Cuisine Crush! GION TSUJIRI Matcha Dessert & HANANA KYOTO Sea Beam

September 2018, Kyoto, Japan

GION TSUJIRI祗園辻利founded in 1860, the Kyoto-based confectioner, serves for the best Uji tea in respect for over 800 years of tea tradition. Gion Tsujiri was founded in 1860 as a tea manufacturer in Uji宇治, under the name of the founder, Tsuji Riemon. Later the store was renamed to GION TSUJIRI after the reestablishment in GION, where has long been loved by the citizens and visitors for centuries, as a sacred approach to Yasaka Shrine八阪神社—the origin for matcha traditional culture—and as a teahouse and Geisha quarters. 

 

I choose the matcha softy ice cream with crispy cookie cone. Made from finely selected tealeaves originating in Uji, Kyoto, GION TSIJIRI’s signature matcha UME NO SHIRO means “the white of plum blossom”, which combines an impeccable balance of sweetness and bitterness for a soothing taste. It is characterized by a fresh, smooth and subtle flavor, healthy and tasty for the daily consumption. For matcha tea contains Theanine, catechin and epigallocatechin gallate, for these antioxidant are able to mildly prevent cancer, chronicle diseases, skin aging, weight gain and stress trigging. Enjoying my must-have dessert in Kyoto strolling, now the adventure begins. 

 

After our walk through the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, we enter the Zen garden of HANANA for the family lunch. During our Tour de Japan, we opted to not make reservations at any Michelin Star or 懷石料理 restaurant, namely because there is almost no way to go very wrong with food in Japan, additionally the reservation systems are highly convoluted and restrictive, therefore, since we all love seafood, TAISHOU HANANA is the perfect spot.

 

We love the cuisine with sea bream, and HANANA offers two lunch sets that features Japanese ways to enjoy—grilled or raw served OCHAZUKE, which, is pouring tea or dashi over rice, and together with savoury side dishes. We chose the both for the sharing; therefore, the sea beam banquet proceeds as raw sashimi with the sesame and wasabi sauce, served with fine cooked Japanese rice and OCHAZUKE style for the fulfilled and satisfied finale. 

 

Special Thanks: Family Yuan & Family Chui