Kracie Tounyuu Aisu (soy milk ice cream) Matcha – クラシエ 豆乳アイス ソイ・抹茶

So sorry for the hiatus! I haven’t had time to review for ages, as work has been hectic, but I finally had a moment to myself and chose to devote it to sampling another delicious dairy alternative: soy milk ice cream. This is always on sale at the Coop near my workplace, although I’ve never spotted it anywhere else, and comes in Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry and Matcha. Naturally I plumped for green tea, as I’m always curious to see how well this unique flavour translates into different substances such as chocolate and ice cream.

The relatively small 110ml pot stands out in the freezer cabinet thanks to the vivid green and gold of the lid. Soy milk constitutes a mere 30% of the ingredients, but I double-checked and confirmed that it doesn’t contain dairy. Not only could this cater to lactose intolerance, it is also cholesterol-free, so pretty healthy as far as frozen desserts go. I was a little unsettled by the almost radioactive hue of the ice cream depicted on the lid, so was relieved to find that the inner contents were a much more familiar and natural milky green tone.

There is no scent to speak of but the green tea flavour burst through immediately when I tried the first spoonful. As with many matcha products that have a milk base, the taste is at the mild and delicate end of the spectrum, with an understated hint of herbal, earthy tea leaves. So does it differ from ordinary ice cream? Well…not really. There is a sense that something is different, perhaps that it is less rich, but there is none of the curious aftertaste notable in un-flavoured products such as untreated soy milk or soy yoghurt. Consistency-wise it is creamy and rather soft, meaning that it begins to melt after only a few minutes. I tend to favour the much denser consistency of gelato, so found it a little on the wet and airy side for my taste, though it was thick enough that I knew I was eating ice cream and not a stiff milkshake for example. The overall sweetness is subtle so that it feels light and refreshing and probably wouldn’t be sickly at twice the size.

I enjoyed this: it’s fairly low calorie, not too sugary and the matcha flavour is recognisable. The only thing that might cause me to neglect it in favour of other products in future is the soft texture, as it’s not really the kind of dessert that you can sink your teeth into. Kracie’s soy ice cream is certainly a decent substitute for dairy cream. If you’re looking for a good ‘matcha ice cream’, however, I’d recommend going for something with a more concentrated flavour, such as Meiji’s green tea range.

6/10

Kracie Tounyuu Aisu Soy・Matcha  110ml  148kcal

7-eleven Shirokuma Ichigo (strawberry shirokuma) – セブンイレブン 白くまいちご

Lent started today, and this year I’ve set myself the rather tough challenge of forgoing all dairy products, so over the past few days I’ve been taking advantage of my final chances to eat chocolate and ice cream before Easter. One thing I got a particular craving for was shirokuma. Shirokuma, or ‘polar bear’, is a crushed ice dessert made with condensed milk, that is usually topped with colourful fruits such as orange and pineapple. While 7-eleven does stock traditional shirokuma, I opted for the strawberry version, as it has a more generous helping of fruit.

Although this is apparently ‘premium’, it comes in a relatively cheap-looking yet sturdy plastic cup adorned with pictures of a cheerful white bear. At 245ml, I’d say this is on the large side for frozen dessert servings, though it’s still well under parfait size.

The top layer consists of chunks of frozen strawberry nestling against a little igloo of ice cream, with two blueberries peering out like beady black eyes. I attempted to eat this straight from the freezer but found that the frozen fruit numbed my teeth and due to the high water content of the strawberry it was almost like trying to bite into ice cubes, so I’d advise giving it a few minutes to thaw a little. It’s difficult to taste anything through the cold at first, but as the fruity pieces began to defrost they taste sweet, refreshingly tart, juicy and as fresh as frozen food can.

The ice cream has a lovely light, almost fluffiness to it, though no distinctive flavour besides the inherent creamy taste; I didn’t catch any hint of vanilla. Beneath the fruit is a layer of gooey condensed milk, with that perfect tang of intense sweetness that you expect.

The ice cream igloo is surrounded by a glistening moat of strawberry syrup (is this metaphor getting too convoluted?) which is extremely sugary in contrast to the slight sourness of the real fruit, but thankfully used sparingly. Hiding underneath all the various toppings is the finely crushed, milk-flavoured ice that forms the main bulk of this treat. A few flecks of freeze-dried berry look decorative against the white, but they are mostly too small to have any noticeable flavour.

The milk ice is delicious: it’s sweet but not overly so and is actually quite refreshing. The consistency is fairly grainy, meaning that it doesn’t start melting into a slush after five minutes – an important point for someone like me who likes to devote at least half an hour to consuming dessert. One of the best things I noted about this product is that the flavouring is consistent right down to the base, so you aren’t left with a disappointingly bland layer of unflavoured ice crystals at the bottom, as you might be with a slushie.

At the heart of the shirokuma is another reservoir of condensed milk, at least a good couple of tablespoonfuls, which intensifies the sweet milky flavour of the ice and creates an interesting contrast between the crisp frozen fragments and thick, sticky liquid.

