Takumiya Daifuku

I think I found the best Daifuku, aside from the Daifuku my imouto got from USS Osaka Japan. And it is Tamikuya Daifuku! I got this because of the Chinese New Year packaging. But when I took the first bite, I was amazed by how good it is. This dough skin is exactly like that of the Daifuku from my imouto. The skin is incredibly soft, sugary and has a hint of soufflé-like quality, which is the best for Daifuku. The cream inside creates a lava-like consistency for the filling, which is exactly how I love it. The black bean paste adds a hint of earthy taste to balance the mild sweetness.

I went back to buy three more boxes on another day!

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Don Don Donki

Okasa Applico

When I first saw Osaka Applico at a store in the train station near Dotonburi, I thought the cute florid box looks familiar and gad a vague impression that it is good. A scroll through my previous posts proved that. So I immediately get a box. This is like Apple Pie with softer millefeuille pastry. A good and balanced combination of sweetness plus zest of fruit and savoury sweetness of baked wheat.

Tsukigesho Matcha 伊石衛門 みるく饅頭

One of the absolute Must-Buy in Japan is Tsukigesho Milk Manju. The skin is so soft and thin, featuring the sweetness of baked wheat. The bean paste filling is so moist, milky and smooth due to the condensed milk and butter added. Still one of my favourites.

京都純喫茶風 生ハツ橋 プリン

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.

京都宇治総本家 辻利 わらび餅

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.

Kyoto Nomura Japanese Premium Pepper

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.

Malebranche Nama Cha no Ka Okoicha Fondant Chocolat 京都北山 生茶菓

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.

京都鶴屋 鶴寿庵 京ちゃふれ ここ Soft Matcha Sable

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.

Gion Tsujiri 祇園辻利

While window shopping at Kyoto Train Station, the wooden signboard with Japanese calligraphy at Gion Tsujiri attracts us into the store to look around. And upon seeing financier available in Gion Tsujiri, and with my coincidence in the deliciousness of financier recently boosted, I grab a piece of matcha financier to try.

I totally love it after trying it. This has the sweet richness of cake with a layer of slightly sticky glutinous rice paste on top. This makes the texture interesting.

The lovely buttery taste comes through as I bite more into it, and it pairs so well with the clear astringent taste of matcha. This is a must-try. And I actually go back to get more of this cake.

I prefer matcha over houjicha, which is stronger in taste and seems to have chocolate added in.

Matcha Latte is so pure and creamy in taste. Everyone says it’s really good.

8-3 Higashishiokoji Takakuracho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8214, Japan

Awaji Onion Soup 淡路𡷊 玉ねぎス—プ

I actually have a love for onion soup, so Awaji Onion Soup naturally goes into my shopping cart when I'm at Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway. In fact, I want to get more of Awaji Onion products, but since they are packed in glass jars, I decide not to, due to consideration about going through customs with liquids in hand-carry luggage.

Awaji is known as Onion Island, whose onions is known to be sweet and have low pungency. And this really shows in the onion soup. First sip of this soup makes me go, "Ahh, so sweet and so comforting!" The onion soup is packed with clear umami. It feels so good to sip on this.

Otabe Yatsuhashi おたべ生八つ橋

I never thought that my first try of Kyoto’s famous traditional rice cake will be from a vending machine. But here I am, having fun slotting in the dollar note and watch a box of yatsuhashi dropped into the retrieval compartment for my taking. Well, I forgot to get some breakfast before setting out to take Shinkansen to Kobe. So the vending machine of yatsuhashi is exactly what I need at the moment.

And this cute little box of yatsuhashi turns out to the best yatsuhashi I have tried.

The thin glutinous rice dough skin is raw, thus features a lovely mix of powdery and sticky texture, which is very different from that of the sticky mochi. I actually prefer this texture of yatsuhashi over that of mochi.

Sandwiched within the raw rice dough is a ganache of bean paste mixed with matcha. It is slightly sweet, taste very pleasant with the light astringent aroma of matcha.

This combination of raw rice dough and bean paste works so well together. And the yatsuhashi is so good that we finish it real fast.

Heartened by this good experience with yatsuhashi, I go on to buy 4 boxes of yatsuhashi of brands, but otabe still comes out top.

Hiyoko ひよこ

Hiyoko is like the old school favourite of Japanese Snacks. All of us foreigners had tried and loved it. And that cute picture of the chick on the box is so recognisable.

So when we see boxes with that picture of bright yellow chicks, we head straight to the stack and grab a box each. No deliberation, no hesitation, just the satisfaction of finding a long-missed good find. And I see a caucasian lady even getting 5 boxes!

