Soulful brews and heartfelt chats: Kyuukei’s founder on ditching the corporate world to build a haven for rest

Seeking peace from within

The idea of refuge was important to Jonathan when he entered the coffee business. Before Kyuukei, he had spent two years in marketing at an American biotech company, officially “at managerial level, but working at a director level”.

He would take 25 work trips a year, including five to six long-haul ones. As much as Jonathan loved the innovative nature of biotech, he was getting increasingly burnt out and disconnected.

During that time, the idea of having a coffee-cart side hustle took shape. It materialised in April 2023, at a friend’s wedding. “It was with my wife, and we did 400 cups of coffee in about three hours. It was a proverbial trial by fire,” says Jonathan.

A few months and more coffee carts later, Kyuukei in November 2023 opened a small storefront in the heartlands, just a five-minute walk from IKEA Alexandra. Wedged between a lighting appliance store and an industrial equipment supplier, Kyuukei stood out for its calm vibes and Japanese-inspired design — or as Jonathan once said, looking like a “Scandinavian kopitiam”.

Jonathan saw his old job at odds with fatherhood, which is just as well, because the day after Kyuukei’s launch, his son was born. He would close shop at 4pm, head home, and care for his newborn in the evening, to make sure his wife gets a full night’s sleep.

Kyuukei’s second outlet came just over a year later and is nearly double the size. The Maxwell setup, within the swanky new Kada lifestyle hub, is a cosy place tinged with nostalgia — it sits right next to Singapore’s oldest electric elevator, a nearly 100-year-old relic with creaky scissor gates.

Jonathan thinks “radical hospitality” sets Kyuukei apart, and it is easy to see why. The cafe’s staff seem to brim with a desire to get to know everyone who comes through the door.

“I think too often in Singapore, we’re just served our coffee and left alone,” says Jonathan.

“It’s been lovely to get to know our patrons. A lot of regulars have gone on to become really good friends, who are so willing to just jump behind the bar and help out in the middle of a slam, asking for nothing in return,” he adds. “I was just talking to my wife about it. As much work as it’s been, it’s given so much back.”

Great bakes, better drinks

Sourcing and tasting coffees has been a great joy in Jonathan’s life. Last year, he roasted over 20 coffees for Kyuukei.

“I had a coffee from Kenya that my full-timer says is still the best Kenya she’s ever had,” he says, with a giddy grin. “And I remember writing in my notebook: ‘OMG. OMG. OOLONG.’ Because I tasted Oolong tea in that coffee. Lemon, roasted oolong and blackcurrant.”

The espresso beans at the two cafes tend to be rotated every two to three weeks. The usual coffee options are available, such as long black ($4.50 for hot, $5.50 for iced) and latte ($6.80 for hot, S$7.80 for iced at Maxwell; $5.50 for hot, $6.50 for iced at Bukit Merah). Some prices at the Maxwell store are higher due to greater rental costs in the city centre and the skyrocketing costs in coffee production, says Jonathan.

Kyuukei has an extensive filter coffee menu (from $8) as well, with beans rotated every quarter. We tried the decaffeinated Pink Bourbon variety from Colombia, which Jonathan says are the only beans they don’t roast themselves (decaf options are sourced from local roaster Kenntaroast).

The cup was delightfully vibrant and sweet, with a complex flavour profile — perfect for non-coffee drinkers or those who are sufficiently caffeinated. The option is not currently on the menu, but will be included soon. Besides coffee, we think the hot matcha latte ($6) is underrated – earthy, rich and creamy, with no dull bitterness.

Kyuukei also offers a variety of pastries and sandwiches. The sweet standouts for us were the lemon olive oil cake ($4.50), which has a slight crisp to the crust and a velvety smooth mouthfeel from the fragrant oil, and the banana bread ($4.50), which won us over with its moist bouncy flesh and chewy fresh banana chunks.

The priciest option on the menu was the brisket pesto toastie ($22). The bread itself was underwhelming, yet the combination of tender 20-hour smoked brisket topped with pesto and cheddar, together with the sweetness of caramelised onions and the slight bite of mustard, made for a fine experience. Jonathan swears you could eat the brisket even if you had no teeth.

The Kyuukei founder thinks a lot about the intersection of food and coffee. His first real coffee experience was at a cousin’s cafe in Brisbane years ago, where he was given a latte that reminded him of Nutella. “I didn’t know coffee could taste like that,” he says.

Now, Jonathan wants to recreate that experience by drawing parallels to things people understand. Every few months, Kyuukei runs an omakase event ($40 per person) where participants are served two coffees paired with dessert inspired by the coffees’ tasting notes.

Once, a Bali coffee with notes of chocolate and dried mango was paired with a chocolate tart with miso and togarashi (the Japanese chilli pepper) caramel.

For now, though, the omakase events are on hold while Jonathan focuses on stabilising the Maxwell business. While Kyuukei associates itself with tranquility, it has also experienced sudden crowd surges where things get chaotic. Jonathan is considering a reservations-only system, though the impact on walk-in customers has to be assessed.

Kyuukei has also put out a call for part- and full-time baristas. The added talent could give Jonathan the bandwidth to be behind the bar less and become more of an ambassador for the cafe.

“It’s challenging, but it’s something that we’ll figure out,” he says. “I’d love to stick to the ethos of rest and wanting it to be a place of rest.”

For the latest eats, read about Otter & Pebbles, a new Japanese-inspired cafe in Novena, and speciality samgyetang restaurant Modu in Orchard. 

Kyuukei is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine out.

You can also book a ride to Kyuukei at Maxwell or Bukit Merah.