This Philly omakase is doing something rare: Pairing fish and coffee

An unlikely marriage has been brewing in Northern Liberties.

One of 637 Sushi Club’s signature pieces of nigiri, a ruby red sliver of lean bluefin tuna adorned with a deep maroon shaving of aged tuna heart paired not with, say, a perky, robust sake, but rather, a pour-over of warm, delicately spiced Bali Blue Moon coffee.

There were other rare, specialty beans brewed throughout the night, as well as cascara, or coffee cherry, tea to open the palate before the meal.

Kevin Yanaga is the chef and owner of 637 Sushi Club, an omakase counter tucked behind a bookshelf in his bar, Yanaga Kappo Izakaya. He has been working with Joseph Nguyen, 27, the founder and importer behind Philly’s Coffee Connoisseur Club, on an omakase series featuring coffee as pairings.

Together, they’ve been serving a series of omakases cheekily dubbed “Oma-Cafe,” where Yanaga designs a nigiri-focused menu that complements Nguyen’s Japanese flash-brewed beans, many of which he has fostered the growth of on his regenerative farms in Da Lat, Vietnam, and through working with other smallholder coffee farms.

This pairing is the first of its kind, according to Yanaga and Nguyen. Yanaga had come across a coffee pairing mentioned in a Japanese magazine, but it turned out to be that only the dessert was served with coffee.

The omakase follows a familiar format, commencing with a savory, matcha-flecked chawanmushi (egg custard), steamed and topped with ikura or salmon caviar; kanpachi sashimi painted in a tangy, sumiso (miso-based) vinaigrette; a parade of delicately-formed nigiri that culminated in a wagyu, tuna, and uni bowl, with a tiramisu formed in a wooden sake box for dessert.

But there are noticeable departures from traditional omakases.

On Monday, 3/30 a beaker of Gesha (also referred to as Geisha) beans was passed down the omakase counter, for diners to take a sniff before the omakase started. The tiramisu was infused with rare coffee. The fish, across the board, skewed oilier to offset the acidic coffee.

“The lipids from those fish helped the flavor linger more, aiding in the contrast once a guest sipped the paired beverage,” explained Nguyen. “We learned that wasabi is the one thing that could overpower the beverage. So when first tasting the wagyu negi toro [the final rice bowl], too much wasabi tainted the palate a bit.”

So they adjusted and the final dish had only a hint of wasabi.

There were other challenges to developing the coffee-sushi pairings. Namely, Yanaga and Nguyen were extremely wired. But it was exciting for Yanaga, who quit drinking alcohol seven years ago, to rise to the coffee challenge. The pair had met in January, when Nguyen dined at Yanaga’s regular omakase, and immediately hatched a plan to work together.

Nguyen devised ways to minimize the feeling of caffeine spikes for a nighttime omakase, serving a Vietnamese egg coffee dusted in cinnamon (which he also personally harvested) and explaining that the proteins in raw egg bind with caffeine so that one’s body processes it slower. He also uses a Japanese flash-brewing method for pour-overs, which means he’s brewing coffee directly onto ice. This maintains a consistent flavor throughout the brew, which also makes it easier to pair with fish.

Diners were invigorated by both the caffeine and the concept. “I didn’t think sushi and coffee could ever be paired together,” said one. “I always think of coffee as a morning thing.”

Morning it was not, as the omakase had two seatings, one at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Throughout the meal, Nguyen dove deep into telling the stories behind the beans, from farming practices, to optimal methods of extraction. Despite his relative youth, the Coffee Connoisseur Club is Nguyen’s second coffee company (his first, Bandito Joe’s, was a CBD-infused coffee he worked on with two other Temple business students).

Nguyen also works as a governance and technology consultant for NGOs and defense companies, ensuring that they adhere to guidelines and legislation. A background in international business ties this work together with his international approach to sourcing coffee. He spends about a month per year visiting coffee farms (including two of his own, each of which is a single hectare in Da Lat and located on the backs of mountains to maximize nitrogen in soil. He purchased both in 2023).

All of Nguyen’s coffee is imported into Philadelphia and sold mostly retail, with releases announced on Coffee Connoisseur Club’s Instagram for pick up at a rotation of Philadelphia small businesses (Nguyen has held coffee release events at places such as Dodo Bakery in South Philly and FaceClock Zero Proof Lounge and Gallery in Fishtown). He’s built a devoted following.

“I turn coffee snobs into coffee fiends,” he said.

For the next iteration of “Oma-Cafe” at 637 Sushi Club on April 27, Tanzania Peaberry will be the coffee highlighted. Tickets will be $150 (plus tax and gratuity) and will be released on OpenTable and announced on both entities’ Instagram accounts on March 31 at 8 p.m.