Aoyama Cafe in Aberdeen Center, Richmond

Updated: 4th February 2013: This restaurant had closed.

The past weekend I was basically engrossed with planning for the 8GTCC Hunan project. Up to now, we have 50 people responding to the dinner. We had earlier made reservation with the restaurant for 40 people, thinking that 40 is already a lot of people. On the menu side, there were a bit of tweakings too. Everyone was looking at it from different angle … too spicy, too much pork, where is the beer duck, etc. So now we had landed on a feast of 12 dishes and 2 appys. Oh boy this is going to be a feast!!

On a related matter, Suanne and I met up with Carol. She is the producer of a local TV show. She wants to do a small documentary of chowtimes and has chosen to cover the 8GTCC Hunan dinner too. So we were there to discuss the details of the show. Scary times!

Aoyama-Richmond-28-600x400

Suanne and I met with Carol in Richmond’s Aberdeen Center. The Aoyama Cafe seems to be the perfect place because it has a nice casual setting, serves gourmet coffee and have a full dinner menu too.

Half of this place used to be Starbucks. It is perhaps only in Richmond that Starbucks is out of place. I can’t really pinpoint why it is so. You don’t see a lot of people walking around in Richmond with a cup of coffee in their hands.

But the Aoyama Cafe is something else. It is packed with customers, mostly a young crowd.

Aoyama-Richmond-1-400x600

Given the location, the prices here are understandably a little on the high side. I don’t quite know what to make of their menu … I would say it is a Japanese fusion cafe. Many of the dishes are named Japanese Style Something and yet you don’t really see anything particularly traditional Japanese fare here.

As for prices, here are generally how their prices look like:

  • snacks are $6 – $7
  • appetizers are $7 – $8, with pricier ones at $13
  • entrees are $10 – $13
  • desserts are $6

What Aoyama Cafe specializes in is called siphoned coffee. A cup of coffee ranges from $2.50 to $9.00. What do you think of the prices? Not too bad considering the location and all?

Suanne went with dinner special (picture above) and opted for the Scallop and Mushroom Spaghetti Soup.

Aoyama-Richmond-2-400x600

This is siphoned coffee. The most expensive coffee they carry is the $9 Blue Mountain #1 coffee. I was expecting that they brew the coffee in front of us so that I can see how this is done. But it was brewed at the back of the restaurant.

I was kind of disappointed but the waitress was quick enough to know I wanted to see it. So she told me she will let me know when someone orders the siphoned coffee so I can see it in action.

Aoyama-Richmond-3-400x600

Aoyama is split into two sections. One section is the self-serve section serving mainly coffee, pretty much like what you have in a Starbucks. The other larger section is the full-service section where people have food.

The moment I went to the self-serve section to see the coffee brewed, I see this huge brewing thingy at the back. It is monstrous. Being nosy, I asked if that is how my coffee was made. Apparently not. This is a cold drip coffee thingy where they used this to make the Sumiyaki coffee ($3.50). This is also called “charcoal roast”.

A guy in suit came over and gave me a small cup (with ice) to try since I was nosy and was asking a lot of questions. I like stuff like this.

I only had a small half cup of it and brought it to Suanne to try. It has a smooth flavour and does not have the distinctive bitterness normally you find in coffee.

Aoyama-Richmond-4-400x600Aoyama-Richmond-5-400x600

The man in suit who happen to manage this cafe (I forgot his name) told me that siphon is the best way to brew coffee. I am not convinced really but I give them the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, I am NOT an expert in coffee and cannot tell one from another.

Oh, not really. I can tell a Starbucks coffee from a McDonalds coffee now because I had McDonalds coffee almost everyday when they had the two-week free coffee promotion just two weeks ago.

The siphon coffee contraption is quite unique. The picture on the left is when they started off — ground coffee at the top and water at the bottom. I am not sure if I can explain it correctly … but … as the water boiled, it is forced through the tube into the ground coffee above. When it is cooled, gravity lets the coffee drips down to the bottom.

How is my explanation?

