Today I was at the new and second location of 93 Coffee, now at the Harbour Centre Food court. They have taken over the old Hugo Coffee stall. They are a family-run, Japanese kissaten-style café, operated by a mother-and-son team. A “kissaten” is a café serving Western-style light meals adapted to Japanese tastes.
This new outpost hosts a smaller menu, however everything on it is still homemade in house, at their original location in the West End. It is then driven down to Harbour Centre before the start of the work day.
They recently had their grand opening mid December, which also marks the brand’s 3rd anniversary. We took the trip down to try a couple of their caffeinated beverages, along with a few lunch and dessert options. All of which are traditionally Japanese or Japanese inspired.
They specialize in premium matcha and hojicha, with variations on both. During our visit they were featuring seasonal specials in red and green for the holidays. The flavours not specifically festive, but tasty nonetheless.
Their menu is split between tea, coffee, matcha, and houjicha. Here, I learned that the correct spelling is “houjicha”, if the accent tone over the “o” is not used. The seasonal drink menu added homemade red strawberry purée for the cold options and mocha for hot ones.
I had the Iced strawberry houjicha which is equal parts sweet purée and slightly bitter tea for a lovely balance. My guest too enjoyed her Hot matcha white mocha.
We visited too close to closing, so missed their highly anticipated Matcha tiramisu. However, I was just as happy with their houjicha basque style cheesecake and coffee jelly.
The former had a light roasting of houjicha that exemplified the smoky burnt of the torched cheesecake top. All this and the savoury cheese flavour of the cake still took centre stage.
The coffee jelly was fun to eat, but needed more sweetness for my tastes. The cup of whipped cream offered little. I would have liked this as an add-on option to a latte instead.
As for something more filling they have sandwiches and bento boxes for an easy grab and go lunch. The sandwich bento is half egg salad and half cheese and ham, cut into smaller triangles. I preferred the former for how light it was, whereas the latter was on the saltier side and had me reaching for my drink.
The Onigiri Bento is a classic Japanese lunch. The dashi omelette and octopus-shaped sausages are nostalgic hallmarks for many Japanese children, and this is exactly what I imagine a traditional Japanese lunch box to be. I liked the look, but wished it had a little more punch for my tastes. Without sauce or pickles I found it a little plain, where as I prefer my meals heavy and a lot more rich.
93 Coffee has certainly brought the heart of Japan’s kissaten culture to Canada, offering authentic Japanese flavours and warm, thoughtful hospitality across their two locations. I will have to visit their first location in the West End, where retro Japanese comfort dishes such as Napolitan spaghetti and Omurice have quickly gained popularity. The cafe is also known for their Napolitan served on a sizzling iron plate lined with a fluffy egg. This classic dish originating from Nagoya has since become their signature item, that is rarely found outside Japan.
Until then the Harbour Centre location serves as a great convenience option, ideal for quick grab and go meals and drinks.
93 Coffee – Japanese Cafe & Eatery
Harbour Centre
555 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 4N6
93coffee.ca
