Knowing how much I love coffees and homemade desserts, a friend recommended me to visit a coffee cafe & roaster with her located in the Eifukucho area (the closest station being Nishi-Eifuku) of the Keio Inokashira line. Eifukucho is actually a buzzing up and coming food center, packed with lots of excellent little places for foodies all over Tokyo.
My first visit to Jalk Coffee (pronounced Yalk Coffee) was a little over a month ago. At the time just as they do every day, the cafe's owners, a very nice husband and wife team, and their staff were quietly hand dripping coffees, and explaining in detail about each of their own roasted coffee blends and lovely cakes. Another plus, is the prices are very reasonable. For example, a hand dripped coffee is 500 yen a cup, but the a refill is only an extra 200 yen, and you can choose a different blend. We didn't get to try their seasonal coffee jelly. I know it might sound suspicious, but trust me, coffee jelly is a common and very delicious dessert here in Japan. So, it was decided that we'll have to go back again before the summer is over.
Just this week, we made our way back to Jalk Coffee for their handcrafted coffee jelly with ice cream--I am not joking when I said handcrafted. The owner made it with a special coffee blend, and lovingly scooped the jelly from pan into the glass bowl, as with the ice cream, which was specifically chosen for its perfect balance of richness and sweetness. However, upon hearing that their pudding (flan) was also limited, we ordered that too!
The atmosphere, the lighting, and the quality of service, food & drinks, are all that you want for a small, stylish, yet welcoming cafe. It's the perfect place to have a conversation with a friend, or to daydream by yourself--over a cup of great coffee of course! I made it a point to share a picture of their coffee cup, because the cups are one of their signatures. Heard from the owners that they like porcelain Danish drink ware, especially from Royal Copenhagen. During my first visit, there was an exhibition on at that time, and I was honestly jealous of the artist who got to show his works there. I actually said that to the owner. Am sure these two visits would not be my last!!
Please visit them if you ever have the chance, it's all worth it for making a trip out to Eifukucho. And save room for desserts, even you don't have a sweet tooth!
www.jalkcoffee.com