Aoyama-Richmond-6-400x600

While I was there, the man in suit was making a sales pitch to me saying how popular the above is and how long it takes them to make it in layers and all. He said … take a picture. I took it.

Then he asked me, what these picture taking is for. I said, I have a blog and they immediately laughed. I did not know what that laugh meant. It sounded like he was disappointed that I am taking the pictures for a blog and that he is expecting someone “bigger”, like a newspaper reporter or something. I felt kind of awkward when he laughed actually. Oh well …

More sales pitch ensued. He told me Aoyama have a branch in California and that the UCC Coffee that they carry is very popular in Hongkong. And then he told me that he also has 20 outlets in the Philippines.

Aoyama-Richmond-21-600x400

Back to our table. Carol had the $9 Blue Mountain #1 while we had the “Barista’s Siphoned Coffee” which came with the Dinner Special. Guess which cup above is the Blue Mountain #1 and which is the Barista’s Siphoned Coffee? 🙂

The Barista’s Siphoned Coffee is made with a blend of the their signature UCC and Sumiyaki coffee … if you care to know.

Carol said that the coffee was good but had a hint of sourish note … it is just that it is not $9 good. LOL! It is expensive isn’t it? Yeah, I like the coffee here. They are not very bitter and so I did not have to load it with cream and sugar. Actually, I like this coffee in that this is one of the few ones I can drink Americano style.

Our waitress for some reason told us that she will make sure that she place the cup with the handle to our left side. She said that this is a standard Japanese cafe concept. First time I heard of this but interesting.

Aoyama-Richmond-22-600x400

Carol had the Japanese Style Omurice ($13). It is basically … rice, omelet with sauce … a pretty and interesting presentation. I like the color contrast … makes it looked so delicious.

Aoyama-Richmond-26-600x400

While it was nice to look at, Carol did not like it a whole lot. I did not ask her why but am not surprised.

Inside the thin omelet is curried rice pilaf which is then topped with tomato mushroom sauce. The seafood (scallop, prawns, mussels) topping it all however looked fresh.

Aoyama-Richmond-23-600x400

For me, I had wanted something light. I had been trying to not eat so much — he he he, been gaining weight for the last two months and need to get back to the Normal BMI category from the Overweight range.

Actually, my primary goal is not to get to the Normal range in the BMI. The most important goal is just to have a lower BMI than Suanne … and I am getting close!

So I had the Tuna Pizza Toast ($8).

Aoyama-Richmond-25-600x400

It was actually very good. Although I like pizzas with crisp thin crust and even though this is toast, I like the texture.

The thickish toast is unbelievably pillowy soft … very much like when you steam bread Asian style.

Before I had this I thought that the tuna would be like Japanese style raw tuna. Instead it is very much like canned tuna flakes. There are lots of melted gooey mozzarella cheese. I enjoyed this.

Aoyama-Richmond-20-600x400

Suanne went with the $18 Dinner Special. She doesn’t care about weight because as much as she eats, she is fine. She is not slim or thin or anything … it is just that you can’t call her overweight at all.

For the $18 Dinner Special, there is the coffee, salad, dessert and a choice of mains. For $18, it is not too bad considering all these items.

The salad with lettuce, corn, pineapple, cucumber and tomato was pretty good. We enjoyed it. It was as fresh as one could expect.

Aoyama-Richmond-24-600x400

Suanne’s choice of main is the Scallop and Mushroom Spaghetti Soup. The ingredients include scallops, inoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and some shredded seaweed.

It was nothing special really. The soup was interesting and has a sharp gingery flavour.

Aoyama-Richmond-27-600x400

For the dessert, it was the raspberry mousse cake which is served with chocolate and raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Pretty presentation and pretty OK. Suanne thinks it is good. Me? I am not a dessert person. Dessert are for girls. Real men does not take dessert.

Aoyama-Richmond-7-400x600

It was an OK meal. I don’t complain about the prices because considering the location, service, food quality and all, this is quite reasonable.

