Tag: tea

Fabulous parfaits at Morinoen Café in Ningyocho

Ningyocho is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo for the array of traditional businesses that dot its streets. I have already described Amazake street in Ningyocho and this post is about a more in depth visit to the cafe operated by Morinoen, a roasted green tea (hoji-cha) shop on Amazake.

The visit

I visited the cafe twice in late December 2019. It is located upstairs from the shop selling roasted green tea.

It is a simple cafe in terms of decor. Of course they have a wet towel for you upon your arrival.

The menu is all in Japanese, but it is profusely illustrated, so ordering is no problem even if you do not read or speak Japanese. At the time of my visit they had some seasonal sweets with purple potatoes.

I did end up ordering their seasonal parfait that was massive. In addition to purple potatoes, there was also their signature hoji-cha ice cream. All the ingredients were creamy and tasted genuine to me.

On another occasion I had a more conservative hoji-cha ice cream with jellies and other ingredients. It was also great.

In both cases the dessert went with hot green tea.

The menu is quite extensive and they also have other sweets based on green tea and of course hoji-cha.

The check

Both sweets cost me around 1,400 yen (13 USD) that actually is not so bad in Tokyo for this kind of dessert.

I massively enjoyed the experience of great desserts coupled with a quaint authentic establishment.

Where in Tokyo:
2-4-9 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku.
In Japanese: 東京都 中央区日本橋人形町２－４－９　 森乃園.
Website: https://morinoen.jp/.

Tea time at International House in Tokyo

International House is a foundation promoting cooperation between Japanese people and other countries. Its headquarter is a hotel, catering to international scholars, a conference center, and houses a lounge and a restaurant. The building, dating back to 1955 with a major expansion taking place in 1976, was built in harmony with the surrounding Japanese garden and is a remarkable place.

The visit

The building hosts both a lounge, called The Garden, and a full-fledged restaurant called Sakura. I went for an afternoon tea.

It was a Sunday afternoon of Christmas Week and the place was pretty busy. The public seemed to be mature (in stark contrast with the coffee shops at the National Art Center that I had visited earlier that seemed to attract a younger audience).

The lounge overlooked the scenic garden (unfortunately I was unable to get a decent photo of the view).

I chose the tea and cake set and I was presented with samples of the available cakes. I went for the pudding.

The tea was offered in a teapot.

The check

The tea and cake set cost me 968 yen (around 9 USD) and I must say that I found it very reasonable, especially considered the nice environment.

Where in Tokyo:
5-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku.
In Japanese: 東京都港区六本木5‐11‐16.
Website (with menus and links for bookings): https://www.i-house.or.jp/eng/facilities/.

A tea in paradise: The Consul’s Garden in Chiang Mai

The Consul’s Garden is a tea house located in the same property that hosts the fancy French restaurant Le Coq D’Or in Chiang Mai. The name is a reference to the former owner of the place, a early 20th century British Consul. This was his private house (not to be confused with the Consulate now part of the Anantara Restort). This gentleman married a local woman and became a Chiang Mai’s resident. Copies of his memoir, aptly called Consul in Paradise, are available for purchase.

The visit

Upon arrival there is a carpeted path leading to the tea house.

The garden is vast and well maintained.

The tea house offers seating both indoor and outdoor. The outdoor area faces the river.

I had their mini-croissants with ham and salmon. A good snack.

And I had an iced peach tea.

The menu also includes more substantial dishes for a full lunch. They have an afternoon tea set available on weekends.

The check

I spent 440 THB (13.5 USD) for the two dishes that by Chiang Mai standards is expensive. It is the admission ticket to enjoy the garden and its views. Partially because of the price and partially because of the relative distance from the Old City, it remains a reasonably quiet place.

Where in Chiang Mai:
11 Kohklang Rd, Tambon Nonghoi, Amphur Muang.

A Japanese tea house in Chiang Mai: Magokoro

Over the past few years trendy instagrammable cafes mushroomed around Chiang Mai, eyeing selfie-obsessed young Chinese tourists. Some are there mostly for the pictures, but some also serves exceptional food and drinks. Magokoro belongs to the latter category: their tea and dessert offering is outstanding.

The visit

I have been to Magokoro several times because they have one of my favorite desserts in Chiang Mai. If you can, go on a weekday. On weekends you might need to queue (they even have a waiting room in the building next door). Yes, it is that popular.

The building has been renovated to look like a traditional Japanese tea house.

The main house is not huge, with a simple and elegant decor.

The most coveted seats are outside, facing a Japanese garden.

In my first visit I had a cold brew of hōjicha (roasted green tea). I am not an expert, but I liked that even in a cold brew the crispy flavor of the roasted green tea was very distinct.

But what won me over was the hōjicha parfait. The ice cream was ok, but what made it delicious was the tasty red bean paste. The jellies were also very good and I liked the layer of corn flakes that added a different texture. They have the same also with normal matcha. Both are among my favorite desserts in Chiang Mai.

