A-NE CAFE: Big sisters baking

Located on the first floor of a "fashion mansion" ten-minute walking from Koenji's vintage thrift store district, A-NE CAFE is the quintessential modern Tokyo neighborhood café.

A-NE CAFE, along with the bakery that supplies it, is a family-run operation. Maki -- the older sister of the Miyamoto clan -- works in the kitchen, whipping up a limited but solid café menu: a massive, crisp-topped scone with fromage blanc and homemade jam made from seasonal fruits (¥400), homemade soup with the house baguette (¥800, small ¥400), salads, sandwiches, quiches and tarts. Younger sister Sanae turns out a staggering range of breads, pastries, cakes and other goodies fresh every morning in her basement atelier. Their parents help out with various tasks around the café. 

From 8:30-11:30am, A-NE CAFE offers a "morning set" that comes with an assortment of five to six of the day’s breads, a small salad, jams, spreads and a drink -- for only ¥650. The house blend coffee (¥450) is full-bodied with floral notes, custom-roasted by a serious, small-scale artisanal shop called Sherpa Coffee -- based out of Gifu City in central Japan.

The Miyamoto sisters originally ran a tiny take-out place down a quiet back alley in Asagaya under the name Bagel for ten years but they had always wanted to run a full scale café. In May 2009, they finally found a suitable location and opened up shop.

"Although we used to be known for our bagels, with ANE-CAFE I wanted to concentrate more on home-style English teatime treats, like scones, crumpets, English muffins and shortbread," says the older sister Maki. The "bagel" label proved hard to shake, however, so after repeated requests from their old customers, the sisters' legendary bagels are back, alongside the other English and French café confections.

Although the Miyamotos used to import most of their baking materials from France in order to achieve the most authentic product possible, recent import price hikes have forced them to turn to local Japanese flour and other alternatives. Still, their pain de campagne and natural yeast loaf chock full of walnuts and raisins (¥350) pack a satisfying density and slightly fermented flavor.

Between the spectacular breads, the heartwarming personal service and high-ceilinged concrete interior, A-NE CAFE may be the most ideal neighborhood café in Tokyo. A few trips and you may find yourself moving to Koenji...

Great pictures of A-NE CAFE and its baked goods available here.

A-NE CAFE: Luna 101, Umezato 1-7-2, Suginami-ku, tel. 03 3314 3234, 8:30am-6pm, closed Tuesday and 2nd/4th Wednesday