JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR - What is Dessert?

All these time I have been taking dessert for granted. Shaped by what I was accustomed to, I didn't think twice or put any deep thought into it. During my recent trip to Tokyo, a short stop by JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR opened my mind about dessert. Who said dessert has to be cakes, ice creams, cookies, or even with sugar involved? In fact, dessert can be limitless. 

I actually tried to visit this sweet joint last time I visited Tokyo, but arrived too late and the room was already packed with customers seeking for something special after dinner hours. 

Second time around, I came prepared. Had early brunch and arrived at JANICE WONG close to noon, where most people are still eating lunch. Successfully avoided the afternoon sweets craving crowd, I managed to get a table without making a reservation ahead.

If you ever visit JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR, I do recommend their bar seats, where you get the most up-close view of all the plating actions, where the magic begins. I only chose the table seat for a more spacious room to put down my bag and hefty camera.

Located on the first floor of NEWoMan next to Shinjuku station, this is one of Janice Wong's oversea locations. 

Born in Singapore, Janice worked under several world-class chocolatier and pâtissier such as Pierre Hermé and Oriol Balaguer. Talented of course, she also has her own interpretation about dessert.

Frankly speaking, my initial plan was simply stopped by DESSERT BAR and picked two or three "regular" desserts. Something more familiar and definitely comforting. But it was during White Valentine's Day in Japan so they had a White Day's special menu. It's quite a long way to get here, so why not give it a try? And this mindless decision reshaped my understanding about what a dessert can be.

White Day's special degustation comes with a set of five different dishes. Alcoholic or non-alcoholic pairings can be added. 

Me and Mister went for one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic pairing.

Cute hand towel thing. It was dry and small similar to the size of a coin. The waiter came over and poured a small amount of hot water over to made the hand towel expand.

First course: white cube -

Let's check out the beverage pairings first. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions looked the same but with slight component variations.

Alcoholic pairing: pearl caps.
Made with Sileni sauvignon blank sparkling, passion fruit, pearl powder, and lemon grass. 

Non-alcoholic pairing: pearl ripples.
Made with appletiser, passion fruit, pearl powder, and lemon grass. 

Refreshing in a way, but the key lied within that galaxy-like colors in the glasses. With a little swirl, pearl powder started to reflect the colors and it's like drinking a miniature galaxy from the glass. A luscious opening.

"Guava, popcorn, salted caramel, star fruits."

Though it was going to be a light start, but actually quite a strong punch here. Ice cream-like cube coated with fine popcorn bits. Sweet and savory touches with fruity aroma. Just like the pairing drinks that came with layers of delicate colors, such simple snow-white hue but somehow just couldn't take my eyes away from it.

Second course: white aero -

"Naoshichi, fukinotou, hazelnuts, fromage blanc, flower pepper."

Naoshichi is a type of citrus, and fukinotou is a type of Japanese vegetable. Here's where it hit my head first. Dessert or not? How come there's vegetable on my plate? Flavor-wise too, it actually acted more like a light savory dish instead of a regular sugar loaded dessert. But in a way for sure there's a very gentle sweetness shining from these ingredients. Or was I wrong? Maybe it was that hint of salty taste flowing out from these sweet items? Couldn't tell which one's which, it was quite an interesting experience. 

Alcoholic pairing: white "wa" groni.
"Daigo no shizuku, suze, dry vermouth, homemade bamboo grass flavored gin."

Non-alcoholic pairing: virgin white spumoni.
"Homemade campari water, grape fruit, tonic water."

Not hard to tell why they picked this bamboo-shaped cup to serve the alcoholic drink that was also made with bamboo grass element. One would thought that the alcoholic pairing can be strong, at least heavier compared with the non-alcoholic version. On the contrary, putting the alcoholic drink and this dessert together, the drink actually softened the edges of the dessert and turned the whole flavor into a gentle sweet touch that suit the adult's preference.

Non-alcoholic version had a fizzy texture and refreshing sweet note, so in a way it loosened up the supposedly calm dish into a more lively direction. Unexpected effects from these two fun pairings.

Third course: white sandwich - 

"Coconuts, pandan leaf, lime, yuzu, almond milk tofu, turnip."

