Coffee under the trees: Ito Kish muses on enjoying coffee the old way in new dining concept

MANILA, Philippines — Ito Kish's recollection of enjoying his coffee involves boiling hot water, scooping granules of coffee, bringing his cup of coffee outside the house and drinking it under a tree. No barista, no problem. 

He is his own barista who enjoys his caffeine with very Filipino breads, like a Pan de Coco or Kalihim. Those were simple times when coffee was enjoyed for the simple way it was prepared, and this was his inspiration when he decided to put up a cafe inside his showroom in Makati. 

While many found fame on TikTok, Ito was already an established furniture designer. He has a steady clientele that is appreciative of his modern, reimagined Filipino design on furniture. 

Kish, after all, is the man behind the popular Gregoria chair, a distinct creation made from wooden balusters with a design that resembles a wooden throne fit for a king. 

But one fine day in December last year, Kish found himself with a "happy problem." 

Kish's secluded cafe became an overnight TikTok sensation. 

A visitor to his modest cafe posted a video of it in the platform. The young, hip and in-the-know coffee enthusiasts and foodies alike instantly felt a liking to his cafe that looks like a quiant little coffee shop with little trees and foliage. It felt and smelled like home. 

Kish, however, said he intended the cafe for his clients who were visiting his showroom in Makati, in itself tucked away with only a red gate that has no signage to welcome visitors to its fold. 

"The cafe opened because of the store. It's a store that sells coffee. There's a bit of misunderstanding that they thought it's a regular cafe, but it was really a cafe to serve our clients who come to shop here with their designers. And after roaming around and trying to select what they're going to buy, we wanted a space where they can sit down and finalize what they wanted to do with what they saw. That was really the objective," Kish told Philstar.com after the launch of his collaboration with Metrobank, which recently relaunched its Metrobank World Mastercard. 

It was an unexpected surprise, admittedly making things a little bit "difficult" for the designer. His cafe originally only has five tables.