Savor your freshly grilled dango, dunked in matcha cream, or slather some mochi with zunda at this Miyagi tea store.
All through the Tohoku area, you could find the Japanese tea and sweets store Kikusuian, however Miyagi is dwelling to particular shops, generally known as the foremost shops. In contrast to different places that primarily supply takeout snacks and drinks, comparable to daifuku and dorayaki, the six foremost shops invite visitors to chill out in an hooked up restaurant and take pleasure in conventional Japanese meals like soba noodles and tempura rice bowls.
A very distinctive expertise that you’ll uncover on their menu is the charcoal-grilled dango, which entails grilling Miyagi specialties and dumplings your self, making a memorable expertise that’s each tasty and enjoyable.
With three tantalizing choices obtainable—ranging in worth and luxuriousness in line with the Japanese rating system of Matsu (Pine, highest rank), Take (Bamboo, center rank), and Ume (Plum, lowest rank)—vacationers may discover it troublesome to decide on which one to attempt. Nonetheless, when touring, there’s actually just one choice obtainable when confronted with such delicacies: the costliest one! As soon as the premium Matsu set (1,580 yen [US$10.32]) is ordered through the pill, a brief wait brings forth a veritable feast of Japanese meals, each savory and candy.
What arrives on the desk is an assortment of meals that appears prefer it might type its personal kaiseki meal, a standard Japanese multi-course meal that’s typically seen as the final word type of Japanese delicacies.
The Matsu set contains two skewers of three dumplings, yomogi (mugwort) dango, two items of fried tofu, sasa kamaboko fish cake, sq. mochi, and Zao cheese baumkuchen. Accompanying your meals, there’s additionally matcha cream, mitarashi sauce (a candy and savory sauce for dango), zunda, candy purple bean paste, soy sauce, and seasonings, like shichimi (a Japanese combined spice) and wasabi.
Together with the meals comes a private charcoal grill, which makes the dango fluffier than cooking over an open flame would.
If that choice of meals isn’t overwhelming sufficient, it’s also possible to select from three drinks: inexperienced tea, espresso, or matcha. It’s additionally potential to have a refill for a small charge of 165 yen.
After being sufficiently impressed by the array of meals, it’s time to begin cooking. Having so many choices without delay could be a nightmare for indecisive diners. Do you observe the foundations of British afternoon tea and begin savory, adopted by candy? Do you protect some savory meals till the tip? Or do you always combine it up, switching backwards and forwards between savory and candy, always holding your style buds in suspense? It may be a troublesome option to make, however let’s begin with fried tofu and fish cake for now.
The tofu quickly will get a delicious-looking char and, when adorned with a splash of soy sauce and a sprinkle of shichimi, it turns right into a heavenly deal with with a crispy, gentle texture.
The sasa kamaboko fish cake, a well-liked memento from the area, is understood to have a springy texture and a softness, which improve the style of the fish. Nonetheless, grilling it calmly elevates this taste to a different stage that will go away you wanting extra.
Now it’s time for the sweets. First up are the dango.
After grilling them to fit your style, it’s time to show your eyes to the glasses of matcha cream and mitarashi sauce, that are perfectly-sized to coat them with ease.
The candy dango and subtly bitter matcha cream make a divine pairing, showcasing that the store’s popularity as a tea store is well-deserved.
That’s to not say that the mitarashi sauce is any much less scrumptious. The nice sweet-savory taste is so moreish and leaves grocery store alternate options within the mud. Kikusuian has managed to steadiness the flavour so effectively that, regardless of how a lot sauce you add, it by no means turns into overpowering.
That vivid inexperienced paste that’s been tempting you to style it’s zunda, a candy edamame paste. Whereas zunda merchandise like ice cream and Package Kats have turn into beloved nationwide all through the years, Miyagi is their unique dwelling with its native dish of zunda mochi. This chunky edamame paste treats you to a wealthy, vegetable-like aftertaste. The candy purple bean style can also be capable of maintain its personal and add an extra sweetness to your dango.
With a properly puffed-up mochi prepared, your eyes flip again to the sauce and pastes. Some zunda? Candy purple bean? Soy sauce? You’re given a plentiful quantity so the feeling of being spoiled for selection is current all through the whole meal.
Wrapping all of it up, there’s the Zao cheese baumkuchen, which comes with a warning to observe it intently because it burns simply. The wealthy sweetness of this Western dessert is the right finish to a stunning meal.
If the expertise remains to be not sufficient for you, it’s potential to order further meals for a further charge, though the quantity you’re given is ample sufficient by itself.
The subsequent time you’re in Miyagi, this DIY grilling expertise is positive to be an unforgettable one. Whereas the extra inexpensive Take and Ume units can be found, it’s the Matsu set that can permit you to immerse your self totally within the candy and savory flavors that Kikusuian has to supply. Nonetheless, in case you can’t get out to Miyagi, whilst you’ll miss out on this implausible expertise, Kikusuian additionally has takeout shops promoting tea and desserts in Tokyo and Yokohama.
Tagajo foremost retailer info
Kikusuian Tagajo Honten / 喜久水庵多賀城本店
Deal with: Miyagi-ken, Tagajo-shi, Machimae 2 chome 6-10
宮城県多賀城市町前二丁目6-10
Open: 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (final order 7:00 p.m.)
Restaurant open: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. (final order 2:30 p.m.)
Tokyo retailer info
Saryo Kikusui Musashimurayama / 茶寮kikusui むさし村山店
Deal with: Tokyo-to, Musashimurayama-shi, Enoki 1-chome 1-3, AEON Mall Musashi Murayama 1F
東京都武蔵村山市榎一丁目1-3 イオンモールむさし村山1階
Open: 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (final order 8:00 p.m.)
Yokohama retailer info
Saryo Kikusui Tressa Yokohama / 茶寮kikusui トレッサ横浜店
Deal with: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Kohoku-ku, Morookacho, 700 banchi TRESSA Yokohama Minamimune 1F
神奈川県横浜市港北区師岡町700番地 トレッサ横浜 南棟1階
Open: 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. (final order 7:00 p.m.)
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