In the ribcage-like network of streets that make up Hong Kongโs evolving Sai Ying Pun district, a quiet yet devastatingly stylish new coffee spot can be found in a space that once housed a kindergarten. Hints of its former incarnation can be seenย in the wrought-iron depictions of Disney characters at the entrance, but otherwise, itโs a new startโthe signature geometric lines of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, who was tasked with the interior design, and a set of dramatic glass-and-steel concertina windows immediately tells you this particular venue is not quite like its neighbors.
I Love You So Coffee (ILYSC) is less a stand-alone cafe and more a coffee concession that takes up the front of house at the 8,000-square-foot Potato Head, the zeitgeist-nailing Balinese lifestyle brand that opened its first Hong Kong venue earlier this summer. Set among working-class barbershops, tiny estate agents, and local diners, ILYSC has just recently started catching the attention of bleary-eyed commuters and curious denizens, who can now either grab a brew starting from 7:30 in the morning, or take a cheeky midafternoon coffee break in the eccentric, brightly colored lounge/bar beneath its futuristic canopy of hanging greenery.
Just as the Potato Head concept is new to Hong Kong, ILYSCโs pedigree is perhaps better known among Tokyoites, who had the chance to experience its first incarnation as a tiny coffee pop-up that operated during British design collective Tomato‘s 25thย Anniversary Exhibition โO,โ hosted in the Japanese capital earlier this spring. That particular project was conceived by Trey Shores, the global development director for PTT Family, the company behind the Potato Head brand. Something of a brew nerd himself, Shoresโs coffee journey has includedย stints under the tutelage of veterans and legends such as George Howell and Scott Rao, the latter playing a key part in the design of I Love You So Coffeeโs program along with Fuglen Coffee‘s head roaster Kenji Kojima.
For the Hong Kong opening, they tapped the expertise of Vassily Lissouba, an international coffee trainer and barista who cut his teeth at Anthony Benda’s legendary Cafe Myriade in Montreal, Canada, working alongside Rao. It should come as no surprise then that the brew bar showcases beans from Vancouverโs 49thย Parallel Roasters (a longtime Myriade co-conspirator), five varieties of which I was lucky enough to try overย the course of one stormy afternoon, along with fresh croissants from Bread Elements (one of Hong Kongโs best purveyors of quality carbs). The bar will more likely host two to three seasonal offerings that will rotate every two to eight weeks.
There was anย Ethiopia Deri, a fabulously fresh and zingy coffee that 49thย Parallel describes as being full of Meyer lemon and yellow-plum flavor; I added โa slight touch of jasmine teaโ and โjuiciness that keeps goingโ to my own notes. Another Ethiopia coffee, the Bokasso (like the Deri, also from the Sidamo region), is also aย fresh crop release, which is apparent the moment this silky coffee touches down on your palate: a light, cucumber freshness makes itย incredibly easy to drink, andย I thought it also showcased aย slight shiso-like pizzazz. We also sampled 49thย Parallelโs Colombia Buena Vista (โsmells like gummy bears!โ tweeted the roaster back in June), Guatemala Poaquil, and Guatemala San Juan. The only espresso we tried was anย Ethiopia Biftu Gudina (aka โEpic Espressoโ), brewed to precision using a Decent Tamper and a two-group La Marzocco Linea PB espresso machine with built-in scales in the drip trays. Everything else? Surprisingly, batch brewed on a FETCO.
The thing about batch brew, Lissoubaย admits, is that itโs a method withย an unfortunate reputation, something heโs adamant should change. โUnless youโre lucky, youโll end up being served coffee that is likely to have been brewed more than an hour and a half ago,โ he says of cafes that give batch brew a bad name. โBy then, it will have developed sour, astringent flavors, and lose most, if not all of its vibrancy. Itโs no wonder people go for the freshness of a pour-over, if given the choice. But if done right, some of the best coffee of my life came out of batch brew,โ he says with a shrug. โThe quality of the extraction is great.โ
Giving it a go wonโt break yourย bank, in any case. Currently, batch brews are priced at HK$30 (US $4) a cup, whereas the pour-overs are more in line with typical Hong Kong prices at HK$50 ($6.50) a popโa system that Lissouba hopes will encourage more customers to try it out. โTwo of my favorite products are coffee and pastries,โ he explains. โCoffee is complex, aromatic, and unique. Pastries require a high level of cooking and preparation. When you have both, you can have a highly enjoyable gastronomic experience without paying for a fancy restaurant.โ
With I Love You So’sย combination of a super-stylish environment, killer beans, and consistent brews, we canโt imagine declaring anything less than love for this little neighborhood coffee bar.
Charmaine Mok is the digital editor-in-Chief atย Hong Kong Tatler. Read more Charmaine Mok on Sprudge.