We had a great time chatting with Carol. We actually spent 3 hours there — lots to talk about. Filming starts on Saturday this week. I am nervous like hell. Not only I hate to see myself in photos, what do you think when it comes to TV?

So I asked Carol for tips and she just said “Oh, just be natural”. I know that already!

So the day after the dinner, I went for a haircut. I told my usual barber that I need it to look good on TV and she took twice as long to cut my hair that day. Now I don’t look like a hooligan. I actually looked smart. LOL!

Help! Any tips or advice for me?

Aoyama Cafe (UCC Coffee) on Urbanspoon

This Post Has 0 Comments

  1. Lotus Root

    Although this restaurant has unique aspects to offer, they seem to have a rather old perspective on modern advertising method, I think this is reflected greatly by how they responded to you being a blogger. Also I would have to disagree on the point in which you said the Omurice looked appealing…I think that is probably just a matter of opinion though. And in adddition, the BMI Calculator is junk lol it cant see the density of muscles so its not accurate hehe or that just what I tell myself.

    1. Marike

      The BMI can be a good general indicator for average people. It definitely doesn’t work on pro athletes and does account for proportion of fat to muscle.

      Where you carry fat is also important as visceral fat (around your organs) is much worse than subcutaneous fat (close to the surface of your skin), etc etc.

  2. Jonnek

    Just like Qoola, Aoyama is operated by a Filipino-Chinese family. You can’t really tell by what these establishments offer that they have roots from the Philippines. Aoyama looks like a Japanese run restaurant at first glance.

  3. Pinoy Gourmet

    Jonnek,thats not surprising considering 9% of Richmond is Filipino,Only most being Chinoy or Filipino Chinese They dont stand out until they speak tagalog .I bet you many in Richmond dont know how many restaurants,Shopping arcades,stores etc are Chinoy owned in Richmond.

  4. RobynT

    I agree with Lotus Root; the restaurant should recognize how much power bloggers have these days! I think bloggers are more reliable than some restaurant reviewers in the newspaper. And many people read your blog. I sometimes share your reviews with my friends who live near Vancouver too! At least they were friendly and showed you how they make the coffee and all that.

    I think you explained the siphon coffee well. Very cool. I never heard of that before.

  5. Biki

    It sounds like Aoyama Cafe took a few cafe ideas from Japan, put them into one cafe but failed as a copycat lol~
    Thx for the review!

  6. Elaine

    Suanne should’ve tried their premium desserts! OMG so freakin’ good! The xango especially!

  7. keev

    tried it. didnt care for it. unlikely to go back unless someone else chose to come here.

    regardless of their rent. the food is mediocre at best. there is nothing unique about their food and it isn’t good value for your money.

    just head upstairs to the food court. didn’t try their coffee though. so maybe they do have good coffee. but sounds more gimmicky than good coffee. also didn’t try the dessert. so maybe good for dessert and coffee.

    dont know what he is laughing about? obviously doesnt understand the power of chowtimes and bloggers.

    sometimes i hear people i know that make dining decisions based on what you have to say.

    personally for me, i cant take main stream reviews entirely seriously esp when the media income is subsidized from restaurant advertising. seen it first hand where the paper were offering to review our restaurant based on how much we spent on advertising with them. 🙂

    Advise for dealing with being on camera, learn proper breathing techniques. best if you can meditate and be really relaxed before being on camera. focus on your breathing and you’re less likely to be nervous or anxious.

