Tucked away in BSD City, far from the metropolis’ popular haunts, Omakafé has a few aces up its sleeve to entice patrons to make the journey. First, it’s helmed by 2024 World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin, and second, the intimate eight-seater coffee bar introduces an omakase experience that brings out new depths to the enjoyment of drinking coffee.
“The idea is to spotlight the product, presenting coffee and other ingredients the best way we can while showing our customers the process,” explained Mikael. “It’s like with a sushi omakase, where you trust the chef to give you the best catch on that particular day. But coffee is a little bit different, so instead of changing the menu every day [like they do at sushi omakase joints], we do it every three to four months.”
Set on the third floor, accessible only through a lift inside Common Grounds Zora, Omakafé’s industrial space is set up around this omakase approach—which also drew inspiration from Cokuun in Tokyo, a four-seater omakase coffee bar founded by Mikael’s mentor, the 2014 World Barista Champion Hidenori Izaki. Inside lies an open bar (decorated with rustic brick slabs made from upcycled coffee grounds) that is equally spacious yet intimate, offering minimal separation between customers and the ‘beverage experts’ (“‘Barista’ doesn’t quite cut it, they do more than just tending the bar.”).
The experience starts with an introduction to the menu’s seasonal theme, which often finds influences from the wider F&B industry to incorporate cooking methods or ingredients that are on the rise among chefs and bartenders. The concept is then explored through five degustation sets divided by their main ingredients, and they include three coffee selections—an Indonesian varietal; rare or crossbred bean species labelled “exotic”; and the highly sought-after Panamanian Geisha—as well as one each of matcha and cacao.
Patrons can pick a set to enjoy three drink courses with distinct treatments each, adapting a format that is often found in coffee competitions: ‘As-Is’ simply mixes the main ingredient with water, ‘M*lk/Mix’ adds Mikael’s award-winning D.O.A M*lk (dairy, oat and cashew milk) to the blend, and ‘Reimagined’ is where the team gets truly experimental with the flavour combinations.
For the currently running fourth season, Starch—which dives into the carbohydrate’s varied applications across cultures—Head Bar and RnD Specialist Georgius Audrey Teja recommends the Indonesian coffee set, featuring Kamala Loa #081 beans from Sunny Coffee’s sustainable farms in West Java. Among the courses, Coffee Hydrosol stands out for its clear, water-like presentation that retains the flavour of the coffee, achieved by distilling a cup of espresso. But a treat can also be found in the Soda Charged Clarified Latte, a fizzy take on the drink that offers a significantly lighter mouthfeel, served alongside sweet and slightly tart crackers made from milk solids.
The cacao set with Polewali Lime 70% from Korté Chocolate also comes recommended as a non-coffee option. The Soup for the Soul course in particular is a favourite of many, a comforting blend of cacao husk, nibs and fermented rice syrup, infused with lychee hydrosol and, if you so choose, Daiyame Shochu to add a refreshing lift. However, if the prospect of ordering another round of three drinks sounds like too much, one can always fall back on the á la carte menu to try each beverage option from the omakase sets—as well as creations from seasons past—individually.
Watching the beverage experts at work—occasionally wielding tools more commonly seen in a lab—it’s clear that every step at Omakafé is guided by mindful intention, reinforced by the café’s commitment to a crop-to-cup approach in sourcing ingredients. It lends itself to conversations and exchange of coffee knowledge between customers and beverage experts. And at a time when the café scene is growing increasingly oversaturated and impersonal, it’s refreshing to see such interactions still thrive.