I first came across Cafe Kitsune in Paris, where they first started out. If you haven’t known about their story, they are opened by Franco-Japanese fashion brand Maison Kitsuné, who started as a music label in 2002 before diving into the fashion line. They then went into cafes as well and ended up with cafes across Paris, Japan, South Korea, and more to count.
If you haven’t managed to guess yet, they specialise in Japanese-influenced French patisseries.
The London site is situated at the newly opened Pantechnicon around Knightsbridge/Belgravia. I really like the location, featuring some gorgeous interior and decor. The huge columns on the building’s facade would be impossible to miss. Nice chill music was playing in the background, with an upstairs seating area which created a quiet and chilled out atmosphere.
In addition, the venue is actually five-storey tall, built specifically as a Nordic and Japanese dining arcade. It houses several restaurants, shops, even a rooftop garden, and of course, Cafe Kitsune.
By translation, the word ‘Kitsune’ means fox in Japanese, so I expected to see plenty of fox-shaped biscuits, etc. by the counter. But availabilities are limited so go early to make sure you don’t miss out.
Here is what we had:
Matcha Kumquat Eclair
Their pastries definitely did not disappoint. The choux dough of this eclair got the perfect light crispiness on the outside, beautifully sweet and airy on the inside. Sandwiching in between was a delicately whipped up matcha cream over a layer of kumquat glaze.
It tasted so light and got a nice subtle touch of citrus seeping through. The matcha flavour wasn’t very strong so it would be fine even if you aren’t a matcha fanatic. I really enjoyed it despite not being a fan of kumquat. The pastry just screamed of exquisiteness and quality.
Matcha Almond Lemon Croissant
About a month after this post was originally written, I was invited back by the Pantechnicon to try out Cafe Kitsune’s newly launched Matcha Croissant.
Their Matcha Croissant is not just your typical croissant. It’s a Double-Baked Matcha Almond and Lemon Croissant. Firstly, it’s super crispy on the outside – you can clearly hear the crunch as you bite into it. The inside was incredibly fluffy, filled generously with a matcha spread which got a really good touch of flavours. There’s a beautiful, sweet glaze over it that’s laced with a subtle acidity from the lemon.
All in all, I LOVED IT. It’s official, this is the best Matcha Croissant I’ve had. No doubt one masterpiece of a pastry.
Matcha & White Chocolate Cookie
We also got this massive piece of matcha cookie, which was a delight to savour. It’s got a really nice buttery touch with a cakey texture. The matcha flavour was relatively subtle, so definitely not too overwhelming or bitter. It’s got just the right amount of sweetness, leaving you thoroughly satisfied but without a sugar rush.
If you manage to get your hands on them, would recommend getting that to go with your coffee!
Chai Latte
Upon my first visit, they ran out of matcha so I ended up settling for a chai latte instead. For a higher-end place as Cafe Kitsune, I had fairly high expectation from it even when it’s not their specialty. Unfortunately, I felt the chai latte was rather underwhelming and didn’t have enough flavours.
It’s got quite a cinnamon-y touch as you can see from the amount of cinnamon powder dusted on top. But apart from that, there wasn’t much going on in terms of flavours.
Matcha Latte
For my second visit, I finally got my matcha!
Starting with the matcha latte, it was generally smooth to taste and, obviously, I’m always delighted to see a nice latte art. If you have a sweet tooth, you might find this not sweet enough. But for me, it’s just right. It tasted a little more grainy than I would’ve liked though. Not the best nor smoothest matcha latte out there but decent enough flavour-wise.
Mochaccino
Last but not least, the Mochaccino was surprisingly a delight.
It’s got a good hit of chocolate-y flavours with notes of coffee fragrance laced within. The flavours were strong but well-balanced and just hits the spot right if you’re craving for a strong mocha.
In summary…
…Cafe Kitsune is a cool spot to stop by if you happen to be around the area. Good pastries, fantastic venue and atmosphere (lovely playlist too may I mention) – it ticked many boxes for me. The drinks, in overall, were comparatively not so outstanding but decent enough to be paired with their delicious pastries.
In addition, the Pantechnicon is truly very nice hangout spot in London (and I haven’t even got the chance to pop by their roof garden). It’s possibly one of the next hot spots in the city with its unique Japanese x Nordic concept which is certainly well worth the visit!
RATING:
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Food
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Atmosphere
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Service
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Value
Summary
Cafe Kitsune is a lovely spot at the Pantechnicon and offers the best matcha croissant in town!
Instagram: @cafekitsune
Nearest station: Knightsbridge
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