If you ever have the chance to visit the JAL First Class Lounge in Tokyo Haneda, be sure to head upstairs to the Salon section for some excellent pour-over coffee or a refreshing espresso martini.
The Espresso Martini Coffee Consolation Prize in JAL First Class Lounge HND
I’ve extensively reviewed the JAL First Class Lounge in Tokyo Haneda and will not do so again here, but I did spend a couple of hours here after my flight from New York and quite appreciated the coffee…kind of.
Before going upstairs to “JAL’s Salon” (which does not open until 7:00 pm each evening), I tried some sushi…such an acquired taste…but I am trying. I also had a glass of Champagne because while I was not in the mood for any bubbles on the plane, I felt like one to wash that sushi down (Joseph Perrier Brut).
I also had a scallop that was just perfect…much more to my liking than raw things.
As the clock struck 7:00 pm, I headed upstairs for coffee…
I approached the bar and ordered the coffee. It may have been 7:00 pm in Tokyo, but my body clock was on Los Angeles time, where it was only 3:00 am, just about 90 minutes before my usual wake-up time.
“So sorry, so sorry, no coffee. Too late.”
Yes, the bartender informed me that the pour-over coffee was only available in the morning. Sadly, I could only savor it in memory…
I suppose I’ll gripe here that I do not understand why JAL cannot manage to keep its coffee bar open in the evening as if all its passengers are adjusted to the local time zone. Singapore Airlines annoyingly does the same thing at its lounge in Singapore. The single most important lounge amenity to me, anywhere in the world, is the coffee.
I wasn’t in the mood for any alcohol but had to settle for an espresso martini if I wanted to try the coffee. So I did…a special drink to commemorate the launch of the A350-1000.
Yeah, it was a bit on the sweet side (a lot of brown sugar), but I could taste the excellent coffee so at least I got my caffeine fix, though not in the way I had hoped.
The bar has quite a selection of nice Japanese liquor…
…but come early if you want the coffee.
Hope you get to visit Kiyosumi-Shirakawa’s one of a kind coffee shops. Koffee Mameya Kakeru’s tasting menu impressed me the most.
Every food in Japan impresses me , excepting the prices of course .
( Except for anything pork , which I avoid .)
Sugary coffee is off-putting . Could they make the espresso martini without the sugar ?
I also had a cringe at the sugar. But Matthew always takes one for the team
I never put sugar in my coffee, but this was a pre-made concoction of coffee.
Effectively bottomless Hibiki blenders and Yamazaki 12 is indeed a pretty good selection for a lounge.
That certainly looks like an elegant lounge. I’d certainly enjoy having a cocktail there…. I’m amazed at the globalization of Brooklyn Brewery. I was in a town of 500 people in Greenland last week that had Brooklyn Brewery beer.
Any idea what time they serve or stop serving coffee?