The newly opened Café Kitsuné in Ortigas will take you to the trendy streets of Paris and Tokyo

The fox is out of the bag: Café Kitsuné is now open in The Podium, Ortigas!

Albeit inside a mall, once you walk on the ground floor of The Podium and find your way into the newly-opened shop, you'll be instantly transported to a modern Paris-meets-Tokyo cafe.

In Japan, Kitsuné means fox, an animal that plays a significant role in manifesting strong magical properties and knowledge in Japanese folklore. The first ever Café Kitsuné was opened in Paris in 2019. Soon after its successful launch, the brand expanded in Japan, New York, Bangkok, Jakarta, Shanghai, South Korea, and now, Manila.

The cafe, which could accommodate up to 70 people in its Manila branch, will greet you with a curved barista station that shelters Cafe Kitsune's fine quality coffee beans and French-inspired dessert selection.

^{Photo: Hermes Tunac}

The polished wooden accents, which interior designer Chat Fores helped conceptualize, are an ode to a traditional Japanese-style room called "washitsu" in which woods are heavily used in designing the interior.

Since the space seems very limited, the kitchen is strategically hidden in the middle of the cafe beside a walkway that leads to the main dining area.

Once you're settled down at the dining area, it's as if you've been transported to a traditional section of Tokyo with a hint of a trendy Paris street, especially with the vast red back wall where the Café Kitsuné logo takes center stage.

Now that you're done appreciating the cafe's vibe, let's talk about Café Kitsuné's coffee and food menu!

Since it's a coffee shop first before anything else, we highly recommend you have your daily dose of coffee here.

^{Photo: Hermes Tunac}

The cafe uses single-origin coffee beans from Brazil and Guatemala, known for producing full-bodied and aromatic coffee. Our suggestion: Try Café Kitsuné’s latte (P190).

As for the food, the Chicken Confit (P520) is a Manila-exclusive offering. It's a tender chicken thigh with skin crisped to perfection paired with the smoothest mashed potato and jus.

For dessert, try Paris-Brest (P395), a hazelnut mousse sandwiched between almond choux pastry, and Yuzu Macaron Cake (P320), a lemony citrus mousse inside a huge macaron are both cafe bestsellers during this writer's visit.

The Chicken Confit is pretty filling, especially when paired with a cup of coffee and a bite of some desserts, so for the next time we visit, the egg and pork Sando sandwich is definitely what we're keen to try next! —JCB, GMA News