Meaning “black chicken” in Chinese, Heijii (pronounced hey-ji) is unarguably Charoenkrung’s hottest (and hippest) new café. The café mixes retro-Chinese elements with industrial chic interiors to realize a trendy setting where millennials can sip caffeinated drinks while browsing through or filling up their own Instagram feeds. Owner Praphart Rasinanont chose Charoenkrung for sentimental reasons—the neighborhood still retains a strong ties to the old Chinese community and Soi Charoenkrung 43 was the place where his parents fell in love.
Patrons can choose among a small variety of coffee drinks, including a cold brew (black, B105; white with milk, B115) that’s been processed for sixteen hours, and a special blend (B125) that uses premium Brazilian beans.
Freshly brewed tea is also served in a pot as iced tea (B125). For something more familiar, the Thai Milk Tea (B85)is intensely flavored and does not suffer from the addition of too much sugar. If caffeine-injected brews are not your cup of tea, the Hong Kong Papaya Milk (B85), which is made with chunks of papaya, is a tad sweet and refreshing treat. Pair your drinks with the Financier with Kumquat Sauce, an auspiciously named treat drizzled with sauce made from home-grown kumquat.
All coffee items are made manually with an Aeropress, which explains why you won’t see any machines at the coffee bar. Also worth mentioning is how the café uses biodegradable plastic cups and paper lids for each take-away serving (without screen-printing for the sake of energy conservation). Chinese newspapers bought from a shop nearby are used to decorate dessert items.