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2015-06-23
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Originally boyfriend and I weren't going to eat here but we saw they had not given out all the queue ticket numbers for the day (and it was already 2 PM on a weekday), we grabbed one saying if we should be in by dinner time. So we ate somewhere else. The ticket has a QR code to check when the current ticket number is. While we were eating else where, I looked at the QR code and realized we were next! I didn't expect it to be so fast.Anyways .... Nakamura Tokichi is a very old famous family run t
Anyways ....
Nakamura Tokichi is a very old famous family run tea shop in Kyoto, Japan. It's been around since 1854 (according to their website). That's a long time. I read on SCMP, that the owner is always the eldest son who even has to legally change his name to Nakamura Tokichi when he takes over. Pretty serious dedication to green tea. When in Kyoto, it's one of the must eat places. There are queues of people trying to get a table. They even have a chance to attend a tea ceremony service which is especially great for tourists. Hong Kong is Nakamura Tokichi's first branch outside Japan. Actually, outside Kyoto as they don't even have shops outside of that city. This branch will be watched over by his eldest son who will take over the company some day.
It's located in The One and is very spacious. Wall to ceiling windows to capture the natural sunlight. All the seats are comfortable and not cramped. They have one section that holds a stage for tea ceremony. I read somewhere that they will hold seasonal tea sessions. That sounds interesting!
One another corner they have an area where they sell their various teas along with cakes and cookies for take away. Boyfriend noted (and I agree) that most other restaurants would rather use this space to fill up more tables to garner more business, but not this place. It was refreshing. Like we were back in Japan again.
As there are now huge waiting lines, the restaurant has limited seating time to 90 minutes.As we had already eaten, we were full so only ordered dessert. Their menu (both in English and Chinese) have not only matcha desserts and more costly tea (one cost $168 for a pot!) but matcha soba both hot and cold. I noticed other people eating soba and it was very dark green in color. It looked like a lot of matcha was added so probably good.
Everyone gets a pot of hoijcha tea in a beautiful earthen tea pot that is VERY heavy. We were warned ahead of time by the waitress. The tea was roasted well ... not so strong to be bitter but not weak tasting either. There is a $10 tea charge per person.
Matcha Maruto Parfait ($98). There is a choice of matcha or hoijcha but we chose matcha because we're in matcha land. This was really good. Whipped cream on top that had flavor and wasn't just plain cream! Matcha chiffon cake which was soft, airy with a strong matcha taste. Crunchy puffed rice for texture. Chewy shiratama dango. Tart raspberries. Sweet chestnuts. Azuki bean paste. Strong matcha jelly. And on the very bottom ... matcha ice cream. The parfait was packed and no hollow spaces in the middle. Fantastic parfait. One of the best I've ever had. It had all their desserts in one cup.
Matcha/Hoijcha Shaved Ice ($98). As we had matcha in one dessert, we chose hoijcha for the other one. Boyfriend and I had just come back from Nagoya recently and the memories of eating Akafuku's famous matcha shaved ice while waiting for our bus was still strong. So, we had to order this one. It was the only thing on our mind. The bowl of ice was big with a mound of sweet azuki paste and topped with a smooth and creamy matcha/hoijcha twist ice cream. There were also little dangos as well.
It came with two syrups. Matcha and hoijcha.
Pour the syrup on top and the fluffy snow-like ice melted and you ate sweet syrup ice cold goodness. This reminded me of eating freshly fallen snow mixed with Jello powder while growing up in Canada. One of the joys most Hong Kongers don't get while growing up but can be captured here.
The two of us paid a total of $216. There is no 10% service charge but there is a $10 tea charge per person. You pay at the cashier.Excellent matcha desserts in a comfortable relaxed setting. Though unlike Japan where people eat quietly, it was a bit noisy here, like a typical Chinese restaurant. But that was only the customers. The service was professional. I would return again.
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