Milk seki is one of those unique Nagasaki dishes. It is a milkshake made with condensed milk, but it is supposed to be eaten with a spoon, not drunk. I tried it in two cafes during my summer 2019 trip to Nagasaki.
Tsuruchan: Where milk seki was invented
This was actually my second milk seki, but I will start with this because it was the classic version in the cafe that is said to have invented it: Tsuruchan, an old cafe in Nagasaki that opened in 1925 and is regarded as the oldest known cafe in Kyushu.
I easily reached the cafe from the nearby covered shopping arcade.
Inside it is pretty dark, full of memorabilia and antiques. It looks old, more than vintage, in sharp contrast with the colorful cafes nearby.
The menu was in Japanese but the milk seki was displayed with a picture. They also have other cafe food like toruko rice. But I was there just for the milk seki.
It came with the classic glazed cherry on top and a spoon. I wish I could say that it was great, but it was just bland. There were Japanese customers enjoying it. I think it is still a popular treat, especially during the heat of the summer.
It cost me 680 yen (6.35 USD). Also an half portion for 350 yen was available. If you visit Nagasaki, try it at least once.
Where in Nagasaki:
2-47 Aburayamachi
In Japanese: 長崎県 長崎市 油屋町 2-47.
Milk seki at Cafe & Bar Umino
I had a chance to try a milk seki also in the shopping mall attached to Nagasaki railway station (AMU Plaza).
In this cafe they had milk seki in different flavors.
I had one with chocolate and it was also quite forgettable. Nothing to do with some contemporary decadent desserts you find in Japan nowadays.
In this case the chocolate milk seki was 770 yen (7.20 USD).
Where in Nagasaki:
Amu Plaza Nagasaki 5F, 1-1 Onouemachi.