All reviews of category "Japanese dessert"

Japan has various cultural styles and characteristics across different regions. In some places, there is "shime ramen," which is enjoyed after a gathering and drinking session as a perfect way to end the night. Recently, Hokkaido has been popularizing "shime parfait," where dessert parfaits are served at the end of the meal. Many dessert shops that open at night and stay open until the early morning are very popular.

This time, based on the order of arrival, the first shop had a wait of 50 groups, the second was fully booked, and the third shop was the one we managed to get into as just a group of customers had left, requiring us to wait for only ten groups, but we still waited for an hour.

The environment was clean, the atmosphere was dimly lit and slightly crowded, but we were determined to have shime parfait. After a 30-minute wait, it finally arrived. The menu included a detailed description of the items in multiple languages, which was very considerate. The parfait was beautiful and perfect for taking photos, and it tasted decent overall. There was a minimum order of one dessert per person, and if we didn't have to wait in line, we might come back again.

Situated on a small hillside, it's basically more convenient to reach by car. It is a standalone modern building with a parking lot on the first floor, a bar area on the second floor, and a table and sofa area on the third floor. The design and decor are very warm, comfortable, bright, and clean, making it great for photography.

You can choose the toppings for the waffles yourself, which offers very flexible customization options according to your needs or budget. You can select various flavors for the sauces and toppings together, and there are also recommended combinations. The staff even has a little notebook with secret tips to help you create custom combinations based on what you want, making for a very unique experience.

The waffles are made fresh upon ordering, so you may need to wait a little bit. They are soft and fluffy, and both the sauces and side dishes are of high quality. A portion is just right for two people, and the price is reasonable. Overall, everything is great, and the minimum spend is one drink per person, so we can share a meal, which is very friendly for us since we usually eat many meals in a day.

There are two famous shops within Hokkaido Jingu. One is the Jingu Chaya, which mainly sells red bean mochi and fukubiki (lucky cakes). The red bean mochi should be eaten fresh as it doesn't keep well, while the fukubiki is made to order and cooked under extremely high heat, resulting in a crispy outer shell paired with rich red bean filling. The unique texture brings a sense of fortune when eaten, and there are also other popular souvenirs and ice cream available.

The other shop is a branch of the well-known Rokkatte in Hokkaido, which is also comfortable, clean, bright, and great for photos. They offer "shimpan" (wagashi made from buckwheat flour filled with red bean paste) and some limited edition souvenirs available for purchase. Many other items can be found at various airports, so there's no need to buy them here, but both shops are definitely worth a visit.

I hear it's the best apple pie in all of Hokkaido~ The design and decor have a lot of style and character, and the standalone building looks like a candy house from a fairy tale. It's comfortable, warm, clean, and bright, and the bread, desserts, coffee, and tea look very recommended for dining in.

I came specifically for the apple pie, and I was lucky to arrive just before closing to find three apple pies still available. I heard they often sell out by the afternoon. I was too full, so I ate it the next morning, but after being heated, it was really delicious. The crust was crispy, and the filling was sweet and fragrant with apple flavor. I can't definitively say it's the best overall, but the price might be the highest, haha.

Next time I have the chance, I'd like to try other items, like chocolate apple pie and, of course, I would want to have the apple pie again on site.

Hokkaido souvenirs used to be primarily White Lovers, the top choice, but now there are more and more popular brands. It seems that if they are not uniquely popular and can be found all over Japan, there is no compelling reason to buy them.

Combining with other souvenir shops (perhaps different brands from the same group), Snows' raw chocolate is quite rich and pairs well with a filling similar to fresh cream. It's a bit sweet but goes nicely with tea or coffee. Another popular item is the Snows sandwich cookies, which are crisp on the outside and have a rich filling—great for afternoon tea. I highly recommend them; it seems they are currently limited to the airport, making them very sought after.

As for the ice cream, it also costs 450 yen and is a bit smaller and less rich. It starts melting as soon as you receive it, which is a bit unfortunate, and the texture is a bit thin. No wonder it isn't very popular.

The popular stalls at New Chitose Airport are often lined up with long queues, but in fact, the food is served quite quickly; you can usually eat within 30 minutes. It seems that everyone orders the five-time champion soft serve, but other menu items also look pretty good. Cakes like Baumkuchen and egg tarts seem to be quite famous as well, and I’d like to try them next time I have the opportunity.

The five-time champion soft serve is very rich and quite large. It’s easy to see why it’s in first place; the price of 450 yen is similar to what you’d find at other places. It’s delicious, generously portioned, and made with real ingredients, which makes it just right for two people to share. However, after trying it, I wouldn’t be particularly inclined to wait in line again, not because it’s bad, but because there are just so many options in Hokkaido!

