CHALAIT

The word “coffee” is sacred to me. Beyond being part of my brand’s namesake it is the basis of my daily routine, it sets a mood, it sets my mood, and trust me, you so don’t want to see me without it. There is a limited list of items that have reached this caliber of love in my life. Obviously champagne. But also, matcha. A matcha latte has a magical hold over me. For a full year, I had a giant one every single day (envision a Starbucks venti sized giant one). No stranger to cafés, I had to check out the matcha focused Chalait, which I discovered durning my visit that I’ve been pronouncing wrong—it’s pronounced “chalet” as in a wooden house typically found in the Swiss Alps. Avid snowboarders, founders Michelle and Ramon Puyane created the portmanteau merging the words “Cha” meaning tea in Japanese and “Lait” meaning milk in French to form the name Chalait that served as a constant reminder of the ski chalet where they spent many a snowy weekends together.

I absolutely loved their caffeine filled black, white and wooden geometrically structured chalet (ahem, Chalait)! Neither of them coming from a traditionally trained culinary background, both Michelle and Ramon are avid home cooks and so worked together to develop their café’s menu. With an effortlessly fresh feel, their menu items range from an avocado toast, to a kimchi bowl toped with poached eggs, to tartines, breakfast sandwiches, and even a sweet muesli. Much like a traditional chalet, it’s the perfect place to stop and take a break from the rest of your day. It’s menu works best for breakfast and lunch and with three locations around the city, if one’s near you it’s an easy café to make your go-to!