The winning formula of Hiyoko is its dough skin, which has pronounced sweet aroma of wheat and slightly fluffy texture. And this dough skin complements the bean paste so well. I can keep eating this non-stop.

Butter State’s Medium Rare Cheesecake

It is so tempting to splurge on the snacks and desserts when strolling through Daimaru. And the queue at Butter State’s catches my attention, so I start taking a closer look. And when I see the display of the snowy white Medium Rare Cheesecake with cheesecake core, I know I want to get one of this. I just have this feeling that it will taste awesome.

And my gut feeling is right!

The cake features different layers of different cheeses in different forms to yield this smooth mouthfeel and complex taste of cheese, cream, butter and wheat. One of the best!

The rare cheese adds the savoury goodness and light feel to the sweet lovely fluffy baked cheesecake while molten cheese amazes the palates with it’s texture and the buttery cookie base perfectly balances the rich taste of cheese. Every bite makes me swoon in delight.

Thoughtful: Cheesecake Heaven!

1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-6701, Japan

La Noix Millefeuille

There are so many tempting choices at Daimaru at Tokyo Central Station, and I decide on getting a box of La Noix because it is the first time I see millefeuille with raspberry filling, in fact, any Japanese snack with raspberry filling. And it proves to be a good choice.

This sweet has an awesome texture where the slightly sticky raspberry nougat filling contrasts with crunchy nuts and crispy thin millefeuille. This is the first time I try a Japanese snack that features the tangy taste, and my verdict is it totally works in this case. Sweetness is the base while hints of tangy flavour makes it exciting and it is balanced enough not to be overwhelming. It is a must-get if you wants to try French style Japanese sweets.

Thoughst: I love the texture and the surprise of tangy taste

1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-6701, Japan

Brulee Merize Bruletta and Brulee Cheese Tart

Amid the numerous snack counters at Tokyo Central Station vying for our attention, the uniqueness of Bruletta totally catches my attention. The bun-like desserts with promise of rich custard look too tempting to resist.

And so I get Bruletta and Brulee Cheese Tart. They turn out to be so awesomely good that I’m glad that I trust my feelings to queue up for these.

Bruletta, full of different goodies, amazes me at first bite with its layers of different types of sweetness: slightly bitter caramel sweetness of burnt sugar, butter sweetness of tart, fluffy sweetness of the cake, eggy sweetness of the custard and milky sweetness of the cream. Sugary crystal juxtaposes perfectly with the crumbly tart and ice-cream like custard. A must-try!

No wonder it is sold out fast.

Brulee Cheese Tart also amazes me with its taste and texture. The sugar crystals of burnt sugar and the crumbly tart both accentuates the molten texture of the smooth creamy custard filling. It’s out of this world, for a packaged dessert. Another must-buy.

Thoughts: The Sweets here are Absolute Must-Try

〒100-0005 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 1 Chome−9−1 JR Tokyo Station, Yaesu

舟和本店 Funawa

Shopping at Asakusa is such a delightful experience since this place is so full of character. The low-rise buildings of structure unique to Japan, the cute, stylish lamps and meticulously furnished, aesthetically pleasing interiors. And 舟和本店, Funawa, catches my attention due to the rickshaw guy’s recommendation and the specialisation in sweet potato snacks, a rarity for Japanese finds in Singapore.

From right: Sugu Lemon, Oimo Pie, Ningyouyaki: Koshian, Ningyouyaki: Imoan

After looking around, I cannot resist buying a box of assorted manju since a lemon-based manju and a manju with sweet potato filling are so rare. And it’s a good thing hat I buy them because they are delicious!

Cute Sugu Lemon has a nice sweet lemony taste with a good balance between the sweetness and tangy flavour. There is a lovely hidden secret in this manju in the form of a layer of lemon jam within the bean paste, thus introducing a hint of moisture to the bean paste and extra lemony goodness to the taste. Best to savour this on clean palates. I absolutely love this on 2nd try without eating something else with a strong taste beforehand.

Oimo Pie is my second favourite of the quartet because the sweet potato filling is slightly savoury with the right amount of sweetness. The skin is like thin soft millefeuille, making this cake unique in texture and pairing really with the slightly buttery filling. I’m really surprised by how good it is.

人形焼 aka Ningyouyaki with Koshian aka red bean filling also impresses me with its moist filling and supper fluffy manju skin.

人形焼 with Imoan aka sweet potato filling is also delicious, with its light earthy moist core. In fact, I slightly prefer this version due its slightly lighter taste.

Thoughts: I wish I have tried more of this shop’s products!

1 Chome-22-10 Asakusa

Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032 Japan