Interview with Hawker-Preneur Keat: Coffee & Chirashi
I met Keat, owner of Coffee & Chirashi, outside his newest café in Choa Chu Kang.
Q: Tell me about your café.
A: We’ve been here one year.
Q: I saw another location near Beauty World MRT.
A: In total we have six hawker stalls and two cafés. The café at Beauty World is called Chirashi-Ai. Similar concept as here in Choa Chu Kang. Over there is quite established—it’s been open about two and a half years.
Q: Are your chefs trained in Japan?
A: Most of my chefs are internally trained. They have at least one or two years of Japanese food experience.
Q: Are you part-Japanese? (Hāfu ハーフ)
A: No. I am Singaporean.
Q: What attracted you to the Japanese motif?
A: When I was younger I didn’t have enough money to eat Japanese food. Even McDonald’s was “luxury” food for me. So when I grew up, I wanted people, including kids, to have Japanese food without breaking their pockets. Some kids really love Japanese food. They’ll ask, "Mum, can I have Japanese food for dinner?" If the parents [in Singapore] oblige, they’ll have to spend at least 100 [Singaporean] dollars. In my outlets, most items are ten, ten-plus [Singaporean] dollars.
Full interview here:
© Matthew Mehdi Rafat (June 2023)
Disclosures: I received a cup of water during the interview. Several months ago, I accepted a general offer on Coffee & Chirashi’s Instagram to receive two complimentary items in exchange for posting an Instagram story.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It is not a verbatim transcript.
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