Directly above the Yabacho subway station and nearย Nagoyaโs central park is the trendy and ever-stylish Parco department store. This shopperโs paradise has multiple levels and buildings crisscrossed with underground passages, elevators, escalators, and bridges that offer passage between the different shopping areas and the subway station below, as well as the hotel rooms and movie theaters of the top floors. In one subterranean area, nestled between a clothing boutique and a smartphone-accessory shop, is a small wooden shack serving specialty coffee and carefully crafted desserts.
&Eat is the second coffee shop produced by the multi-faceted design companyย Maisonette Inc.ย Its older sibling, Maison YWE, is a sit-down-style cafe, but &Eat is a takeout coffee stand designed to be an add-on to your daily activities. This idea of being supplementary is what’s behind the unusual name: the main event of your trip to the area may be shopping, or a casual walk, but thereโs also &Eat.
The cafe is made up of a small collection of plywood, glass, and metal framing, and shares part of a wall with the neighboring clothing store. Within this little rectangle of a coffee shop, a barista goes about his work of taking orders, preparing drinks, and plating confections.
A few mismatched stools are placed along the bar that lines the side of the cafe stand, and thereโs more bar seating along the wall of the clothing storeโyou just have to walk through the boutique to get toย it. Here and there, Tokyo artist and sign-makerย Chalkboyย has added bits of writing, both big and small, to the surroundings. The space is quaint and a tad rustic; sitting on one of the stools and watching the barista prepare your beverage, itโs easy to forget that youโre in a large, brightly lit, and gleaming-white department store.
Given the high-traffic location of &Eat, you mightย speculate that business would be goodย regardless of what theย cafe served. Yet, it’s worth pointing out, they are doing things right. The coffee here, as well as the barista training, is provided by local roaster and cafeย Trunk Coffee Bar. Filter coffee is available via both ceramic Hario V60 and Aerobie AeroPress. Beans are ground viaย Kalita Mill. The fully washed Costa Rica Carrizal Caturra Catuai has hints of blackberry and Ceylon tea, with a silky mouthfeel and lingering sweet aftertaste. The apple pie, too, did not fail to impress.
The busiest times for &Eatย are on weekends, whenย two staff members have to crowd into the boxy workspace. On weekdays the pace is more relaxed, and one barista runs the shop alone, though there isย a bump in business in the late afternoon as people begin to commute home. Since this below-ground section of Parco is directly connected to the subway station, people can stop by &Eat and go right back to their train without seeing the light of day.
This notion of escaping a crowded commute for a moment toย enjoy a carefully made coffeeโwithout having to alterย your routeโis appealing. Being an addition to your day may have been the original concept for &Eat, but for some weary shoppers and tired commuters, it could well be the main event.
Eric Tessier is freelance journalist based in Tokyo. Read more Eric Tessier on Sprudge.ย