C is for Coffee / Den Hoek Af

8:00 a.m. is early for a Sunday morning, but the thought of discovering a new coffee bar is the kind of fuel I need to get me on my bike. On my way to the centre a question pops into my sleepy mind: wouldn't it be great to walk into a coffee bar, feel like home, get the service you don't have at home and watch city life from behind large windows? Well, ladies and gentlemen, search no longer and go drink coffee at Den Hoek Af. Its location is revealed by its name: look for the building that "misses" a corner and you will automatically end up at Vlaanderenstraat 1 where Tom Coone succeeded in creating a place that is inviting and durable. A coffee, a coffee! Our questions for a coffee!

THE RABBITS: We must admit we noticed Den Hoek Af only recently. When did it open its doors for the first time? 

TOM COONE (owner): We have been here since July 2011. Back then the Gentenaar wrote an article about us, but I guess you’re right: I probably should promote it a bit more.

THE RABBITS: How did you get the idea of having your own coffee bar? And how did you prepare?

TOM COONE: I had a soup bar in Ghent before, which doesn’t exist anymore.  Of course I completed a barista training cause making coffee is not as easy as it looks. You have to adapt to the circumstances all the time: coffee is a natural product and very much depending on temperature. Moreover the way in which you make coffee is very subjective and personal. That’s one of the reasons why it’s important to learn to make coffee in all its forms and variants (strong vs. soft, etc.)

THE RABBITS: Why was Vlaanderenstraat the ideal location for your bar? Were you really looking at places with the idea of ending up here?

TOM COONE: There’s no way you can reflect on the location on beforehand; you just don’t have the luxury to choose whatever you want.  The only thing you can do is keep your eyes open and grab the chances you get. Nevertheless I do want to challenge myself in finding a new location that is even better. I was very lucky when this spot became available, but actually I was looking for something with a sun terrace, in the centre. For the ideal location I would voluntarily pay a bit more.

THE RABBITS: It didn’t take us long to understand that the interior of the bar is an important part of the concept. Was this the purpose from the beginning?

TOM COONE: Definitely. All tables come from the thrift store (Kringloopwinkel), as well as the lamps illuminating the counter, and we got second hand chairs from Holland. The fact that I used to work as a furniture maker allows me to customize things according to my wishes: I split some of the original tables for example, in order to make two tables out of one. But I spent most of my time on making the counter, which consists of three hundred coloured laths.

THE RABBITS: What kind of people walk in for coffee?

TOM COONE: Our audience is very diverse. In general a bit older maybe, but it’s a good mix and it’s nice to have young people sitting next to older people. We have our regular customers as well, who by the way always order the same thing. Students are perhaps less represented here since the coffee bar is a bit outside the student area. On the other hand this location allows us to get some tourists in as well. However, because of the crisis we do have less Spanish and Italian customers.

THE RABBITS: Coffee bars are a real hype right now. In which aspects do you want to be different from other coffee bars?

TOM COONE: I try to be as personal as possible, for example in the interior design. And I try not to jump on every trend: five years ago no one wanted slow coffee, but since it’s fashionable in the US right now, everyone suddenly wants filter coffee. My intention is to make good coffee for my customers without too much blah blah. That’s my philosophy in general as well.

THE RABBITS: Have you ever been contacted by artists or creative people who wanted to work with you?

TOM COONE: We do get these questions in, yes. There was for example a pianist who wanted to come and play at the bar. And as much as I would like that, my first concern right now is being able to pay my seven employees. The financial aspect often hinders the creative part. In the beginning you need to think and act from a commercial point of view.

Nevertheless, within short, illustrator Stijn Felix, who is a friend of mine, will start painting something on the side wall outside.

Tom shows us the draft: a cubist and modern version of Alice in Wonderland. Alice is sitting at a table with a stylish rabbit next to here, sipping from a cup of coffee. As you can see: rabbits are well-represented in this wonderful city. And if you ask us, this just might be the eyecatcher Den Hoek Af needs.

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