Pudding flavour looks interesting but I’m a little unsure how good it will taste, given that not all yatsuhashi will taste good.
And I'm really surprised to find that this brand of yatsuhashi taste pretty good. It has a nice rich taste of caramel that complements the super soft nama dough skin. The moist texture of filling makes it even better. This is actually one of the better yatsuhashi.
I see this yatsuhashi at an Arashiyama store. The combination of jelly and cream as filling looks promising, so I get a box.
This yatsuhashi features very soft nama dough skin, which is good.
The taste is better than what I expected since the jam-jelly hybrid ganache is moist and tastes pretty refreshing. Making this a lighter snack than the ones with traditional filling. It got ribbons of cream to make it slightly more intense in flavour. This brand gets the strawberry flavour one totally right.
Banana tastes kind of artificial though. Matcha is decent. Chocolate is meh though.
This is the best warabi mochi I ever have. No doubt about it. It is incredibly soft, moist, almost like jelly. The rich clear sweet taste of matcha mochi juxtaposes so well with the clean bitterness of the matcha powder. The powdery texture of matcha powder feels almost sugary when paired with the jelly-like mochi. Perfect.
It’s only until later that I realise that I also got Matcha Powder of this same brand from a cafe near Arakura Sengen Shrine, Cafe Yorozuya. This matcha is so good, being pure and clear in taste.
Another one of my best random buys is Kyoto Nomura Japanese Premium Pepper.
It is a bit like dried pepper fruit, instead of the usual pepper. Dry on the outside, pulp-like in the core, making for a good bite. It is tangy, spicy, savoury and sweet. I love it. This will perk up the taste of any dish. I will buy this every time I see it.
I actually pick this up wanting to try it and then put it back since I thought matcha chocolate is not exactly novel. Then I pick it up again because the moist texture of display looks so tempting. And the interesting, unique shape kind of hints at the potential of this sweet being unique and different. My curiosity finally wins this time, where I decide to get a small box of this sweets. This time curiosity gets the prize because this Fondant Chocolat is so amazingly good. This is one of the best unexpected buys of this Japan trip.
It is totally different from any other sweets, in a totally awesome way.
This is like lava cake full of matcha goodness.
When served cold, which is recommended by the brand, it is paste-like, similar to nama chocolate. When at room temperature, the exterior is like the softest moist cake that can break if I pinch too hard. And the interior is in my-oh-my molten form. Definitely a must-buy.
This is so good that I go ahead to get a box of five pieces of Fondant Chocolat from Kyoto Lovers on Shopee.
When I first see that this sweet is a kind of cookie, I actually want to look pass it since I'm not into cookies and its dry texture. But the moist look of its core makes me stop in my tracks and actually deliberate on getting this. Yes, it is a tough decision since I need to take into account the limited space of my luggage, so I want to get stuff that I really want. Well, finally, I decide to just go for it because I'm really curious if the molten core makes a difference.
And yes, it does!
Best sable or should I say, cookie. It is so soft and moist, full of the astringent aroma and light clear vegetal bitterness of matcha. The core is of even softer and packs more moisture, creating a slight lovely contrast, akin to a lava cake, in sable form. The exterior has a nice sugary, gritty bite, to make the texture exciting.
I'm so happy with my choice to get this. There is this satisfying feel of buying something based on feelings and hitting the jackpot with it.
Since I come all the way to Arashiyama, of course I must try the food of at least one restaurant here. And Muku is our choice.
The restaurant has this quiet elegance with pale wood furnishings, soft lights, a open kitchen counter, soothing ambience and zen feel. A stark contrast from the busy streets outside. The clean aesthetic of the interior also reflects the light clean taste of the food here.
The food here is clean and light, yet packing lots of flavours. And the dishes are unique, in a good way. In fact, the small dishes served here remind me of tapas. This is definitely a place worth patronising.
The service is very good and professional, making the experience better.
Mamezara is beautiful platter of nine small dishes. Yes, I’m so excited to try it when I see the chef preparing it at the counter.
But before this, we get to savour other freshly made small dishes instead.
The vegetable broth is very light in taste, great for cleansing the palates.
White rice porridge here is the best porridge I ever have. It is more sticky than the usual porridge and lighter in taste, in an excellent way. It has the savoury goodness, made exciting by the pungency of the dot of ginger.
Dashi steamed vegetables surprise me by how clean and light yet super flsvourful they are. They are crunchy and carries their distinctive natural vegetal sweetness.
Delicious Otsukemono Japanese pickles that whet the appetite. The carrot is surprisingly good, being of the right hardness.
Bouncy Dashimaki is so flavourful and well balanced in taste.
Umami dashi soup is clear sweet umami of asari pumped with vegetal sweetness of vegetables.
Exploration of different textures with Mamezara:
Scooped Yuba with Chrysanthemum sauce is silky smooth with light floral aroma.
Kinpira Lotus Root is crunchy and tasty.
Springy Sweet Shrimp and Chinese Cabbage with Cod Roe actually has that Chinese style stirred-fried taste.
Shunshu Salmon and Grilled Mushrooms with special Miso sauce surprises me because the the salmon tastes pretty good and goes well with the earthy taste of mushrooms. Both feature the bouncy texture.
Simmered Taro with Minced Chicken and Thickened sauce is noce too, with a crumbly paste-like texture.
Pumpkin, Walnuts and Raisins with Sour Tofu sauce is good with the crunchy, nutty + paste texture.
Snow Crab and Grilled Eggplant with Tosa Vinegar Jelly has soft texture and tastes refreshing, with hints of excitement from the jelly.
Dashi Stock with Tsukudani is intense in taste.
Grilled Spanish Mackerel with its fish taste nicely cut by Yuzu aroma for the sweetness of the fish to come through.
Raw Egg over the Rice with Oyster Soy Sauce is oh-so-good. So creamy and so full of umami. This is a must-add-on.
Japan, 〒616-0004 Kyoto, Nishikyo Ward, Arashiyama Nakaoshitacho, 45 1階 YADO ARASHIYAMA