【Foodholic Nako @ Kyoto, Japan】
“loose kyoto” is a donut café located near Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, specializing in small donuts and coffee. The decor is purely minimalist and white; since the shop is quite small, it can be easily overlooked when passing by.
After leaving Kiyomizu Temple, we happened to see this cute store while walking, so we thought, why not have some afternoon tea!
This café only has one table, and most of the other seats are against the wall, with only a small side table available. Most customers finish their coffee and leave; it’s not a place where people linger for long, chatting or reading.
When we arrived, there was almost no one in line, and the café was still quite empty, so we quickly ordered our food and found a seat.
P.S. If dining in, each person must order a drink!
Houjicha Latte ¥600
I love drinking hojicha latte, so I always order it when I see it on the menu. It has a strong tea flavor, not bitter or too sweet, very balanced. Drinking it hot is really comforting, highly recommended.
For donuts, we ordered one plain (Plain) ¥280 and one custard (Custard Cream) ¥380.
The donuts are not very large, and the plain one is delicious because the fried dough is sprinkled with pearl sugar, giving it a slightly granular texture without being too sweet. Although the donuts are fried, they are not greasy at all, which is impressive. They are very soft, and I absolutely love them!
The custard flavor is just the plain donut topped with custard cream, served cold. The custard cream is also not very sweet, and if you want to change up the flavor, this one is also quite tasty!
This café was one we stumbled upon and wasn’t on our list of places to eat that we researched beforehand, but upon checking it out, we discovered it is actually a popular café. Next time we visit Kiyomizu Temple, we will definitely return!