  8. Johnny Chiu

    Hi Ben,
    I am the guy in the suit that talked to you at Aoyama Cafe. I do read your Blog and have a lot more respect to blogger than other commercial critics. I apologise for you taking my laugh as a disrespect. I laugh all the time, because in our business, if I don’t laugh, I will have to cry. You know what I mean?
    I am just confirming that your bloggers are right. Aoyama Cafe is own by Filipino Chinese family and we are proud of the fact that all our kitchen staffs and management team are Filipino. Aoyama Cafe is the only establishment in Aberdeen Center Mall that required employees to greet and speak English to all our guests first unless the guest insist to speak Chinese.
    I think most of the restaurants in Richmond serve good food. Good food is not what we are all about. We focus on 3 things that we think will make Aoyama Cafe different. We focus on making sure all our guests “feel good”, all our dishes “look good” and all our dishes “taste good”. Have you notice the silver wares and the coffee cups we use? Have you notice how we plate all our dishes? 70% of our guests are female, so we focus on the restroom cleanliness and make it a focal point.
    I am on my way to Manila as I type and will be back 5/18. I like to invite you and Susanne to come to Aoyama Cafe to try all our other dishes. Do come and try our Filipino breakfast on the weekends. Hope you look your best on TV.

    1. Ben

      Oh thanks for the visit to our blog, Johnny. I was so completely engrossed with your coffee equipment that I forgot your name the moment I walked back to the table. Talking about Filipino breakfast, we are going on a slight Filipino slant sometime next week with something exciting. Keep tuned!
      Ben

      1. Ryan

        Hello,

        I went to Aoyama twice since it opened, and both times have been fairly satisfied. I look at them as a slightly more expensive alternative to HK cafe, but you get what you pay for in better service and better ambiance.

        Dinehere reviews reflect this fact – the servers are very polite and eager to please, unlike most HK cafe, but albeit they are a bit inexperienced (i.e. won’t serve until prompted).

        Anyways, you guys need to try the Unagi baked rice. Excellent choice!

  9. Jonnek

    I wonder if having it known that Aoyama is actually run by Filipinos will make it less appealing. I dont have anything against Filipinos as I am half Filipino myself (the other half is Chinese). I just thought that customers tend to patronize places run by nationals of that cuisine. Case in point, a sushi place run by Japanese seems to be better than Chinese or Korean run sushi places.

  10. badadunk

    My husband and I came here when it was fairly new. We were very disappointed with the quality of food ( i could do better and I can’t cook!) and the unorganized staff. The only unique items they have was the coffee. We ordered the Katsu sandwich – too much bread! Fried cheesecake dessert which was not bad but could be better because it came out cold and the texture was chewy. We also ordered pizza toast and it came out soft and soggy. Pizza bread should be crispy. My husband (a chef) complained about it and asked if they put it in the microwave. She was hesitant to answer but she answered Yes. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I know I wont be back again

  11. fmed

    I’m a bit of a coffee geek so I’ll try to offer my explanation of siphon coffee. You almost have it right…the water starts to boil in the lower flask and the steam creates enough pressure to push the water up to the upper flask. Then the barista will take it off the heat. As the lower flask cools, the air pressure inside it decreases…enough to suck the water (now infused with coffee) back down through the filter (often only a glass plug) and into the lower flask. So it is a relative vacuum and not gravity that forces the water through.

    At some places, the barista will wrap a cold wet towel around the lower flask to speed up the process (obvious timed depending on the bean and roast).

    The big contraption is a cold filter. Cold (often iced) water drips slowly overnight through the coffee grounds. It really does make a difference in flavour. The coffee is almost “winey” in flavour and aroma.

    These two devices are far more popular in Asia than here – and more popular than espresso which is “too bitter” for the Asian palate. In some parts of Europe, the siphon is more popular than espresso (though that may have changed since the recent attempts at World Domination by Starbucks.)

  12. Elaine

    Despite the fact I like the food and the ambience there, I had a horrible experience there at once =S My group of friends went there at 8PM once, and we were told that there was an hour wait, so we waited til 9PM. However we didn’t get called after the one hour wait so we asked the server and we were told there are no seats and it’s our fault that we didn’t go inside! First of all there are no waiting space inside and if we did wait inside we would be blocking everyone. Secondly we were RIGHT OUTSIDE the restaurant and we never left anywhere during the wait, so the servers can see perfectly where we were =S They never said sorry to us and we were told there was another 30 minutes wait. That was quite infuriating. We had to leave because they close at 10PM and we would only get half an hour of dining time and we were all extremely hungry!

