Skip to main content

Mojo Coffee- NZ Flat white in Kagurazaka area

The cafe entrance
I have to admit it, the first time I ever tasted, or actually, even heard of a flat white, was in Penang airport in Malaysia, of all places.  The cafe I had it at?  McCafe, if you can believe it.  Ever since, I've been trying to have flat whites everywhere and anywhere I can.

Now I have McDonald's brewed coffee every now and again, especially when I'm in a rush-  there's one on my way to work and it is cheap, costing only 100 yen.  Sometimes I even get free coffee there as they hand out vouchers at the station.  Unfortunately, they don't have flat whites here in Tokyo at McCafe.

Flat whites were invented in Australia and New Zealand and is an espresso based drink. It's similar to the latte or cappuccino in the sense that it has steamed milk, but the end result is quite different.  It has a thicker, more velvety texture as the steamed milk is more creamy and less foamy and is folded into the coffee. Generally, as far as I know, they are smaller in volume (and thus the flavour is stronger).

Well, I had been looking for a good one in Tokyo - you may or may not have seen in my previous post about Omotesando Koffee. - and I appear to have found something that hits the spot.


Last week, I visited Mojo Coffee.  It is located in Kagurazaka, not far from the metro station, but not exactly on the main street...you'll probably need to look up the directions (check their website linked at the bottom of this page).

Mojo originated in Wellington, New Zealand in 2003 and just came to Japan last year in 2012.  Now I've never been to New Zealand, but knowing that flat whites came from around that area, I had to give it a try.

Menu
The cafe actually appears to be the ground/main floor of a converted condominium- they roast coffee on the half-basement floor and have an office on the second.  The place is quite small- it has one large bar counter table, and several smaller tables.  It was fairly busy when on a Sunday afternoon, so my partner-in-crime and I sat at the bar.  We both ordered flat whites.
Flat white
Mojo actually does more than coffee.  They have some light meal options as well as a selection of NZ snacks and treats. They also have on hand some NZ wine and beer for those inclined. I was there for the coffee, however.  You can also buy their coffees and mugs, if I remember correctly.

The coffee definitely hit the spot.  It looked great, and tasted great too.  It was smooth and creamy and the flavours were well blended together.  If there is one thing that I can nit-pick about, it would be that it was ever so slightly lukewarm- I kind of like it when you have to take the first few sips carefully.

The price was 370 yen- tasted infinitely better than what you get at Starbucks.  Not saying that Starbucks is horrible, but sometimes you don't get what you want.

So, am I going to go again?  You betcha.  There are a bunch of other items on that menu that I want to try, and hopefully will get the chance to. I'm not in Kagurazaka that often, but knowing that there's a place like this may make me visit more.

Visit their website for more info:  http://mojocoffee.jp/
\or on tabelog: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1309/A130905/13152614/dtlrvwlst/5252434/

〒162-0817 東京都新宿区赤城元町4−11
The cafe is located 5 minutes from exit one of Kagurazaka metro station.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Omotesando Koffee- a hidden coffee 'bar'

A little while ago, a friend of mine brought me to this interesting coffee shop tucked away in the backstreets of the trendy Omotesando shopping area. Apparently, it was recommended to her by her hairdresser. http://ooo-koffee.com/menu/ http://ooo-koffee.com/about/ As you may garner from the interesting and somewhat minimalist website design, it is kind of a unique spot and you can tell that a lot of effort as been put into designing the details. The place itself is not a traditional coffee shop. One might call it a coffee bar, but then there is the fact that it seems to be in someone's living room.  And that living room is a Japanese-style tatami mat room, complete with a counter equipped with an espresso machine. As a result, there is no real place to sit- there are a couple of stools outside in the garden but a lot of customers drink standing or do take out orders. This is what it looks like: I wish my living room had one of these. And this is what the coffee lo...

FIRE HOUSE (ファイヤーハウス), a gourmet burger joint

It is perhaps not a well-known fact that burgers are quite popular in Japan. Now, I am not talking about the big fast food chains (Mcdonald's, Mos burger, Freshness burger, etc.), which are popular in their own right, but 'gourmet burgers'. These burgers can unfortunately run on the expensive side (around and upwards of 1000yen), but this is a function of the ingredients used to make them, such as buns made in house, self-smoked bacon, and organic vegetables. I've visited a number of these gourmet burger joints, but one that I frequent more often than others is FIRE HOUSE ( http://www.firehouse.co.jp/the_burger.html ). I must admit, this is mostly because of its proximity to my workplace, but they do have seriously good burgers. They have a nice selection of burgers and sandwiches for when you need your 'fix'. Their plates come with a choice of fries or chips (and a gherkin) and their menu also includes soup and salad items. The restaurant itself is on t...

Laterblog: Sushi in Ueno

Here's another pic that is a late upload that I should have published way back when! This was eaten here:  http://www.sushitsune.co.jp/ Located conveniently in Ueno Station, it is a perfect place for a quick bite. It's been a while since I have been there but definitely would go back if I am in the area again!