Saturday, June 2, 2018

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Cafe Kichi カフェキチ

Visited 12.11.2017 (Sun)


Flagship. Ever since the pleasant dining experience at Kichi+ on my first visit to Atami, I have been thinking of visiting Cafe Kichi, the original flagship store. On my two weeks stay in Japan, I managed to drop by Atami again to tick off this item from my to-do list. After enjoying a satisfying Sanshoku don (three coloured don comprised of raw and boiled whitebait and boiled sakura shrimp) at Kichi+, I extended my stay in Cafe Kichi to savour some dessert and drink before heading back to the train station.







Cosy. Cafe Kichi occupies a refurbished 2 storey wooden shophouse situated in an alley connecting Nakamise-dori 仲見世通り to Heiwa-dori 平和通り, two of the busiest sheltered shopping streets in the vicinity of the train station. The emergence of Cafe Kichi appealed to a younger and inquisitive audience and this fueled the revitalisation of the long established shopping streets. Upon stepping into Cafe Kichi, I felt that I have entered into a completely different space from the outside world. I was immediately engulfed by the calming and peaceful ambience in the cafe when I pulled open the wooden door of its entrance.

The open concept kitchen and a wooden bench table took up most of the space on the ground floor. I was brought to a table on the second floor and the interior decor was very much to my liking. Since it was still early and there were no other customers on the second floor, I had the entire space to myself for most part of my stay in the cafe. The usage of wooden furnishing and warm lighting generated a cosy dining environment. The ceiling was decorated by tree branches and I love its natural silhouette cast onto the walls - creating this dining-in-the-woods atmosphere. Here, I also got to know Takagi Masakatsu (高木正勝), a talented Japanese musician who was born in Kyoto, from his soothing musical compositions/arrangement played over the audio system in Cafe Kichi. 



Sweets. As there is a limited number of items available on the sweets menu - chiffon, no-bake cheesecake, chocolate cake, pumpkin pudding and scones, I did not take long to decide what to have Ordered a no-bake cheesecake (レアチーズケーキ) and a cup of their coffee blend to go with my dessert. The cheesecake was delectable - the cream cheese was rich but not overpowering and I love its overall consistency in terms of texture. The sweet blueberry jam also helped to cut the saltiness inherent of cream cheese. Their coffee was delicious; having a strong captivating aroma and not too acidic for my liking. After eating the no-bake cheesecake, I was very tempted to try the rest of the sweets on the menu! It is always during such occasions I wish for some companions who will be able to indulge into a variety of food together with me...

I can finally resonate to why Cafe Kichi is so popular and I hope it will continue to stay here in Atami city. In conclusion, Cafe Kichi is such a pleasant and comfortable place to hang out in, whether you are alone or with a group of friends, with the company of their delicious sweets and coffee.


- No-bake cheesecake: 410 yen

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Cafe Kichi カフェキチ
静岡県熱海市田原本町5-9
Operating hours: 1100 - 1900 hrs; closed on Wednesdays
http://www.cafe-kichi.com/cafekichi/index.html
Approx. 3 minutes walk from Atami JR Station.

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