One of the many independent cafés in Setagaya, Brick Lane stands out with its highly coveted ‘cupcakes’ that are only available on weekends and holidays. Don’t expect the usual mini round cakes with a crown of icing, though. Brick Lane’s take is more cheeky, with fluffy chunks of sponge cake folded in with whipped cream and served in a cute paper cup.
Unlike your standard cupcake, these use light brown sugar for a more mellowed, natural sweetness. The flavour changes regularly too; we’ve seen strawberry, peach, melon, cherry and even a Mont Blanc version (chocolate and chestnut flavour). Brick Lane also offers a range of inventive coffee drinks – caramel nut latte, coffee jelly float and espresso tonic – and they have recently started selling beans from Nagasaki’s Kariomons Coffee Roaster.