A brush of elegant green hue on the yuzu sponge from the pandan leaf. There's also yuzu parfait softly snuggled in between. The white sticks on the side were either almond tofu or pickled turnip. Talking about the surprises when bitten into pickled veggie, all the sudden I was craving for a bowl of steamed white rice. 

Thanks to this course, I've never knew that pickles can intertwine so well with sweets. Similar to the sourness from fruits, light vegetable pickles act the same way.

Alcoholic pairing: oriental lady.
"Bobby's gin, jasmine infused cointreau, lychee, lemon, egg white, coriander bitters."

Non-alcoholic pairing: lychee jasmine.
"Lychee, jasmine, lemon, egg white, coriander bitters."

At least half of the drinks were covered with flavored foam. So even for the alcoholic one, when sipping it you also ingested a portion of the airy foam, which softened the punch from the alcohol. Both drink pairings were similar to this dessert course in terms of flavor and texture. It might be hard to tell from the presentation, but this course was in fact the most Japanese of the whole set.


Forth course: white risotto (written as risoto on the menu) -

"Potato, white asparagus, brown butter, hyuganatsu (a type of citrus)."

Risotto as dessert? Confirmed with our waiter and he tried very hard to explain to us in English. So it doesn't need to be in a common "dessert" form or incorporate any sugar for a dish to be defined as "dessert." The risotto here in a way was kind of a cross in-between savory and sweet. Lightly seasoned with citrusy aroma that permeated every bite. Just like dessert seasoned with salt, think the other way around, why can't a savory dish that come with a touch of sweetness?

True that, who said a dessert has to be in cake form or use of sugar? Putting too much thoughts on the definition can somehow limit the creativity and many possibilities ahead.

However, my mind somewhat accepted this whole new idea about dessert, but my taste buds were still adjusting. Especially when it comes to this course's drink pairings. 

Alcoholic pairing: du Barry flip.
"Cauliflower, Johnnie Walker Gold, Stimson chardonnay, smoked advocaat, consommé, truffle salt."

Non-alcoholic pairing: cauliflower truffle.
"Cauliflower, Vintens chardonnay, consommé, egg yolk, truffle salt."

Very avant-garde course, and very dangerous pairings. It's like an acquired taste similar to blue cheese and stinky tofu, both drinks were strong and tasted just like meat broth, more so like a cold foamy soup. I'm willing to step forward, but do need more time for this one. 

Glad the coming course came to a rescue.

Fifth course: flower garden -

"Yogurt, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, olive oil, orange blossom."

The most "dessert-like" of all. The sphere was composed with different berry layers with the outer coating made with yogurt. 

Little orange blossom flavored tapiocas were scooped out tableside. 

As I traced my memory back, this one was the most comforting course at the time since it lined up with what I originally expected what a dessert should be. But in the end, it was the least surprising course. Without that "wow" element, this course was good but couldn't reach the top as I thought about the lineup of every courses.

Did I grow from this whole "dessert" experience? Not so sure, but my mind definitely is more opened to different interpretations now.

Alcoholic pairing: sprout.
"Calvados, sauternes, campari, peach, cherry blossom bubble."

Non-alcoholic pairing: thawing.
"Peach, genmai cha, salted plum, almond milk, cherry blossom bubble."

Both drinks were such a delight in terms of presentation, aroma, and flavor. The non-alcoholic version was especially memorable with tea infused in it. Together with other Japanese touches such as plum and cherry blossom, this drink showcased the local characteristics with well-intertwined elements.

After all the courses, customers can pick their favorite one from the set as an extra complementary drink. I would have chosen the last or the first pairing, but was on the brim of over-flowing with food and beverage, so a simple hot tea was my only request.

Petit four -

Pound cake and airy caramel butter.

I usually prefer enjoying dessert or sweet drinks separately. Never a dessert paired with sweet wine sort of person. JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR broke that habit of mine. Sweet in a way but very gentle to the palate, unlike the usual sweet dessert top with even sweeter drink.

About dessert, I gained more appreciation after this short visit to JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR. Might not be as easy at first. But as time passes by, that initial hesitation dissipates. In return, my curiosity surfaced, wanted to know more and to find out what dessert meant to others. That's why eating is such a fun thing, not necessary bringing you that instant satisfaction physically, but mentally it can tickle afterward. 

