Takagi Coffee

Yet another opening which had been making its way around social media would be that of Takagi Coffee. A new addition to 100AM, Takagi Coffee is a brand hailing from Japan, taking over the former spot of Belle-ville Pancakes within the mall. Not to be confused with the local ramen chain Takagi Ramen, it can be said that Takagi Coffee’s operation at 100AM is a re-branding exercise for Belle-ville Pancakes; both brands are owned by the same parent company, which is also responsible for the Châteraisé brand in Singapore, and that Belle-ville Pancakes’ Millefeuille Pancake still sees a place in the menu at Takagi Coffee. There hasn’t been much changes applied to the interior seating of the space given the re-branding effort, though a partition has became a display shelf that showcases some of the product such as roasted coffee beans which Takagi Coffee has on retail. Otherwise, the space featuring wooden furniture and fittings as well as metallic blue chairs and a brick wall since its days being Belle-ville Pancakes still remains particularly recognisable even though the space now operates as Takagi Coffee. With the change of branding, Takagi Coffee now serves up more items than what Belle-ville Pancakes used to do in the past — there now is an entire range of savoury food options; think sandwiches and melt sandwiches, burgers, Japanese curry rice and French Toast; these would be accompanied by their beverage menu which features various forms of specialty coffee using beans roasted by themselves, as well as soft drinks and soda options for those who prefer to stay away from coffee in general.

Skimming through the menu, we decide to opt for the Pork Cutlet Sandwich considering how we wanted to go for something that was more towards the lighter side. The Pork Cutlet Sandwich does come with a side of salad by default — patrons could, however, opt for a salad to be replaced with potato wedges by topping up $0.50 above the original price of the sandwiches; an option that we had opted for our order. Served on the plate as a portion of three pieces, the Pork Cutlet Sandwich was something that we felt fell within our expectations. Best to be enjoyed hot, the toast is fluffy and light as promised when the sandwich is first served to the table. It does lose its crispness rather easily; the subsequent pieces starting to feel a little limp and clumpy considering how they were sitting on the plate for a while. In between, the sandwich features julienned cabbage as well as the deep-fried pork cutlet; the latter being coated in panko crumbs. There also is, according to the menu, a slight spicy mayonnaise sauce that comes in between, though we would say that the tangy and rich note of the Tonkatsu sauce was probably more evident here. Nonetheless, the deep-fried pork cutlet comes with a reasonably crisp exterior, though we note that some pieces to come a little too gelatinous and fatty for our liking — the leaner parts being something that seemingly worked better for us considering how it wasn’t too dry nor stiff to chew apart. The accompanying potato wedges were well-executed; not overly greasy, whilst also not covered in too much batter — came with a good bite and reasonably salted for flavour.

Having visited Takagi Coffee all by ourselves, we only had the stomach space to try one food item out of the many which they do serve up. We would like to think that the Pork Cutlet Sandwich served up by Takagi Coffee is of a reasonable quality — we have after all had better Japanese Tonkatsu Sandos at other Japanese F&B establishments as well as specialty coffee joints. The Viennese Coffee on the other hand was decent; a hot black coffee that came with a layer of sweet cream over the top — balances that heavy body of the coffee that came with a roasty finish in its flavour profile. That being said, one thing that left quite an impression with our experience at Takagi Coffee would be the service — considering how Takagi Coffee is an establishment locating right smack within the Central Business District, it is pretty much inevitable that there would be a curious crowd especially since Takagi Coffee is a relatively new opening after all. The staff of the cafe were pretty proactive in quickly whisking customers into the cafe and providing them with the menu and QR code slip for the patrons to make their order, whilst also clearing up the tables quickly to turn them over for the next group to the best of their ability — a seemingly experienced team that smoothens out the process especially well for a new establishment. Prices of the savoury food at Takagi Coffee are rather reasonable — the lowest priced being the Ham Cheese Potato Melt Sand with Salad at $9.80, while the priciest food item would be the Mochi Skin Matcha French Toast at $15.80. Given how conveniently located Takagi Coffee is, this is one spot that office folks in the Central Business District would be visiting if they wish to splurge just a little bit for a special treat for lunch, whilst also being a location that avid cafe-hoppers would add to the list of places to check out during the weekend!