Interviewer: What is your favorite time being at Suzuya?

 

Chef Misuzu: I like morning times. You can see the sunrise, we have a really nice view from here at Suzuya. It’s quiet and calm. I like when I have a coffee in the dining room.

 

Interviewer: What kind of morning drinks do you guys offer?

 

Chef Misuzu: Because we have an espresso machine, we provide coffee. We can create everything from an espresso to a latte, but my personal favorite is pour over coffee. We grind coffee beans for each order, ensuring that it is always fresh, and we are delighted to provide our freshly ground coffees. Since the beginning of Suzuya, we’ve collaborated with a local roaster. Moderately roasted coffees are my favorite.

 

Interviewer: You have the specific roast that you prefer, that’s amazing! Your favorite drink is the pour-over coffee. How do you like your coffee? Do you add cream or sugar on them?

 

Chef Misuzu: We do not add anything to them.

 

Interviewer: Do you guys offer tea as well?

 

Chef Misuzu: Yes, we have teas from Harney & Sons, a New York-based company.

 

Chef Mike: We’ve had a lot of dealings with this firm.

 

Interviewer: What kind of food do you guys offer in the morning?

 

Chef Misuzu: We offer morning toasts. We use our “Shokupan” toast with scrambled eggs,

 

Interviewer: For those of us who don’t know, what does “Shokupan” mean?

 

Chef Mike: “Shokupan” is a Japanese-style bread with a lighter texture, we add a little amount of sugar and a good amount of butter to make the bread fluffier.

 

Chef Misuzu: Our toast has a nice crust on the outside.

 

Interviewer: Do you guys have Shokupan that’s a little thicker?

 

Chef Mike: We also prepare curry toasts and grilled cheese and ham toasts using larger slices of bread in the morning toast. We’ll be launching a new sandwich in the coming months as well.

 

Interviewer: That’s amazing. So you guys make bread there in the house. That’s so cool! Do you guys offer seats and WiFi where you can sit with laptops, coffees, toasts?

 

Chef Mike: Yes, we offer free WiFi to visitors and customers, as well as a bar-style table along the wall and regular tables in the center. We now have a phone charger available for customers.

 

Interviewer: I love that. It sounds like Suzuya is actually a hidden gem of a breakfast spot.

 

Chef Mike: We started striving to break out of the predicament when we launched Suzuya last January; lately, business in the morning has been slow because to the COVID-19 epidemic. We very recently began serving breakfast, so folks are only now discovering about our breakfast and morning coffee beverages. Customers are now spending time at the dinner table with their close friends.

 

Interviewer: Are you guys currently open at indoor dining?

 

Chef Mike: Yes, we are open for indoor dining. People used to come at different times between 7 am to 10 am mostly because of remote working when we started offering morning menus.