  13. schweetb

    I’ve beend to Aoyama Cafe twice and both times it’s left me with a mediocre impression.

    I was really disappointed with the Blue Mountain coffee that was $9.00 and the taste was not at par to all. Usually when coffee isn’t brewed incorrectly or the mixture was not measured properly or the quality of the coffee, it ends up giving you a sour after taste in your mouth…which was puzzling to me considering it’s Blue Mountain.

    I’ve tried Blue Mountain before in HK and Jamaica, despite how Aoyama might have made it the ‘best’ possible way…it did not taste the same…and it wasn’t the best. >.< It's supposed to be a bold, rich aroma that gives me a bright lively taste. Instead I was left with sour and flat. Funny thing was, when I saw the server pouring the coffee I was already skeptical….I was asking myself, "why was did the coffee look so light?!"

    Even though the coffee immediately gave me and my fiance a negative impression, we still tried to maintain an open-mind until we had tasted the food. It was neither yay or nay…It's not that the food was bad. It's just with the price I'm paying….there's other's type of food I'd rather eat and enjoy eating it.

    I agree with Ryan's comment regarding the lack of experience with their staff. My first time attempting to try out Aoyama, my party and I were turned away because we had no reservations made….but when we walked into the restaurant, it was half empty. They were holding tables that had reservations at 7pm, 8pm etc. The server told me I'd have to wait until 9pm. I tried to reason with her and said, if we're eating at 6, we'll be finished before your 8pm party arrives. Another lady who was informed that she'd have to wait until 9pm agreed with me as well. From a customer's point of view, I was confused that they were turning away business when tables were empty….on a Friday night.

    Regardless….the menu and the ambience at Ayomama is really nice…it's just not executed at the best of it's worth. Perhaps hopefully in due time, it'll improve.

  14. Jesse

    I have tried coffee at Aoyama. I was deeply disappointed the coffee didn’t taste good. The price is more expensive than Starucks but it tastes worse than Starbucks. I guess it’s only worth it when you actually sit down and drink your coffee with their china. That way you sort of pay for the ambiance and seating. If you just grab your coffee to go, it’s not worth it. You are paying more for mediocre flavor.

    The equipment for making siphoned coffee looks interesting. Unfortunately, it’s just the look. It doesn’t brew better coffee. The siphon thing is definitely not a gem. Coffee tastes bland and watery.

  15. Kate

    Aoyama cafe is run by Filipino-Chinese? That explains why the food tastes nothing like Japanese style western food I had in many Japanese owned and operated restaurant in Southern California. It’s not authentic what so ever.

    1. Peter

      Japanese style western food is not authentic to begin with.
      Japanese owned restaurants are good for Japanese food, not western food.

  16. etranger

    You can make your own cold filtered coffee without a fancy looking gizmo like that. I make it every other day in a french press. I use good quality coffee beans that I grind as for drip coffee, not espresso. Put 2 parts water, 1 part grounds into the bottom of the french press and stir it together. Put in the top part of the press just as a lid, don’t press it down. Put it in the fridge overnight.

    In the morning, stir the mix again and gently press down on the french press plunger to strain the coffee liquid from the grounds. Eventually, press very hard to get all the liquid out. Pour off the liquid, possibly through an additional fine strainer or coffee filter if you have one.

    Compost the grounds. I’ve tried using them again and it isn’t good.

    This will give you a concentrated coffee liquid. You can dilute it with hot water or with cold or hot milk. It doesn’t have the acid that is produced when coffee is made in a hot process like percolating or as for espresso. If coffee gives you heartburn, this type most likely won’t. It keeps in the fridge for a few days, which is why I don’t make it every day.

  17. Mare

    Wow, what an interesting cafe, and 9$ coffee….only in Vancouver!I am kinda interested in some of these dishes!

