Not just another cup of coffee ～Café Ashijima～
When I walked along the Sanjo-dori the other day, I was attracted by a signboard of a café “喫茶葦島 (Kissa Ashijima)”
The name of the café is carved on a wooden plate as if were a residential house.
I did not have the courage to enter as I had no idea about that place (the café is located upstairs where you need to reach there by elevator…). So I tried to get some idea by searching through the Internet. I was attracted by the description “hidden place” from those search results, driving me into the elevator.
When the door of the elevator opened, the aroma of coffee was released. I could tell that the couple who came out from the elevator had just been to the Kissa Ashijima! While I was so excited to go upstairs, and then I found there were 3 groups of people waiting for the seats! It seems like that café is really a hidden but popular place.
There was a gentleman who was also led to the counter seat together with me. He took out his book while waiting for the coffee he ordered. The interior of the café was decorated with natural materials such as wood and bricks, and some stylish ornaments, so you can enjoy a relaxing time there. It was such a beautiful scene that a gentleman is having a cup of coffee with his book. I just felt it would be great if I had brought a book along with me too… For the counter seat, you can see the whole process how the master makes a cup of coffee. So even without a book, there was something to enjoy.
This café grinds coffee beans for each order. From the very beginning step of preparing the materials to the final step of making a cup of coffee ready to serve, including roasting and dripping, are completed by the mater. My description may be a little exaggerated partly due to my imagination, but starting from measuring various kinds of coffee beans to pouring the coffee into a cup, the performance of the master made me feel like I am enjoying a classical music performance directed by the master, as if there was a melody. The atmosphere was so amazing.
In a café where they devote their utmost to coffee, how can you stand the temptation of a cup of coffee? But it’s a pity that my stomach is not good, so actually I cannot drink coffee indeed. Still, I would like to have a little taste on such delicious coffee beans. So I ordered a cafe au lait, together with a green tea cheesecake, which is also one of the popular menus there.
When my coffee was being poured into the glass-made coffee cup, I was a little shocked. I thought the reason of using a glass-made cup is to let people enjoy a two-tone colour with coffee and milk. However, when the coffee was being poured into the cup, it had been mixed well already. Anyway, after having a sip, I did feel that minor issue doesn’t matter at all. Even I don’t know well about coffee, still I could tell that coffee was definitely an excellent one. The aroma released from the cup was so good which I have never had before. And the warm and mellow taste spread inside your mouth. I admit that I had underestimated cafe au lait (I’m sorry about that) that I thought it would not be as good as a usual coffee, but since ground coffee beans were used, the taste of coffee was so strong for the cafe au lait.
For the green tea cheesecake, it was served in a little frozen condition. That is a cheese cake which you can enjoy a gradual change of the taste as time passed by.
The texture of the cheesecake was very smooth and the taste was surprisingly matched with green tea. It becomes more perfect when you have it together with a cafe au lait.
You can understand the reasons behind the popularity of this café even though you don’t especially look for them.
For coffee loves, it’s needless to say, but even for those who are not, this café is definitely somewhere you can enjoy very much.
Please go and have a try.