At a famous crepe shop in the Gotemba Outlet in Japan, there are actually quite a few restaurants in the outlet. However, people generally may not want to spend too much time eating in a restaurant; instead, they prefer to take a little time to try out small snacks like this.

Japanese desserts never disappoint, and even a small crepe is completely different from those in Taiwan! It only has a little bit of spread inside, unlike in Taiwan, where there are usually a bunch of fillings. I think many people do enjoy a lot of toppings, but the taste in Japan is indeed quite different, overall being a bit more refined.

The flavor I chose today is:
❤️ Pistachio flavor
As the name suggests, the filling in the middle is pistachio-flavored. Overall, I think the flavor is quite aromatic. The pistachio taste is a bit mild, but if you taste it carefully, you can still sense a slight pistachio aroma, and it's not too sweet, which means it's not overly rich! The parts of the crepe that don't have the spread are a bit crispy, while the areas covered with the spread are softer. It has a bit of a French crepe vibe, but I actually really enjoy the way the crepe and pistachio spread blend together!

Overall, I think if anyone visits Japan's largest outlet, they probably wouldn’t want to waste time dining in a restaurant unless they plan to spend the whole day shopping there! So these little snacks can temporarily satisfy hunger, and since Japanese sweets rarely disappoint, they are definitely worth trying! If you're out shopping, give it a go!

Service Quality: The staff speaks very gently.
Menu Item: Special caramel custard with fresh strawberries.
Taste of the Dish: The mille-feuille pastry is very crisp and thin; there’s a bit of bitterness due to the caramel, but overall, it’s a refreshing dessert that’s not overly sweet. Upon taking a bite, you first smell the aroma of the custard sauce, then the sweetness of the custard comes through, followed by the fragrance of the strawberries and the moisture and sweetness of the fruit itself. I initially thought the strawberries would be very sour and unpalatable, but the shop has managed the details well. You can taste the slight acidity of the strawberries, but it complements the sweet custard sauce nicely.
Other Suggestions: I originally intended to buy this in Hsinchu, but after waiting for three hours without being able to buy it, I left. If you have to wait an hour and still can’t get it, it may be better to skip it. While the strawberries in the dish are delicious, they are not whole. Also, if you’re not a fan of elderflower choux pastry, you might want to skip this, as there is quite a bit of custard. If you’re worried about it being too rich, you might want to share one between two people.

Imagawa-yaki, also known as wheel cake, large drum cake, or red bean cake, is referred to as "guan zai guo" in Taiwanese. It is a type of wagashi, originating from the Edo period during the An'ei era at "Imagawa Bridge" in Kanda, Edo, which is how it got its name.

The outer skin of the wheel cake is made from flour, eggs, and sugar, with a filling in between the skins. Early fillings were usually made of red bean paste or a white filling made from peeled and mashed green beans.

In Japan, the Imagawa-yaki sold on the streets is primarily filled with traditional sweet fillings such as red bean paste, white bean paste, soybean paste (edamame paste), and custard cream. In recent years, many new flavors have emerged, including chocolate, matcha, taro, peanut, sesame, sweet potato, and cheese.

#Thanks to the information from Wikipedia.

The snacks from this shop have unknowingly made it onto everyone’s list. Driven by curiosity, I decided to give it a try. I originally planned to visit the nearby shops and then just take some on my way out, but to my surprise, there was already a line at the door when I returned! It’s clear that it’s popular with the locals.

I bought their most famous item: the ❤️Madeleine cake🍰. I genuinely think their madeleine is delicious. The outside has a slightly crisp texture, but it's not overly crunchy, while the inside is soft and sweet sponge, creating a delightful contrast of crispy outside and soft inside. Even better, it's not overly sweet but carries a faint fragrant aroma. I instantly understood why everyone walks away with a whole box!

❤️St. Honoré
I also ordered the St. Honoré, but I personally wouldn’t particularly recommend this dessert. For some reason, it was made to be particularly sweet, and the outer layer of the small cream puffs was a bit too hard. Although it still has a texture similar to crème brûlée, I felt there was too much cream, and the bottom cookie wasn’t prepared specially, so after being refrigerated, it became a bit hard overall. It’s not quite the flavor I was hoping to enjoy!

Overall, I still recommend the shop! However, I suggest everyone just get the madeleine cake, as the signature dish is a signature for a reason. If you insist on trying the St. Honoré, maybe you might have a different experience with other desserts and find them delicious! But I believe if ten people try their madeleine cake, nine of them will find it tasty. I welcome anyone interested who happens to be traveling in Tokyo to give it a try!