  18. Gus

    I lived in Japan for a couple of years and was surprised that they have a pretty authentic Famires here in Richmond.
    I was walking past it and guessed it was a new place, so I checked it out. I admit it is a bit pricey, but for the ambience it’s a good deal. I like their hamburg curry! It brings back memories. With all due respect to those who say this is not authentic Japanese fare, Have you been to Japan lately? Because Aoyama tastes EXACTLY like the Family Restaurants in Japan.

    1. Biki

      It’s funny how you would say that the family restaurants in Japan are “authentic Japanese fare” when it’s the Japanese take on “Western cuisine”. And even then, I wouldn’t say the family restaurants are the authentic version of that – you would have to visit the small oba-san restaurants for the real thing!

      I was actually in Japan last year, on a working holiday — I can’t really say much about the taste of Aoyama in comparison, as I’ve never eaten here, but looking at Ben’s pictures I’d say that there’s quite a difference between this and the real deal. Not to say that the food served here wouldn’t taste any good. ^^

  19. fmed

    It is a common complaint in restaurants and cafes here. Unless you have a dedicated, well trained coffee person with a good palate making your coffee, you will get mediocre coffee at best. Even at most fine dining places, your coffee (often from second grade roasters) is made by your server. Not a good formula.

  20. Johnny Chiu

    Aoyama Cafe, UCC Coffee at Aberdeen Center Mall carried exclusively UCC brand coffee. We are the only Cafe that brew authentic 100% UCC Blue Mountain #1 coffee bean from the company owned coffee plantation in Jamaica. As stated in the menu, it is a medium roasted coffee with very high acidity. It is expensive because each bean is sorted by a computerised machine and only the perfect beans with “0” blemish are used. The rest is kicked out and used for Blue Mountain blend or mixed with other bean. Is it the best tasting coffee? To many customers that prefer a bold tasting coffee with little acidity, they think it sucks. To some that love and appreciate the acidity and the aroma, they say it is “beautifully sour”. It is their word, not mine. There are many Japanese and mainland Chinese nationals that love the natural coffee favor with the high acidity. I personally think the Blue Mountain blend is a better drinking coffee, but that is me.
    Most of the Coffee Houses carries Blue Mountain blend coffee bean and they are all very good drinking coffee. Is there any taste difference between a perfect bean and a bean with blemish? Ask the Japanese UCC owner Mr. Ueshima who introduced coffee culture to Japan way back when Japanese only drink tea, he will say yes. I think extreme perfection do have something to do with cost, not necessary taste. Is Blue Mountain #1 worth $9 a cup? Ask those that think it sucks because it is taste flat and sour and ask those that comes in and drink 3 cups every week. They are both right.
    Coffee taste, is more of a personal preference where price have very little to do with it. The UCC blend we serve day in and day out, to thousands of guests in Asia, is the best drinking coffee because it is blended for easy and smooth drinking even for guests that don’t drink coffee.
    One policy we have in all our Cafe is if our guests do not like the coffee or any food item for that matter, we gladly replace it with any other item, no question asked. We will also gladly refund your money if you don’t want anything else, no question asked neither. It is pretty safe for you to try our Cafe. Do test our servers and managers next time you are in Aoyama Cafe. When you take into consideration the Wedgewood silver wares, coffee cup set we served our coffee in, and how we plated all our dishes with personal touches, I hope you will not think we are excessively expensive.
    I would like to have Ben and Suanne organise a coffee tasting session with his bloggers at Aoyama Cafe so all of you have a chance to taste all our brews and find one you like.
    I apologise for some of the bad experience you all had during our grand opening days and our reservation policy. It is a tough business and we are trying very hard to please everybody. Like I told Ben, if I don’t laugh all the time, I will have to cry. I enjoy the business and I take pride of personally trained all our service staffs from ground Zero. BTW, we only hired people with no prior restaurant experience.
    I will be in Manila thru 5/17 and returning on 5/18. I hope there is a coffee that you will enjoy in our Cafe. If not, I will buy you a cup of coffee form Starbucks or McD if that is the best drinking coffee for you. They have millions of customers and they could not be wrong.

