Make mine a matcha
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Three former Thammasat students realise their dreams with a friendly Japanese cafe on Ekamai
ONCE A QUIET residential area in downtown Bangkok, Ekamai Soi 12 is now bustling with bistros, among them the new kid on the block, Nikko Cafe. It offers hungry shoppers a chance to relax over aromatic coffee or tea and a light Japanese meal.
“Nikko” means sunrise in Japanese and for the owners, three graduates of Thammasat University’s journalism and mass communication faculty, the restaurant marks the beginning of their dreams.
Led by former DJ Chanon Rungruengpaitoon, Nikko opened five months ago and is influenced by Japanese rural life. The two-storey eatery is home to a living room, terrace and upper outdoor space, which can hold 70 guests.
Simple and cosy with a counter bar, the restaurant features plain concrete walls and is furnished with wooden tables and chairs.
“My friends and I dreamed of opening a small cafe when we graduated. We used to hangout in Ekamai while we were studying so it was an obvious location. We know what the people around here want,” says Chanon.
Nikko’s coffee is a blend of Arabica beans from Columbia, Indonesia and the north of Thailand, and has a wonderful aroma as well as a welcome caffeine kick. They also serve a Melon Colado, a mix of melon spirit, coconut, rum, pineapple and fresh cream for Bt260, hot matcha latte for Bt120 and smooth iced rose milk tea for Bt100.
There’s also a great choice of smoothies and selected tea blends like Marrakesh mint green tea, lemon ginger mint herbal tea and Straits Chai.
The food menu is small but pleasing. Chanon recommends hot and spicy Tom Yum Goong Udon (Bt220) Samurai Stew pork, Tonkatsu curry and Chachu Don. For a sugar boost, check out the Turtle Choux (Bt165), bite-sized delights filled with green tea and vanilla ice cream.
“Our desserts are a little sweet. We also offer pavlova in strawberry and passion fruit sauce, Nikko matcha pudding and light Nikko cheesecake,” Chanon says. “We import the matcha, sake and soju from Japan to guarantee quality.”
COFFEE WITH A KICK
>>Nikko Cafe is located on Ekamai Soi 12. It’s open daily from 10am to midnight. Call (02) 381 5291 or visit “nikkocafe” at Facebook.com.