So what is dessert? Guess I won't know till I eat my way out.  


JANICE WONG DESSERT BAR
5-24-55 Sendagaya (NEWoMan Shinjuku)
Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 151-0051
Japan website: http://www.janicewong.jp/
Singapore website: https://www.janicewong.com.sg/

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 11:00 a.m. ~ 4:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. ~ 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday, Holiday 11:00 a.m. ~ 11:00 p.m.

紀の善 Kinozen - Following the Footsteps of Saboriman Kantarou

Netflix might be carrying different shows in different countries, but for Taiwan, there's a Japanese series called Saboriman Kantarou (さぼリーマン甘太朗), about a dessert-loving salaryman.

As Japanese as it can be, this show ventures into the leading actor Kantarou's mind when he tastes all the wonderful sweets in Japan. Put the semi-exaggerating reactions aside, it provides a good list of where to eat in Tokyo. So there I was, at 紀の善 Kinozen, where the leading actor figured out the meaning of "wa sweets" with matcha bavarois.

According to the TV show, Kinozen was a sushi restaurant transformed into Japanese sweets joint. Current owner remodeled the place. It still has a Japanese soul, but with a few minor touches of western influence.

Two-story shop, since we came as a small group, we were taken to the second floor tatami room. Need to take shoes off and not the most comfy seating style, but in return, slightly more spacious with a window overseeing the street.

Welcomed by hot tea, hand towel, and some rice crackers.

Here's one example what I meant by "a slight western influence." These piggy-shaped rice crackers were dusted with Brittany sea salt. Simple as it tastes, but delicate in a way.

Menu -

It's already hard to understand Japanese sweets names as a foreigner, but wait for it, the kind lady brought over this English menu that can be even more confusing.

Just pick and point, as long as I get my matcha bavarois in the end.

Anmitsu (あんみつ) - 

Red bean paste with agar cubes, red peas, some fruits, and served with brown sugar sauce/syrup. That's basically what it says on the menu. Kinozen uses dainagon azuki bean to make their red bean paste, supposedly one of the top varieties in Japan. The paste is smoother than it appears, with a soft and light sugary note permeating every pore.

Noticed a few brownish beans, they call it red peas on the menu, but do not mistaken it from azuki/red beans. Harder texture with outer skin about 2.5 times the thickness compared to cooked red beans. But once smashed, you'll fall for perfectly cooked smooth pea paste hidden underneath. Also the most obvious difference, it's salty. Not sweet, but slightly salty. What a way to balance this bowl of Japanese sweets.

In addition to sweet and salty contrast, there is also a comparison between the fuller bite red peas and clean-cut jelly-like agar cubes. Agar cubes carry little to no taste, but offers a clean and refreshing touch here.

Mitsumame (みつ豆) -

Served with brown sugar syrup.

Red peas can be very filling, so frankly speaking, we were struggling over below anmamekan (あん豆かん) -

Good news is that matcha bavarois came to a rescue when we were almost drowned by red peas -

Composed by three simple but strong elements: red bean paste, matcha bavarois, and heavy whipped cream.

The red bean paste was discussed earlier, so let's move onto the other two. The matcha bavarois was packed with matcha aroma, very low or nearly no sweet taste at all. Just pure matcha in an almost panna cotta form. The whipped cream, oh man, it was so creamy. Stiff in a way but not hard. To put it this way, the whipped cream used here is more like a highly condensed whipped cream made by 46% Hokkaido milk, it has to be good.

So the red provides sweetness, the white provides creaminess, and the green provides that adult-like tea and tannin touches. Separate these three elements, they are delicious on their own; but together, it become one greater self.

So "wa sweets," not exactly Japanese but not western either. Wa, instead of simply means "Japanese," Kantarou thinks that this word is more like "mixing, blending, integrating." What a great translation for crossbreed dessert like the matcha bavarois I've just tasted.

If you love matcha, do come here and give Kinozen's matcha bavarois a try. Moreover, if you love dessert, see if you can find Saboriman Kantarou on your Netflix show list. Been there and tried one of the recommendations on the show, it seems pretty legit and trust-worthy. Taste buds won't lie. 


