Itโs le gรดuter hourย in Paris, and the warm scent of cookies baking is distracting me from Moko Hirayamaโs story. The former lawyer is now a formidable pastry chef and co-owner of cafe and bakeshop Mokonuts with her partner, chef Omar Koreitem. Her discretely decadent creations are surprising and a little unexpected, much like Mokonuts itself. Combining elements of a coffee shop and a restaurant, the low-key space adapts to the dayโs clientele, from breakfast andย lunch to late-afternoon indulgences.
Koreitem and Hirayama opened Mokonuts near Place de la Nation in summer 2016. Loosely inspired by American- and English-style coffee shops, the mellow blend of cafe and restaurant is underscored by fine dining craftsmanship. โThe idea was to open a coffee shop where we would serve good food,โ says Koreitem. โ[It] turned into a restaurant that serves good coffee.โ
Koreitemโs concise, Mediterranean-influenced menu changes daily based on what local produce is available, but it usually includes four starters, two mains, and a variety of dessertsโincluding Hirayamaโs fresh-baked cookies in flavors like coconut-black pepper, peanut butter, and white chocolate-olive. Her lighter, savory take on American home-baked classics offers a refreshing change of pace from typical coffee shop sweets.
Both of them self-taught chefs, Koreitem and Hirayama came to fine dining and coffee in their 30s. Eachย forged an unconventional path, following a series of internships and jobs in enviable kitchens in the US, the UK, and France. They also both discovered the joys of coffee through their work in food but felt truly good coffee was often lacking in restaurants.
โWe knew that if we were to open our own venture it would not be a restaurant,โ says Koreitem. โWe thought, why not bring what we know into a coffee shop setting?โ The result is a comfortable space with a wide-open kitchen where guests can sip a Kent dโUnna filter coffee from LโArbre ร Cafรฉ or a Japanese roasted barley tea whileย watching Koreitem sear squid and Hirayama mix batter. โWe did not want this place to look like a restaurant,โ says Koreitem. โWe wanted people to feel like they were coming to someoneโs house.โ
The only compromise thereย would beย the small, gleaming La Marzocco Linea PBย tucked in a blue-and-yellow-tiled corner. โIn the entire restaurant, the most expensive material is the coffee machine,โ jokes Hirayama. She and Koreitem are not certified baristas, but they trained with a local barista and regularly tap into the wealth of expertise now present in Paris. Their coffee meets with approval from professionals and the average passerby alikeโand goes perfectly with a fresh-baked cookie at snack time.
Kate Robinson (@KateOnTheLoose) is a freelance journalist based in Paris. Read more Kate Robinson on Sprudge.ย