Showing posts with label Matcha Cafe Wabi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matcha Cafe Wabi. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2019

Japanese cafe pops up on 4th Street



Yon Chome is now open at 233 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...



The pop-up cafe — here for at least a month — is serving matcha lattes, sencha tea and other Japanese-style drinks and snacks...



Until last September, this small space was home to Matcha Cafe Wabi for three years.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Last weekend for Matcha Cafe Wabi on 4th Street


[Photo via Instagram]

Matcha Cafe Wabi will close tomorrow after nearly three years at 233 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B.

The owners announced the news on Instagram:

We thank each and every one of you for the wonderful memories and the the chance to make the best matcha for you. It was truly an honor! Thank you for making Wabi your go-to place. I hope one day soon, we will have the opportunity to open up a new place, with the same name and to make sure, there are plenty of tables and chairs 😂. Stay healthy, safe and happy, all! ❤️

The small shop, serving matcha lattes, sencha tea and other Japanese-style drinks and pastries, opened in December 2014. It's owned by the folks at Pirka Salon next door.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Matcha Cafe Wabi now open on East 4th Street

Open house Sunday at the all-new Matcha Cafe Wabi

Friday, December 26, 2014

Matcha Cafe Wabi now open on East 4th Street





Matcha Cafe Wabi recently opened at 233 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B.

The cafe's owners offered up a sneak preview for neighbors back in October. EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a look ... and taste. Here's her report:

The open house was for the neighborhood to introduce them to the matcha and sencha tea drinks, the red-bean paste and green tea pastries (gluten free!), matcha tea lattes, and the Japanese roasted coffee drinks.

I tried the classic pour-over coffees from 95 RPM Coffee Roasters (co-owned by Hiroki Kobayashi and Osamu Igano), which I drank as suggested — straight up without milk or sugar. I also tried the soybean black-sesame drink, which thankfully had no caffeine and was sweet and delicious — and unusual to my admittedly uneducated palate.

Kimie Kobaya (pictured below), the shop’s enthusiastic and friendly manager, brought around trays of samples to the guests and patiently translated between the English-speaking and Japanese-speaking visitors.



We learned about Wabi-Sabi, the aesthetic of imperfection, which was a difficult concept to translate from Japanese. (Kimie suggested the Wikipedia page definition.) We enjoyed a (truncated) tea ceremony, courtesy of Yuji (pictured below), who showed us the usu-cha-style bamboo whisks used to blend the bitter green tea powder into tea, and how the bowls are prewarmed, and about the bubbles that mimic a lake and shore in the tea bowl.



The owners of the new shop are Hideaki Minamida and Ken Mitsui, who you might recognize from Pirka Salon next door. (Both shops share the address 233 E. Fourth St.) The tiny to-go spot’s green-tea colored walls and minimalist décor mimic the healthy and happy feelings you experience when ingesting the drinks.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Open house Sunday at the all-new Matcha Cafe Wabi



Matcha Cafe Wabi looks to be nearly ready for green tea action at 233 E. Fourth St. near Avenue B.

As the sign shows, the small cafe will serve matcha lattes, green tea shots and other coffee drinks… as well as showcase local artwork and offer insights into Japanese cooking…



You can check it out for yourself during the cafe's open house Sunday from 3-6 p.m.