菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO: The Mont Blanc that Lasts Only Ten Minutes

I used to wonder what is the hype with a 10-min Mont Blanc? Why has it been so popular amongst dessert afficionados in Kyoto?


I finally visited the shop and found out the truth. The 10 min Mont Blanc is so named because it is said to have a super short lifespan of 10min from the moment it is created. As such, don’t even think of having it as a take-out. But does it mean that one has to finish it in 10min? I don’t think that is necessary. To be honest, I took my own sweet time and I didn’t notice any apparent change in texture. But I couldn’t help smiling to myself from the start to the end.

The seasonal variation I had, Sakura Mont Blanc, could possibly be the best Mont Blanc I’ve ever had. The cream was utterly soft, with subtle notes of savouriness and gentle scents of Sakura. It had none of those boorish sweetness of typical Mont Blanc, though I can’t guarantee the same for the original Mont Blanc here. Beneath the cream was Mochi and matcha cream on a airy crisp small meringue. Excellent.

With a focus on a la minute desserts, the shop freshly prepared the desserts upon order and customers are invited to the backyard kitchen to view their dessert being made in front of their eyes (or iPhones). Fortunately the desserts here are not just an act of gimmick.
After being full blown away by this Mont Blanc, I decided to check out its latest chocolatory that is just few shops down the same street. Opened only in Feb 2018, it’s a chocolate retail gourmet shop that sells all kind of chocolate bars. I was thrilled to be able to taste test all types of chocolate and finally settled on buying the Sakura and Matcha after much deliberation. If you are keen to learn more about the techniques of chocolate, you may be able to pick up some tips here. In fact, chef Keizo Nishida was making some chocolates at the chocolate kitchen instead of the cafe when I visited.

There’s no queue for chocolatory Keizo but if you want to try the Mont Blanc for yourself, be prepared to arrive early before the shop opens to stand in the queue.

菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO

https://kyoto-keizo.com/

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Salon De Muge 無碍山房: Dessert in the woods by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi

 Getting a seat here by reservation was a horrible story.

 I don’t know whether to count that is gaijin sabetsu because they can only take in reservations if you have a Japanese phone number. Even hotel concierges don’t help because they don’t want to be liable to the cancellation cost.

But the popularity of this place amongst the locals isn’t surprising at all. As the first dessert salon opened by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi, standards and expectations are set in place.

I only had eyes (and stomach space) for one dessert and that’s the matcha Parfait.

My first reaction was “やばい 超濃厚だ” it was very rich but strangely the more I eat the sweeter it became. Here, there’s the order of eating, carefully planned with the position of the spoon. I was told to spoon from the right to the left, which means I will encounter the Yuzu castella first before reaching the ginger castella on the other side. The yuzu castella was too sweet, which probably make things rather “jelat”.  There was nothing much special about the warabi jelly as well but I guess what merits praises is the matcha ice cream that boasted such a charming dark hue which would be perfect if it is less sweet.

I’m glad I didn’t have to queue long for this. My neighboring customers ordered the seasonal Ichigo Parfait which looked no less attractive then the matcha Parfait. Perhaps that could be a better bet.

Website: http://kikunoi.jp/kikunoiweb/Muge/

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Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 : Best Matcha Opera

Kyoto Modern Terrace 1960 is a cafe restaurant that sits in the middle of many attractions that include Heian Shrine, Kyoto Art Museum and Okazaki Park. It can get quite crowded during weekends or public holidays.


I wasn't loitering in the area for any sightseeing purposes. I was there only for one thing. The limited edition Matcha Opera dessert. And boy, I was totally blown away with this. I've had many many matcha operas before but I haven't come across anything as perfect as this. 

The matcha opera is part of the collaboration campaign held between the restaurant and Souda Kyoto. Perhaps to promote Kyoto I guess. But for a cafe-restaurant which doesn't focus on desserts to churn out something of such high calibre, I am really curious to know the brilliant mastermind behind this creation. 

THE KYOTO MODERN TERRACE

CAFE & RESTAURANT

京都市左京区岡崎最勝寺町13 ロームシアター京都 パークプラザ 2 階

TEL  075-754-0234
OPEN  8:00-23:00

Nearest station: Higashiyama Station
www.kyotomodernterrace.com

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Cafe Pocher : My Tamago Surprise!

Opened only in Dec 2017, Cafe Pocher isn’t those prominent hipster cafes that are located in the city region but it is fortunately not too far from Kyoto Station—approximately 15min walk. It is part of a guesthouse-cafe concept produced by a Kyoto magazine. 

I didn’t have time for it’s most popular item, a  racelette cheese hotdog sandwich that looked sinfully delicious. But I discovered something that would suit my budget and taste. Dashimaki sandwich! It is one of the four flavours that is available for takeaway. I learnt from the staff that these prepacked sandwiches are highly popular on weekdays as breakfast for the working community. These are sold starting from 8.30am and may run out by 10am occasionally. 

So I “dabao” one even though I was doubtful whether it will taste good given the fact that it wasn’t prepared fresh but packed into a brown paper bag right from the fridge. “No reheating or microwaving is needed” answered the staff upon my further enquiry on whether I should reheat ( I always do that if possible as I love my bread hot and toasty). 

Little did I expect myself to be wowed by such a humble sandwich (¥360) an hour later on my Shinkansen ride. The purple pickled vegetables from Tsukemono specialist Isoism (Kyoto is also famous for its Tsukemono aka pickles) were sour and salty but the presence did not overwhelm the juicy egg omelette which was minimally sweet. Even though the buns were kept chilled, they were still fluffy and not dry. 

The pairing of pickled vegetables and eggs in a bun was such a brilliant and unique idea that I will never forget this moment in my life. 

Breezing through the countryside in a Shinkansen and gleefully munching on a delicious find.

Cafe Pocher 

Daily 8.30am-9pm

89-1, Harikoji-cho, Nishikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto city, Kyoto, 601-8422, JAPAN.

〒601-8422　京都市南区西九条針小路町89-1

京都駅八条口より徒歩13分

https://toji-pocher.com/pocher/index.html

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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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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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