Malebranche Kyoto : Matcha Rediscovered

I've written about Malebranche of Kyoto a few times previously and to date, I still think of it as a befitting representation of modern Kyoto sweets (not Tsujiri). As with the ever-changing sweets market business, Malebranche has renewed its shop at Kyoto Station Porta and Kyoto Tower with new items that are exclusively available only at those two locations. 

Repoened on 20 March 2018, the Kyoto Station Porta outlet has introduced a new matcha roll in two versions, Futomaki ("fat" large sharing size) and Hosomaki ("thin" individual portion) However, both rolls are vastly different in texture and taste composition. I had the Hosomaki (500 yen) which is a palm-sized okoicha sponge enrobed with okoicha sauce and white chocolate cream in the center.

The sponge had an interesting mochi-mochi bite but I found the tea taste to be lacking and overpowered by the sweetness of the white chocolate roll. The Futomaki is probably a safer bet though you need to find someone to share such large roll.

I prefer the Nama-cha Ice Bar (250 Yen) from Kyoto Tower Outlet. You pay from a vending machine, hand the ticket to the staff to exchange for a matcha ice popsicle-like thing dipped in hot (no actually mine was not hot at all) rich matcha sauce. I found the sauce to be redundant as it did nothing to melt the pop and the ice bar itself was very rich and shiok. However, I read that they had a winter edition hot yuzu sauce which I felt should be permanently placed on the menu. 

Tokyo Station Porta Outlet

京都府京都市下京区烏丸通塩小路下ル東塩小路町902番地 京都駅前地下街ポルタ内

10am-9pm

Kyoto Tower Outlet

京都市下京区烏丸通七条下ル東塩小路町721-1

9am-9pm

http://www.malebranche.co.jp/

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Patisserie Asako Iwayanagi : In Love with Parfaits

“I can now die without regrets.”

That’s the conclusion after stepping out of this place, despite saying goodbye to ¥8000 over two visits.
That parfait, or I should say parfaits because the first one I had left such a mind blowing impact on me that I decided to return in less than 5 days. Crazy? Well, there was absolutely no regret.

The parfaits here changes monthly or even less than a month depending on the availability of the fruits and have become the most sought after item of the shop. BUT it doesn’t come cheap—ranging between ¥2500-¥3000. The Sakura-Yomogi Parfait costs ¥2700++ which means a whopping SGD33 before taxes!! And the Parfait Bijou Citrus. But trust me you won’t me thinking about your Yen when you dig in because it is WORTH EVERY SINGLE YEN.


Every flavour and texture of the Parfait is carefully conceived and experimented; just like a venerable master of Go making wise calculated moves in a game of Go. It’s superior in all ways, without any of the mediocre ingredients which some cafe parfaits often resort to fill up space. In the Parfait Sakura, there’s amazake, lemon, Sakura espuma, sake, Yomogi jelly, soba tuile....and for the Parfait Bijou Citrus, who would have expected citrus fruits to pair with milk tea and caramel?

I think the parfaits here are the unshakeable winners in this Parfait-loving country. Of course, it might be still early to conclude as there’s been a few more rising stars in the past one year. But for now, the desserts here have secured a place in my heart. Wait a minute, I think I've already fallen in love with the pastries here since last time.

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百春 Momoharu Kyoto : Back Alley Tamago Sandwich

Mention the word Kyoto and the word that pops up in my mind after “Matcha” is “Tamago”

The popularity of Dashimaki sando (egg sandwich) seems to have revived in recent years and the trend is more prevalent in Kansai than in Kanto region. As much as I love my desserts, I prefer my tamagoyaki to be savoury instead of sweet. Henceforth, the savoury dashimaki of the Kansai region is right up in my alley.

Hidden on the 2nd floor of a conspicuous alley of Nijou, Momoharu serves up its most popular dashimaki sando that uses at least 4 eggs and 2 slices of a typical 1kg loaf commonly sold at supermarkets. It’s a hefty amount of eggs and bread, but goes easier on your palate than La Madrague legendary Tamago sando. There’s no mayonnaise or other rich condiment/dressing, only homemade Demi glacé sauce slathered thinly on the warm fluffy bread. Salt (sorry, no pepper) can be added accordingly to one own’s preference.

The hand drip blended coffee (¥500) is another pickup but I don’t take coffee. The place is run by two ladies of different generations. This isn’t the oldest cafe in Kyoto serving dashimaki sando but one that allows you to enjoy your meal leisurely and watch the world goes by. 

百春 ももはる

京都市中京区常盤木町55  種池ビル2階

OPEN 11:00〜18:30
CLOSE 木曜日

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Grains de Vanille : The Kyoto Cake Shop Visited by Pierre Herme

Even Pierre Herme dropped by this shop twice, how could I have given this a miss?