  21. fmed

    What you like in coffee is a matter of preference. I know I can enjoy both the Asian style (UCC, La Cuission, et al) and the “3rd wave” style (49th Parallel, JJ Bean, etc – where Blue Mountain often doesn’t hold any cache). It’s analogous to the wine world in the complexity of the product.

    On siphons, etc: even the 3rd wave places are now using infrared siphons and cold brew machines (more as novelty items, granted) along with the usual espresso. I’ve had great siphon coffee at 49th P. Using the same roast/bean, the flavour of the coffee is quite different between French Press, Siphon, and Clover.

    What isn’t a matter of preference is the real quality of the product: You need good beans, water, equipment, training and experience to turn out a consistently good cup. If one of these components is missing – you’ll get mediocre or bad cup of coffee. For example, there’s a lot of bad espresso out there being extracted by untrained staff using automatic espresso machines (despite using great locally roasted beans).

    I often only go to my usual spots when I know a particular barista is on shift because I know I will get a good cup.

  22. Joe

    On a related note, there’s a good albeit very general recap about Japanese investment in Blue Mountain coffee and its effects in Jamaica in the Robb Walsh anthology “Are You Really Going to Eat That?” (http://www.amazon.ca/Are-You-Really-Going-That/dp/1582432783/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270611163&sr=8-3). I picked up my hardcover copy for under $5 at Book Warehouse.

    A short quote:
    “‘The Japanese make all the money on Jamaican coffee,” [Blue Mountain coffee grower Alex Twyman] told me. They buy 90 percent of the entire crop at $7.50 a pound. The Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica pays the farmers about half that much. Then the Japanese roast the coffee in Tokyo and sell it for $60 a pound. Twyman finds this arrangement crazy. ‘It’s a form of Japanese colonialism,’ he thundered.

    “‘I’m required by law to sell the coffee board at whatever price they choose to pay, regardless of the value of the product in the world market….'”

    A quick Google indicates that the Jamaican government changed that during the Japanese recession – when purchases for Blue Mountain coffee plummeted, with prices following – and a few growers are allowed to export their coffees under labels other than the generic Blue Mountain moniker.

    All that said, there’s likely controversy regarding the coffee industry everywhere, and I hope I haven’t overgeneralized the story in a patronizing way.

  23. Johnny Chiu

    Everything Fmed and Joe said are pretty accurate. As far as Aoyama Cafe is concern, we have standard recipes for brewing each coffee type and still it may not satisfy everybody. That is the reason why we have a policy in place that if the coffee brewed is to the customer’s satisfaction, we will brew another one ( they may have their own preference on the timing from 10 sec. to 30 or 45 sec. with the syphon) to their liking, no question asked.
    We are new to the Vancouver area. I don’t know how other coffee houses manage their brewing process to their customers satisfaction? You may be surprise how much the taste of the coffee will change with +/- 5 sec. brewing time.
    Coffee is a commodity. I wish I can buy it for $7.50/lb and sell it for $70. I guess I am paying for the shipping of the coffee from Jamaica to Japan, got them sorted and roasted and then shipped to me in Canada. I am at the mercy of UCC since they own their own plantation in Jamaica and not having to buy it from the open market.

  24. Reader

    I would rather eat at a Chinese-style western restaurant.

  25. Charles

    That food looks delicious! But this is still my favorite place to get some good Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, http://tinyurl.com/y85tz7v

  26. Beachbum

    I love the detailed explanations of your experiences.I happened to come by your blog when I wanted to see reviews on diff restaurants in Richmond.
    On the bad note,you are a blogger and anyone can read it therefore edit edit and redirect before you post your blog bec there are so many grammar errors and unnecessary comments.
    Just some advices for next blog.
    Keep up the happy adventures of exploring restaurants and writing about them.

    1. Ben

      Hi Beachbum: Thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I know … a lot of people tell me the same thing too. I am just too plain lazy to go back and proof read myself. Some people tell me that they don’t get what I am saying … and when I go back and read it, I don’t understand myself too. LOL! Bear with me but yeah, thanks for the feedback!
      Ben

Leave a Reply