Kyo Hayashiya (Tokyo) - Matcha Galore

I was browsing through my photos and I realized I haven't finished blogging about all the restaurants I went to in Tokyo, Japan last summer! Since I feel like potential tourists of Tokyo can benefit from these posts, I'm going to do a little time travel. :)

Trixie and I went to Tokyo last summer for a few days and stayed at the 'B Ikebukuro' hotel near the Ikebukuro station.

Near the hotel and Ikebukuro station, there is a giant mall called Ikebukuro Seibu that housed this matcha focused cafe called Kyo Hayashiya on the 8th floor. You heard right matcha fans, a cafe with ALL things matcha.

Most of their items are dine-in only but they do sell a variety of matcha cakes (like Baumkuchen!), cheesecakes, jellies, and swiss rolls. Baumkuchen is a type of layered cake that resembles 'tree rings' by their unique method of cooking the cake on a rotating spit. I so wanted to get a matcha one here but it was too expensive. :(

They were advertising their Matcha Mousse Cheesecake and Matcha Jelly when we went. God the cheesecake looks good...

Trixie and I wanted to try everything so we ordered three items to share.

We opted for a Hot Matcha Milk type thing and while it was good, I wouldn't say it was amazing. It kind of tasted like milk mixed with matcha powder which is still delicious and would actually make for a great pre-bedtime snack.

This is called Matcha Soft Serve Ice-Cream with Matcha Jello (~8,000 Yen/ $9 CAD) and though it looks vibrant green, the matcha flavour was surprisingly subtle. I personally like the bitterness of strong matcha so this wasn't my favourite but for people who are new to the flavours of matcha, I think this is great. The matcha jello was delicious but a chewier texture would have elevated the overall dessert.

Last but not least is the Parfait (~12,000 Yen/ $13 CAD) which had flavourless jello on the bottom, topped with soft serve matcha-vanilla swirl ice-cream, mochi balls (aka glutinous rice balls), matcha powdered rice cakes, and a biscuit.

All in all, I would definitely recommend Kyo Hayashiya to matcha fanatics AND virgins when visiting Tokyo even though I don't think they serve the best matcha products I've ever tasted. The fact that this is a themed cafe also makes it hard to pass up. Be forewarned however, the prices are not exactly cheap. I believe Trixie and I spent about $15+ CAD per person for this mid afternoon snack of three items.

Check out my other posts from Tokyo, Japan!
Angels Heart in Harajuku
Sushi Dai in Tsukiji Fish Market
No Name restaurant in Red Light District of Tokyo

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://www.foodjetaime.com/2011/02/macaron.html