HAKŪJI Tearoom

31st January 2025
HAKŪJI Tearoom in Kemang channels the unhurried, intentional spirit of Japanese tea ceremonies, offering both traditional and modern takes on Japanese tea.

From the passing of the chawan down to the careful folding of napkins, every gesture in a Japanese tea ceremony is marked with purpose and intent. Drawing from this centuries-old tradition, HAKŪJI Tearoom on Kemang I Street invites visitors to rediscover the simple yet meaningful ritual of tea drinking—one that is unhurried, mindful and deliberate.

Ichi-go ichi-e: one meeting, one moment. In a tea ceremony, the mindset is to offer the best hospitality because no moment can be repeated—you have to make the most of each one. So every movement matters,” explained Sarah Jessica, better known as Jess, who initially started Hakūji with her partner, James Nikolas, as a pop-up business. “That’s why we made the tearoom reservation-based, ensuring we stay mindful and intentional in the way we prepare and serve the tea.”

This discipline was instilled by James’ grandmother, Kiyoe Tanaka Sitanggang, a Japanese-born Urasenke tea ceremony instructor who has served tea to respected figures including two former Indonesian presidents, Soeharto and Megawati. At the café, it manifests in the smallest details—the slanted matcha bar, designed for fluid movement behind the counter, and the carefully chosen ceramic chawan, which reflects the tea master’s customary role in selecting the bowl used during a particular ceremony.

Surrounding the bar is an eclectic mix of genuine antiques and colourful, contemporary furniture that somehow comes together to evoke the charm of a quaint Japanese café. A cushy green lounge chair sits beside an intricate wooden armchair. A minimalist bookshelf is topped with an old, vase-like table lamp. Meanwhile, rattan and curved plastic chairs encircle the same round wooden table.

This sets the stage for a menu that highlights matcha in both its traditional and modern forms. In the Koicha set, a cup of gently-whisked, velvety Uji-Hikari matcha with grassy, umami notes and hints of avocado sweetness comes served with a traditional treat of nerikiri (a Japanese confection made of sweetened white bean paste and glutinous rice flour) by Kyoto-trained Kikkaya Wagashi—just as it is typically done during tea ceremonies. Whereas on the other end of the spectrum, there’s the dessert-like Banana Pudding Matcha Latte, a glass of cold-whisked Makoto matcha (Hakūji’s ceremonial matcha with notes of roasted walnut, seaweed, and fresh grass) finished with a dollop of banana pudding.

Beyond matcha, tea at Hakūji also comes in the form of hōjicha leaves that vary in roasting intensity. They can be enjoyed as Dirty Latte, which combines medium-roast hōjicha with chilled oat milk, fresh milk and fresh cream alongside a shot of hot espresso as well as homemade vanilla syrup to sweeten the mix. And if you’re feeling peckish, pair the drinks with a Mixed Onigiri Platter by Hanabi Okinawa Onigiri that offers a lineup of three onigiri fillings spanning tuna, beef to smoked miso eggplant.

Ultimately, Hakūji’s reverence for matcha’s roots in the tea ceremony tradition doesn’t mean it confines itself to the old way—and this multi-faceted nature is what makes a visit to the tearoom all the more appealing, especially with the prospect of upcoming programmes like ‘Teasperience’ (a tea-tasting experience exploring different cultivars) that the team plans to bring back from their pop-up days.  

With the city’s growing—and undeniably enthusiastic—appetite for matcha, Hakūji adds to the scene by providing a space where visitors can immerse themselves in the deliberate and unhurried act of Japanese tea drinking. From lone readers sipping into cups of latte to accompany their books to couples sharing in the novelty of drinking traditional matcha, there’s a sense here that everyone is encouraged to savour the experience at their own pace.