Since I like the parfait so much I have not tried many other products. But their matcha panna cotta looks good.

The check

The parfait was 239 THB (7.50 USD) and the tea was 119 THB (3.75 USD). In Chiang Mai you can buy a large meal for this money. Even if it is not cheap by local standards, I think their tea and sweets warrant the premium price.

Where in Chiang Mai:
191/1 Sridonchai Rd.

The pleasure of Taiwanese tea at Stop By Tea House

One day I will write a list of the top gastronomic experiences in Asia and one of spot will be rightfully occupied by tea houses in Taiwan. They are warmer than in Japan, more hipster than in Mainland China, and Taiwanese tea is usually flavorful.

Stop By Tea House has checks all of these boxes and is easily my favorite tea house in Taipei. I especially like their blending of traditional and modern.

The visit

The tea house is located in an alley just a stone-throw away from the all popular Yongkang street.

The interior is modern, with various sitting arrangements. On a weekend afternoon it may be difficult to find a seat.

They also sell tea and tea ware.

In my first visit I tried one of their aged Taiwanese teas. They gave me instructions on the optimal time to wait after adding the boiling water. Then I would pour the tea from the tea pot to an intermediate bowl.

On the side of the table I had a kettle with boiling water to add at my leisure.

I also had some of their traditional pastries, these with ginger.

In my second visit I was with two friends and I had their cold brew sampler. This included three different teas: Jinxuan, Dong Ding Oolong, Oriental Beauty (all three from Taiwan). Not that it is central, but the teas were marvelously presented in lab-style long vials; it was a very instagrammable set up that shows the ability of the tea house to blend tradition and modern taste.

In this second visit we tried several of their pastries and my favorite was a purple pastry with a full grape inside.


During my first visit, I was invited along with other customers to have a look at their amazing basement that they use for demonstrations and classes. There was a “river” going along the room that is used to circulate tea among the attendees. It was a magical place.

The check

In my solo visit I spent 396 NTD (there is a 10% service charge) or around 13 USD for a tea pot and a serving of pastries. Fantastic value for money for the quality of the offering.

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my visits and I try to go back every time I am in Taipei.

Where in Taipei
No. 9, Lane 13, Lishui Street, Da’an District
In Chinese: 麗水街13巷9號
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/stopbyteahouse

A Mozzarella workshop and a tea room under the same roof in Omotesando, Tokyo

In September 2018 I was in Tokyo and while walking in the Omotesando area I came across something interesting: a tea room sharing space with a mozzarella cheese workshop. I needed to find out more…

The visit

The two businesses operating under the same roof are MuMu Mozzarella and Kaneju-Farm Omotesando tea salon. I was told that the two owners are friends, hence the decision to share the space.

Stepping inside the store, the first thing one notices is the mozzarella laboratory. There was an artisan at work preparing mozzarella cheese and other varieties of fresh diaries such as burrata and mozzarella with herbs.

MuMu Mozzarella claims to use Italian milk to obtain the real thing.

Past the mozzarella display fridge, you get to tea room that is made of a large squared tatami counter.

I was explained that they serve tea cocktails based on sencha, that is basically loose leaves green tea, coming from Kaneju-Farm in Makinohara, located in the Shizuoka prefecture and very famous for the production of green tea. Farm to table tea.

The menu was only in Japanese but the staff was kind enough to translate for me. They have a number of cocktails, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. The non alcoholic cocktails are based on tonic water plus tea. I chose a blend of tea including both green tea and yuzu. The iced tea was poured in a cup with tonic water and ice. The tonic water was not gassed at all and the result was a refreshing drink with a backtaste of citrus. It was served with glazed chestnuts.

They have two different menu depending on the time of the day: until 5pm is tea salon and from 5pm till 9pm is tea bar.

The tea is also available for purchase.

I asked them to serve me a mozzarella along with the tea… they were so kind to satisfy my request and I also had a delicious mozzarella that tasted pretty original to me (not a bufala, but a regular mozzarella).

What is a bit odd is that the two businesses share the same roof, but actually they do not cooperate on the tea room menu. Wound’t be fantastic to have tea and fresh cheese pairings? I think so, but while it is certainly possible to taste the cheese along with a tea, this does not seem to be their standard operating procedure.

The check

The mozzarella cost me 648 yen (5.85 USD); other more exotic types of cheese may cost more. It do not have local benchmarks to say whether it is pricey or not, but I did not mind paying.

The tea came at 864 yen, including tax (around 7.80 USD). Considering that they offered me a second round included in the price, I cannot complain. The total bill shown was much higher because I also bought a 80 gram packet of their sencha and yuzu blend. I liked it that much.

Where in Tokyo:
 4 Chome-1-22 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
In Japanese: 東京都 渋谷区 神宮前 4-1-22
MuMu Mozzarella website: https://mumu-mozzarella.com/
Kaneju-Farm Omotesando website: http://kaneju-farm.co.jp/