A note on the words: a kissaten is a traditional Japanese coffee house, and a morning set is a breakfast special where ordering coffee gets you toast and a boiled egg for little or no extra cost. Shokupan is fluffy Japanese milk bread. The coffee blends here are named after the stars of the Tanabata legend: Orihime (Vega in Lyra) and Hikoboshi (Altair in Aquila).
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Hoshino Coffee Ten Akasaka mitsuke ten on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. It had been a while since I was in Akasaka-mitsuke in the morning. Being here so early, I considered having morning soba, but since it has still been quite cold lately, I figured a hot coffee would hit the spot and stepped into “Hoshino Coffee Ten” when it caught my eye. Just two doors down is Kohi Sakan Shu, making this quite a competitive pocket! Inside, I was shown to a table partitioned off from the others. For one or two people, it seems quite comfortable.
Morning Coffee — 650 yen
During the morning hours, if you order a coffee, it looks like it comes with your choice of mini pancakes or thick-cut toast plus a boiled egg! At 650 yen, isn’t that remarkably reasonable? Elsewhere around here it is easy enough to find places charging 900 or 1,000 yen. And since coffee is the main event and the bread just tags along, it would be beside the point to price the two together at 700 or 800 yen — thought of that way, this is very good indeed.
There are three coffees to choose from: the Hoshino Blend, the Hikoboshi Blend, and the Orihime Blend. Orihime is Vega, the first-magnitude star in Lyra, and Hikoboshi is Altair in Aquila! Naming them after stars is a stylish touch. Since it was my first time here, I went with the orthodox Hoshino Blend. For the set, I chose the thick-cut toast.
On a cold day, hot coffee is unbeatable!
To be honest, I am not especially knowledgeable about the subtle differences in coffee flavor, but it was not overly bitter and went down very easily. An orthodox, easy-drinking coffee like this really hits the spot.
The toast is thick. It is a half slice, but still quite a substantial portion. A standard slice of shokupan (Japanese milk bread) seems about half that thickness, so in the end it amounts to roughly a whole slice. The freshly toasted bread is soft and delicious, but the boiled egg is a real highlight. Truth be told, what would make me happiest of all is if you could swap the bread for another egg and get a set with two boiled eggs! Peeling the shell and eating it with a dash of salt is so good — it really feels like breakfast.
A guide to sixteen breakfast spots in Akasaka and Akasaka-mitsuke, from kissaten morning sets to morning soba.
So, having breakfast at Hoshino Coffee Ten in Akasaka-mitsuke this time, getting all this for 650 yen is quite wonderful! Could this perhaps be the cheapest among the kissaten around here that include a morning set? I thought I would certainly drop in again whenever I have a little time in the morning.
Hoshino Coffee Ten Akasaka mitsuke ten (Kissa (Japanese coffee shop) / Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Nagatacho Station, Akasaka Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.2
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