Finally, in the very bottom of the cup, is bubblegum-pink strawberry sherbert. Unlike the denser ice cream atop the dessert, this pastel concoction is very wet and frothy, and apt to melt rapidly once exposed to room temperature. Personally I don’t enjoy foaminess, but I can appreciate that the sherbert contributes to giving this sweet a great range of textures, and it does go well with the condensed milk.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: I’m always delighted with 7-eleven desserts because there are so many different ingredients, layers, flavours and textures in play, and Shirokuma Ichigo was no exception. The amount of condensed milk was just right and overall it was perfectly filling without being at all sickly. I only wish I hadn’t left it so close to Lent to review this, because I could really go for another one right now…

9/10

7-eleven Premium Shirokuma Ichigo 245ml  271kcals

Imuraya Yawamochi Aisu – Matcha Tsubuan Cup – 井村屋 やわもちアイス抹茶つぶあんカップ

I’d never heard of Imuraya before I spotted this ice cream in a supermarket freezer but it turns out they make all kinds of ice creams, syrups and azuki products. The mouthwatering concept image sets up high expectations for the actual product, meaning that I was a little let down upon seeing the contents; there was something so artificial about the flat, almost matte bean paste and evenly spaced mochi.

I was hoping for thick, glistening anko, studded with whole beans, like the packaging promised – not just the picture, ‘tsubuan’ by definition is unmashed azuki beans and therefore should be lumpy and gloopy, whereas the maroon substance surrounding the mochi here was closer to the more finely blended texture of tsubushian or koshian. Having seen much more authentic and aesthetically appealing tsubuan in other frozen desserts I expected more from a company that specialises in azuki.

However, I’m really not a snob when it comes to sweets and sometimes the cheap and cheerful products are tastiest. The anko was not overly sugary and the green tea ice cream was pleasant (although the matcha flavour could have been much bolder and the consistency a little denser), but the mochi were excellent. Among the possibly hundreds of mochi-based desserts I’ve eaten, this humble product had the best: incredibly soft and gooey despite being frozen, sticky yet melt-in-the-mouth, and subtly sweet in contrast to the concentrated flavour of the anko. Overall, Matcha Tsubuan Cup would be unremarkable if the delicious mochi didn’t make it worth trying at least once.

7/10

Family Mart Sweets+ Parfait Aisu: Kinako/Murasakiimo – ファミリーマート きなこ・紫いもパフェアイス

It’s rather late to start writing about ice cream when I’ve already noticed Halloween costumes in shops, but I wanted to introduce some of the best things I’ve eaten this summer while they’re still around, starting with Family Mart’s Sweets+ Parfait range. Due to its proximity to my house, I’m biased towards 7-eleven for conbini desserts, but when browsing in the Tsutaya branch of ‘famima’ I spotted some attractive ice cream pots and picked up four different flavours. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not often that a product like this actually matches the picture on the packaging but on peeling back the lid of the Kinako Parfait Aisu I was pleasantly surprised:

Flour-dusted mochi, deep red anko and dark, glossy syrup nestle atop a swirl of kinako ice cream, just as promised. On top of this, the quality is excellent – the mochi are mildly sweet, soft and gooey, the an is rich and earthy and the syrup provides a hint of molasses flavour. The delicate yet distinct toasty aroma of kinako comes through in the ice cream, which has a good, thick consistency and melts slowly enough to give you time to savour this dessert.

8/10

Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato) Aisu

 

Again I thought the presentation was great, especially the deep purple potato chunks. This parfait has fewer flavour components than the kinako aisu, so the robust sweetness of candied murasakiimo the central element, with roasted and salty background notes provided by the black sesame sprinkles.

The frozen potato has an indulgent fudgy texture and the ice cream, also murasakiimo-flavoured, is rich and gelatinous. The extra touch that made this my favourite was that the inside of the pot had been coated with a thin layer of sweet potato paste,so that each spoonful of ice cream was complimented by its smooth texture and condensed sweetness, all the way to the bottom.

8/10

The Sweets+ Parfait Aisu range also features Marron, Matcha and Yuzu/Honey/Ginger.

Tsujiri Cafe, Kyoto – 茶寮 都路里、京都

Tsujiri is famous for making excellent tea but they also make various sweets and desserts that you can eat at one of their cafes in Kyoto, which are so popular that the average waiting time to get seated, at any branch, at any time of day, is about 50 minutes. However, as I discovered on my trip to Kyoto last week, it’s well worth the wait. I visited the Tsujiri at Kyoto station where the queue was so long that it had to be divided into two separate sections, but it wasn’t long until we joined the line directly in front of the entrance, from where we could see the mouth-watering model ice creams in the display case.

Once you get inside the atmosphere is surprisingly relaxed: the staff aren’t rushed off their feet and it’s not hard to attract attention when you’re ready to order. You are given hot tea which is, as in most Japanese restaurants, unlimited.

