Coutume Aoyama

Known as one of the hottest craft cafés in Paris, Coutume landed in Tokyo in April 2014 and has found a dedicated following for its light roasts and sleekly fashionable interior. Both drip-style (from ¥380) and espresso-based (from ¥450) coffees are available, while the excellent sandwiches are made with bread from Gontran Cherrier. In a street where people queue for an hour to spend ¥1,600 on a plate of pancakes, it’s refreshing to see more affordable breakfast prices here. The ‘oeufs Bénédicte’ (not pretentious, merely French) cost a mere ¥680 and looks like it matches many rivals at twice this price; the catch is that ‘le petite déjeuner’ is only served between 7.30 and 11am. We arrived at 11.05am and were informed breakfast was no longer being served, so we contented ourselves instead with an excellent croque-monsieur costing ¥780; perfectly toasted bread, light béchamel sauce, firm ham and the cheese topping very lightly grilled; the pert salad leaves were also excellent, much better than the usual plate garnishes. Part of the attraction of the café is watching the coffee baristas at work, operating what appears to be a mad chemist’s laboratory on the counter. We have no idea how those strange plungers works either, but our cappuccino (¥450) was exemplary. A second Tokyo branch opened in Futako-Tamagawa in February 2015.