About 100 years ago, decades before the first Starbucks was opened, Mr. Go Soe Loet started Kapal Api, a coffee outfit in Indonesia. Its name means ‘steamboat’ as, according to the company, “at the time the steamboat was the most innovative and modern means of sea transportation that brought new hopes for humanity in world trade.”
Last month, Kapal Api stealthily opened its first branch in the new KK 100 Mall, south of Chegongmiao Station. Named Excelso, the cafe is a fusion of high-end, fine-brewed coffee, cutting-edge Dutch interior design and a Chinese menu. From the cool wall art to the over-the-top presentation, like cold-brewed coffee (RMB48) in a champagne glass with ice, Excelso knows Chinese customers are keen to take photos for their WeChat moments.
It’s important to know that this is a third-wave coffee spot that knows its coffee, masquerading as another local coffee shop with big, sugary drinks. Sure, there’s a wealth of beverages like the Italian wine coffee with almond butter (RMB46) or the coffee three musketeers (RMB48), but there’s also an excellent flat white (RMB26) or a range of single-origin pourer coffees (RMB38) that will make the most serious coffee drinker nod their head in approval.
The food menu is still under development, so the Mexican chicken burritos (RMB28) are just a simple chicken wrap. The avocado salad with fresh vegetable and pumpkin bread (RMB48) is basic and tasty, aside from the not-quite-ripe avocado. For now, the eats are an afterthought to the main attraction.
Excelso plans to expand aggressively into Guangdong, so it will be interesting to see how this stealthy flagship location does in the fickle Shenzhen market.
Price: RMB60
Who’s going: caffeine kooks, snap-happy drinkers
Good for: cold-brewed coffee, coffee education
See listing for Excelso Coffee.
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