowd-favorite in the Modern Kissa department is Chef Horje-San Truffle Egg Katsu Sando (P390). It may look unimpressive for an egg sandwich, but damn, the first bite of the tamago will have you thinking you're eating leche flan or panna cotta just because of how silky the egg is. It comes with a questionable small dollop of truffle cream on one side which, to our surprise, was all the sandwich needed to give each bite that earthy flavor. (Tip: spread it across!)
For fans of aligue, the Crab Ikura Udon (P540) and the Crab Egg Scramble & Croissant (P540) are no-brainers. The former, which notably smells similar to palabok, uses chewy udon noodles coated in crab fat sauce and topped with red caviar. The latter has a stronger umami flavor as the scrambled egg is generously drizzled with aligue sauce and topped with visibly huge pieces of crab meat and bits of dried seaweed. This is served with a light and flaky croissant that plays an important role in absorbing all of its flavors.
When it comes to caffeine, it's better to stick to the hand-pour coffee classics that highlight the signature coffee beans. It's easy to fall in love with the smoothness of Key Coffee's Premium Blue Mountain Blend the most, but if sweeter coffee is your cup of coffee (pun intended), the Shoyu Caramel Popcorn Cappuccino is a safe choice. It's a coffee and dessert in one!
Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.