茶匠清水一芳園 Ippoen : Most Elegant Matcha Tiramisu in Kyoto

It’s been a long while since my last post because I rarely dine out in SG and the food here rarely motivates me to write a post on it :P 

In any case, it’s time to get the keyboard (or I should say belly) working again. Recently, in a short documentary on Kyoto which I chanced upon on a local channel, many of the interviewees, be them foreigners or Japanese in from other prefectures, unanimously expressed “Matcha” as the main association of Kyoto. This isn’t surprising at all, given the popularity that Uji Matcha has garnered as a golden brand of premium green tea. 

There’s plenty of cafes or restaurants serving green tea related food and desserts in Kyoto. If you don’t want to bump into your friend or other tourists at Tsujiri or Nakamura Tokichi, you may want to consider queuing with the locals at Shimizu Ippoen. It is not the oldest tea house but definitely one of the respectable names in town since its establishment in 1980

It shot to popularity in recent years with its Matcha Espuma Kakigori. And it’s amazingly good. Never had I had an espuma that’s rich and light at the same time. The taste of the espuma was intense but it vanished in a fluff as soon as you spoon into your mouth. The red beans and shiratama are served separately so that you can choose whether you want to have them together.   As much as I love condensed milk, I barely used any as the taste was beautiful in its purest unadulterated form. 

On the other hand, the signature matcha tiramisu Parfait is like a delicate art piece, adorned with pulled candy that resembles a princess’s crown. In the middle is a generous layer of frozen strawberries and rice puffs. It’s  relatively filling and sweeter than the matcha Kakigori as the creamy components (matcha ice cream and mascarpone cream) can weigh you down. But it’s hard to give this seasonal limited item a miss when they make only 30 a day. 

There’s plenty of other potential matcha desserts to try and so if you are a matcha lover, you’ll be in for a treat. 

〒605-0963 京都府京都市東山区 塩小路通東大路本瓦町665

11.30-4.30pm closed on Monday
Access via foot is possible (takes 25 min of leisure stroll from Kyoto Station)
https://www.facebook.com/ippoen/