By the Kamogawa : efish café

12th December 2010. Written by Xin Li
Kyoto, Japan
Located at next to the artery of Kyoto, this serene little café cum design shop offers pleasant views of the Kamogawa. At efish you can find comfort food like pastries and cakes as well as curry rice at affordable prices (considering its prime location : next to the Kamogawa).

You could opt for the conventional dining seats downstairs or relax in one of the sofa seats on the second storey in a lounge style setting or pick the window seats for a view of the Kamogawa with mountains as a backdrop. It was a cozy and relaxing environment.

Their line of design products spots products like kitchen ware to ornaments with wacky or stylish designs. There were chopstick rests shaped like cats stretching or jugs shaped like flasks. Even if you are not planning to purchase their products they are certainly a nice source of inspiration with their interesting forms and ingenious designs.

YY and I picked the window seats where you could see the ‘batman’ beam of Kiyomizu-dera during its night illumination. I had a Homemade Cake of the Day (550 Yen) which was a Cheese and Carrot Cake. It has a rich sponge-like texture, infused with carrot flavor. Embed within the cake is spheres of rich cheese which has a contrasting creamy texture. The light whipped cream contributes to a smoother texture.

YY had the Walnut Raw Sugar Cake (530 Yen), a nutty cake with a dense spongy texture with partially caramelized raw sugar embed in it. It was bittersweet and carried a smoky, mocha flavor attributed to the raw sugar which seemed to overpower the walnut flavor. On top of that, YY found it a little too sweet.

The cakes were not spectacular but palatable nonetheless. The ambience is the winner in efish. The laidback and comfortable environment was something I really enjoy as I had some cakes and a cup of milk tea. I can imagine studying or just relaxing in such environment for the whole day if it exists in Singapore. The closest equivalent in Singapore would be the Book Cellar at Bukit Pasoh.

Located in close proximity to the lesser-known but interesting geisha district of Miyagawacho, you could stop by efish for a cake and tea or coffee after exploring the “Floating World of the Geishas” in the evening or stop by efish for lunch or a light meal after a pleasant stroll or cycling trip along Kamogawa in the day. Either way, efish is a pleasant place to relax after a day’s sightseeing.