Most of the parfaits are based around Japanese ingredients such as red bean paste, green tea, kanten and mochi, and chocolatey/fruity flavours are scarce, so this is a great place to get the Japanese take on a western dessert. I went for the Hinamatsuri parfait, seeing as it was a limited edition for spring and featured unusual components like marshmallow and floral syrup.

Looking at this parfait you can understand why Tsujiri is so popular. While some cafes simply stick some ice cream, sauce and cornflakes in a glass and charge you 700yen for it, in this parfait no two layers are the same and there is a great variety of textures, flavours and colours, which all compliment each other perfectly.

The Hinamatsrui parfait contains: sakura whipped cream with pink sugar hearts, sakura and matcha-flavoured marshmallows, three kinds of tea-flavoured castella sponge cake, plain and sakura mochi, sakura ice cream, matcha ice cream, anko (red bean paste), matcha jelly, vanilla ice cream and finally sakura syrup. It would take too long to describe individually all the delicious elements but suffice to say it was a cut above anything I’ve eaten so far and I think it does merit the high price tag (over 1,000yen).

My husband had the sweet potato parfait and it looked so colourful and tasty that I almost regretted my choice, but that’s inevitable in a place where everything on the menu looks incredibly good. Besides parfait there are plenty of traditional Japanese sweets on offer and a few savoury dishes too (you can see the full menu here), and in addition there is a gift shop with a large selection of teas and confectionery to choose from. We bought some ‘Matcha squeeze cookies’, perhaps so-called because they look like they have just been squeezed out of a piping bag.

The texture is dense and crumbly and the flavour is unashamedly strong green tea, not sweetened with a lot of added sugar as in many matcha chocolate products.

Tsujiri is certainly pricey and the long wait can be a deciding factor if you’ve only got a short time to spend in Kyoto but if you have a sweet tooth then you definitely won’t want to miss an opportunity to stop by. That said, there are plenty of great cafes that you don’t have to queue for, so for the sake of balance here are a couple of other desserts I had in Kyoto, at less well-known places:

7-eleven Matcha Anmitsu + cafe desserts – 抹茶あんみつ + カフェのデザート

So far I’ve only reviewed chocolate products so this time I thought I’d do some proper Japanese sweets, starting with anmitsu. Anmitsu is a cold dessert consisting of cubes of a gelatin-like substance called kanten in a thin brown or white sugar syrup (mitsu), topped with a paste of sweetened azuki beans (an) and often cream and a variety of fruits. In this version the kanten/syrup base is green tea flavour, and a lovely colour to match. This was only about 300 yen but it’s nicely presented in a sturdy plastic pot that has a little shelf to keep the cream and fruits separate from the syrupy mixture below, so everything is fresh. The appearance of the fruity topping is mouth-watering, the kanten is smooth and glossy and the syrup gives off a sweet yet earthy scent of matcha.

The topping contains slices of juicy mandarin, a cocktail cherry, plain and matcha sweetened whipped cream that melts in the mouth, chewy shiratama (glutinous rice balls), soft an and whole azuki beans, so there is a great variety of textures in play.
The kanten is slightly firmer than jelly so has a little resistance when you bite into it. The matcha taste is very subtle but the syrup has a stronger flavour, though it is sweet rather than herbal.

I’ve bought anmitsu at 7-11 several times now but I’ve never tried putting the fruits etc on top of the kanten, I like to keep it all separate so that the cream doesn’t dissolve into the syrup.

Thanks to the staple of Japanese life that is the conbini, you don’t need to go a cafe to treat yourself to a tasty dessert but if you’re looking for something more luxurious here are some similar sweets that I’ve had in Japan:

This anmitsu that I had at Hanakanro (花かんろ) near Mt. Hakodate has vanilla ice cream and multi-coloured kanten flavoured with various fruit juices such as lemon and strawberry. It’s so colourful and pretty that it seems a shame to eat but I somehow managed^^ It’s a very generous serving with lots of handmade shiratama so quite filling but also refreshingly fruity. If you ever happen to be in Hakodate I seriously recommend checking this place out because it’s in a picturesque area full of old-fashioned Japanese-style cafes and the atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing~

I had this drink at Nana’s Green Tea in Yokohama but it took me a long time to choose because everything on the menu looked insanely delicious – all kinds of iced lattes and ice creams. What I went for in the end is almost a liquid version of the matcha anmitsu: kanten cubes in a milky green tea crushed ice drink, with a sprinkling of azuki beans. My husband went for the richer version, with matcha ice cream and shiratama.

This ‘Mini shiratama parfait’, which you can eat at Rokkatei (六花亭) in Hakodate, doesn’t contain kanten but the other key elements of an, shiratama and cream are there, so if it turns out you love anmitsu but don’t care for kanten this would be ideal.
Rokkatei is mainly a sweet shop and the cafe is only a small, roped-off section, meaning there’s usually a waiting-list to get seated, but while you wait you can browse the selection of chocolates, biscuits, mochi and beautiful gift boxes on display.