紀の善 Kinozen
〒162-0825 Tōkyō-to, Shinjuku-ku, Kagurazaka, 1 Chome-1-12
+81 3-3269-2920
Official website: http://www.kinozen.co.jp/

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 a.m. ~ 8:00 p.m.
Sunday and holiday 11:30 a.m. ~ 6:00 p.m.
*Please check website for recent day-offs update

Kyoto - The Art of the Five Senses Wagashi Experience at Toraya Ichijo Branch 虎屋菓寮

How can one miss the opportunity to experience Japanese confectionery "wagashi" when visiting Kyoto? Once the capital of Japan, the traditional delicacies such as artworks, temples, and cuisines are well preserved while the modern world gently intertwined throughout the streets.

On a weekday morning, I walked pass the Kyoto Imperial Palace and found my block of peaceful mind at this tranquil establishment Toraya Ichijo Branch (but my Zen was interrupted with excitement as soon as colorful anmitsu arrived) -

Toraya's English website did a pretty good job explaining some major types of wagashi, common ingredients used, and the art of the five senses. As for this post, let me simply focus on showing how beautiful the Ichijo branch is. 

If you're coming from the Imperial Palace, it should be easy to spot a shiny white wall along the street with Toraya's silver logo -

The kanji logo means "tiger." That's the confectionery shop for to-go purchase only. Turn into the alley and the tearoom is just few steps away -

Menu and wagashi sample display -

There are many wagashi places throughout Kyoto, however, I was drawn to the vibe of Toraya Ichijo branch. Spacious area based on Japanese traditions and infused with modern touches. 

There are two outdoor seating sections, one faces the quite alley with calming water view and the other locates in the opposite side looking over the tidy grass yard -

The sunshine and the tranquil outdoor setting signaled a gentle greeting. 

Walking in - 

Counter area -

Arched roof -  

View from my table. Decided to sat in the way back in order to get a full view of the place -

The indoor section somehow gave me a more calming sensation, perhaps from the art works and book selections - 

You can bring the books to the table and enjoy some quite reading time along with delicate wagashi.

Welcoming hot tea -

Menu and some cute little seasonal namagashi -

Click on the image for an enlarged view -

Complimentary yokan -

Japanese citrus and red bean flavors.  Based on my past experiences, even though Japanese desserts are usually lighter and not as sweet as western version, but yokan and namagashi are actually pretty sweet. It's better to savor these treats in smaller bites with tea to my opinion. 

Seasonal namagashi hatsu shigure 初時雨 and mikan mochi 蜜柑餅 -

Namagashi descriptions in Japanese - 

Got a little bit greedy so ordered anmitsu with white syrup and one glass of iced matcha glacé -

Observe closely and you can sense the almost foamy-liked tiny matcha powder, just the right amount of tea aroma to balance off the sweet treats -

Mochi inside hatsu shigure - 

Too cute to be eaten -

Mikan one has a more elastic texture compared to the paste-like hatsu shigure -

Not easy to cut through the surface but was surprised how soft it was when biting into the namagashi. The texture also bounded seamlessly with the mochi inside. Both layers blended well in the mouth without falling apart into two independent components. 

The red bean paste was very delicate. The texture reminds me of Joël Robuchon's signature mashed potato. The anko was dense and fulfilling - 

The red bean/azuki paste was on the sweeter side but all other components only carried a gentle touch of sugar. Not necessary in need of white sugar syrup if enjoying some bites with azuki paste. 

Mochi was actually pretty good with just the right amount of chewiness to add more fun to the anmitsu. You can also taste one thin layer of powered sugar lightly settling on the surface of small mochi. 

Friendly and not overly interrupting service here at Toraya Ichijo branch. I came soon after it opens to enjoy some quite alone time before my big lunch around the area. Whether if you're a sweet treat person or not, don't miss the chance of trying some wagashi. For wagashi newbies, maybe start with finding a prestigious brand and go to its flagship location or the original store to get a full experience of such fine Japanese delicacies. 


Cindy's rating: 7


Toraya Ichijo Branch 虎屋菓寮
Karasuma-Nishi-iru, Ichijo-dori
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
京都府京都市上京区一条通烏丸西入広橋殿町400
+81-75-441-3113
Website: https://www.toraya-group.co.jp/english/index.html

Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Recent update: Toraya Ichijo branch will be closed on 2015/12/8, 2016/2/9, 2016/3/8