Kowloon City is a wonderful neighbourhood to explore. Aside from the enclave of restaurants in Little Thailand and the variety of small independent stores or boutiques, there’s also a handful of cafes and coffee shops worth visiting, including the recently opened Yukkuri.
Helmed by four millennials: Pete, owner of the antique store Hatch Area; Cammi, founder of local brand Yiju Production Co.; and Kenneth and Yanki from Chang Chang Goods Store – all of whom have the same passion and appreciation for Japanese antiques and craftsmanship – Yukkuri, which means ‘slowly’ in Japanese, provides a carefree and relaxing environment for anyone who walks through. The shop owners also interpret the store name as a combination of ‘Yururi’, which means ‘to relax’, and ‘Yutori’, the Japanese term used to refer to the millennial generation.
The cafe is a far cry from your usual Instagram-driven coffee joints in Hong Kong. From its vintage oak front door – salvaged from an old French village – to the collection of fascinating antiques neatly displayed on wooden tables and shelves, walking into Yukkuri feels as though you’re stepping into a museum. There are old books from the Edo period, a kerosene lamp from the Taishō period, handmade tableware by Japanese ceramist Tatsuma Segawa, and many more handicrafts and antiques gathered under one roof. Even if you’re not an antique enthusiast, you’ll definitely still appreciate the amount of effort and detail that has been put into the shop and its interior.
Yukkuri is currently in its soft-opening stage so the menu is still relatively small, but it’s all about quality over quantity here. Must-try items include the Yukkuri red bean toast, which uses Japanese red beans and a light and sweet brioche cream bun. For drinks, try the iced hojicha black sesame latte or the iced genmai matcha latte. The cafe also serves cold brew coffee made by Rest Coffee Gin, one of our top cafe-bars in the city. Yukkuri is not taking any walk-in customers at the moment, so plan ahead if you want to visit and make your booking via this link.
Yukkuri
424 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon City (opens 12nn to 7.30pm)
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