The Louisville brunch scene just got an exciting new addition thanks to KIWA, a new Korean Café on Frankfort Avenue. This elegant new spot will be offering a traditional Korean brunch on the weekend as well as a few options during the week.
Korean Café Culture Comes To Louisville
KIWA is quickly becoming one of the most talked about new cafés in Louisville. Since the grand opening in January, owner Soo Young Cho has delighted her guests with the aromas and flavors of Korea. Brunch at KIWA is especially elegant and offers Louisvillians the opportunity to take part in a sensational international phenomenon.In Korea, there's a café for everything. Korean café culture began at the turn of the millennium when Starbucks entered the Korean market in 1999 and introduced the (European derived) idea of a café as a place to study, to work, or to chill with friends. Today, for every 10,000 residents in Seoul, there are 17 cafés. By comparison, for every 10,000 residents in Seattle—the birthplace of Starbucks—there are 15.
Since 1999, multitudinous cafés have opened in Korea, developing beyond espresso and steamed milk beverages into distinct categories of cafés. Animal cafés are home to cats, dogs, meerkats, racoons, and in once instance, parrots. Board game cafés offer visitors stacks of tabletop games, and flower cafés are blossoming with fresh cut bouquets.
KIWA brings this uniquely Korean approach café culture to Louisville. From the minimalism of the storefront, Korean cultural emphasis on intentionality, discretion, and balance are immediately apparent. The soft white and neutral tones of the walls and furnishings reflect a thoughtfulness that is warm and inviting.
All Day Brunch
Brunch at KIWA is available every day except Monday, the only day the café is closed (although gallery visits are still available by appointment). Choose from Japanese-influenced, lightly sweet monaka and Belgian-style waffles, or panini made with bread from Blue Dog Bakery: savory bulgogi beef and mushroom, spicy-sweet gochujang shrimp, or fresh tomato with basil pesto and vegan cheese.
Weekend Korean Brunch
Available only on weekends, the Korean brunch entices with dishes like yeonib bap, steamed rice and wrapped in a lotus leaf. Yeonib bap is known in Korea as a kind of temple food, a dish traditionally enjoyed by Buddhist practitioners who wish to avoid the five pungent vegetables (garlic, chives, leeks, onions, and scallions) that hinder their spiritual practice. The simplicity of this flavor profile and gentleness of its mouthfeel is blissful.Also on the weekend brunch menu is jumuk bap, made with sticky short-grain rice rolled into balls and wrapped in strips of seaweed. KIWA offers the spherical loaf with the savory addition of bulgogi beef or sliced mushrooms and walnuts.
The beverage menu is just as harmoniously curated as the food. Chose from KIWA's signature latte made with black sesame cream or a hot cup of sejak green tea, grown on the volcanic island of Jeju.
Louisvillians whose preference for iced beverages is unflinching even in winter temperatures will relate to the Korean trend of eoljukah. The term is a portmanteau of the Korean words for "even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!" Regardless of the weather, KIWA has iced beverages ranging from cold brew coffee to the invigorating Mouth Seorak made with green tea and pine needles.
A Fusion Of Culinary And Visual Arts
In Korean, the word "kiwa" has a dual meaning: It is both the name of Korean roofing tile (look closely at the cafe’s logo for a graphical interpretation of the shape) as well as a term for "prosperity." Cho was herself an architecture student, and this architectural feature so characteristic of Korea fit perfectly with her desire to bring together Korean culinary traditions with visual arts, a fusion of cultures housed under one roof. Look for the soban, Korean-style trays used as individual dining tables, with covers molded in the form of rooftops. And after brunch, take a walk through the gallery and shop on the second floor, where Cho collaborates with Korean and Korean-American artists to display their work.
KIWA
235 Frankfort Avenue, Suite104
(502) 888-3513
Tuesday–Friday
10:00 a.m.–5:00 pm.
Saturday–Sunday
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday
Gallery visits only, no food or beverage service
By appointment only