Compared to Tokyo, Kyoto seemed to have fewer cake boutiques and dominated by more standalone cafes. But this doesn’t mean that there are no worthy ones around. Grains de Vanille has been on my list for the longest time because the cakes stood out amongst other competitors like Patisserie S and Grenier de Au.

The Japanese-French pastries here are less conservative than their counterparts in Kyoto but not too bold and wild to assume bright, neon coloring that most French pastries are donning these days. They are similar to those in Tokyo, such as Asterisque or Mont St Clair. It was a challenge to narrow my selection to only 4 items and luckily only 1 turned out to be a disaster. The seasonal item was menacingly sweet— a mental torture to consume.

However, I found the Cafe Escargot interesting because very few chefs would flavour the meringue and tone down the sweetness. This was a brilliant combination of the 3cs; coffee, caramel and chocolate. The pistachio mousse was tasty but I thought the black tea chocolate st honore stood out more with its intricate layerings of tea and Cacao.

I haven’t tried many patisseries in Kyoto but I think this shop can stand in line with Tatsuhito Satoi and beat Tendresse hands down.

住所：京都府京都市中京区鍵屋町間之町通486
電話番号：075-241-7726
営業時間：10:30～18:00 (dine in available after 1pm)
定休日：第2・第4火曜、水曜

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DAI's Deli & Sandwich Kyoto

I knew this shop was right besides Kite X Kite but I never thought it was selling giant sandwiches. I only saw some cold deli remaining in the fridge when I dropped by in the late afternoon few years ago. And never would I expect it to house such a cosy eat-in area on the 2F.



Sandwiches are the king here and the prices are just as hearty as the portions. Be prepare to splurge at least ¥1200 for the sandwiches but I like the fact that the bread is thin and the fillings are generous. I retoasted my Special Egg sandwich using the microwave on the 2F as I dislike having cold food on cold days.

The vegetables turned the bread a little soggy but all was still good. This "Special Egg" sandwich might not look anything special and the same goes for the taste to be honest. There wasn’t any of the sweet sauce like 3206 version but the bare granules of salt sparkling on the egg yolk kept the egg spirit alive.

Perhaps the unique point is the ratio of mashed egg yolk to egg white. The egg yolk is not only concentrated in the centre, but interspersed between the chunks of egg white, such that there is almost an equal amount of egg yolk and egg white in every bite

If this or the roast beef version isn’t lavish enough, there’s a lobster version going at ¥1980~  too. 

Dai's Deli & Sandwich
京都府京都市中京区槌屋町95 
Nearest station : Subway Karasuma Oike 
Mon-Sun 11am-8pm
www.dais-deli.com/

(p.s. near nishiki market so you might want to pop by for the sandwich instead of spending on don't-know-what in nishiki market)

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茶匠清水一芳園 Ippoen : Most Elegant Matcha Tiramisu in Kyoto

It’s been a long while since my last post because I rarely dine out in SG and the food here rarely motivates me to write a post on it :P 

In any case, it’s time to get the keyboard (or I should say belly) working again. Recently, in a short documentary on Kyoto which I chanced upon on a local channel, many of the interviewees, be them foreigners or Japanese in from other prefectures, unanimously expressed “Matcha” as the main association of Kyoto. This isn’t surprising at all, given the popularity that Uji Matcha has garnered as a golden brand of premium green tea. 

There’s plenty of cafes or restaurants serving green tea related food and desserts in Kyoto. If you don’t want to bump into your friend or other tourists at Tsujiri or Nakamura Tokichi, you may want to consider queuing with the locals at Shimizu Ippoen. It is not the oldest tea house but definitely one of the respectable names in town since its establishment in 1980

It shot to popularity in recent years with its Matcha Espuma Kakigori. And it’s amazingly good. Never had I had an espuma that’s rich and light at the same time. The taste of the espuma was intense but it vanished in a fluff as soon as you spoon into your mouth. The red beans and shiratama are served separately so that you can choose whether you want to have them together.   As much as I love condensed milk, I barely used any as the taste was beautiful in its purest unadulterated form. 

On the other hand, the signature matcha tiramisu Parfait is like a delicate art piece, adorned with pulled candy that resembles a princess’s crown. In the middle is a generous layer of frozen strawberries and rice puffs. It’s  relatively filling and sweeter than the matcha Kakigori as the creamy components (matcha ice cream and mascarpone cream) can weigh you down. But it’s hard to give this seasonal limited item a miss when they make only 30 a day. 

There’s plenty of other potential matcha desserts to try and so if you are a matcha lover, you’ll be in for a treat. 

〒605-0963 京都府京都市東山区 塩小路通東大路本瓦町665

11.30-4.30pm closed on Monday
Access via foot is possible (takes 25 min of leisure stroll from Kyoto Station)
https://www.facebook.com/ippoen/

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