matcha green tea | cheriecity.co.uk

Cafes, London

Tombo Japanese Cafe in Soho, London

August 9, 2016 by cheriecity

My love of matcha is well-documented and I can’t help raving about a place when it does matcha really well. Add to that hot new Hawaiian poké food trend and it’s a match made in heaven (please forgive the terrible pun).

Tombo Poké & Matcha Bar in Soho opened in June and it’s already a popular and lively spot. The two-floor cafe is bright and uplifting with super-friendly staff and decent air-con – perfect for a relaxing refuel in the heart of the city.

Tombo’s original cafe and matcha bar in South Kensington has a larger offering of sushi, Japanese tapas, donburi and bento boxes, but the Soho branch’s streamlined concept is more unique and works well in the area.

The menu is simple with just six signature poké – deconstructed sushi bowls – however you can also build your own to suit your taste. For all bowls, there’s also a choice for a base of black and white rice, courgette noodles or a mix of both.

We both started with a large glass of Matcha lemonade (£3.50), which was potent, zesty, slightly aromatic and very refreshing. Matcha is my rocket fuel, as I love the calm and focused buzz that it gives, as well as its excellent health benefits.

The regular sized poké looked absolutely enormous, so we opted for the small size with black and white rice, to leave room for dessert. I chose the Teriyaki chicken Poké (£4.50) – Teriyaki chicken, teriyaki sauce, spring onion, sesame seeds.

The generous amount of succulent grilled chicken thigh was served atop exemplary sushi rice (the ideal balance of sticky yet firm with subtle seasoning) and finished with thinly-sliced spring onion, just the right amount of teriyaki sauce and a sprinkling of white sesame seeds. It was also served with a little extra teriyaki sauce on the side for a bolder flavour.

Steven tried the Classic salmon poké (£4.95) – Salmon, classic sauce, edamame, white onion, sesame seeds, nori. The chilled raw salmon had a silky texture and simply melted in the mouth. It was coated in a very light sesame oil sauce and went perfectly with the accompanying fresh edamame, onion, sesame seeds and nori.

It was difficult to choose between the tempting desserts, but obviously they both just had to be with matcha. The matcha soft serve caught by eye but I ended up going for the more elaborate Monaka (£3.90).

Velvety matcha soft serve was sandwiched in a crisp irridescent wafer shell and finished with a dollop of adzuki bean paste, bite-size matcha brownies, yuzu zest and a dusting of matcha powder.

Matcha Gateau had a lovely vanilla matcha flavour and was both light and moist – like a cross between chiffon cake and a fondant, if that’s even possible. Other delectable desserts include Matcha tart, Matcha sundae, Matcha dorayaki, Matcha brownie, Matcha white chocolate and Sakura mochi.

For a healthy, nourishing meal served with a green tea buzz, head to Tombo. I can’t wait to work my way through the menu and fuel my matcha addiction.

Photos by Chérie City (interiors by Tombo)

Chérie City was a guest of Tombo

London, Restaurants

Authentic Ramen at Kanada-Ya in Haymarket

December 30, 2015 by cheriecity

Kanada-Ya made a big impact when it launched on St Giles High Street last year and it has remained my preferred London ramen bar since. It hasn’t always been easy to grab a walk-in seat due to its popularity and petite size, but thankfully, Kanada-Ya has met demand and earlier this month opened a second ramen bar on Panton Street, just off Haymarket.

Kanada Kazuhiro’s new ramen bar is thankfully larger and set across two floors, with two bookable tables for groups of 5-7 as well as the usual walk-in tables and counter. Designed by Spaced Out Ltd, Kanada-Ya Haymarket has a casual, minimal feel with simple light wood furniture and red accents. It’s comfortable enough, but is definitely the kind of place for a quick and tasty refuel, rather than lounging over drinks.

The menu has also been modestly expanded to include two more side dishes and Japanese ice cream for dessert. The focus remains on the ramen, which is quickly served up piping hot in large bowls with a number of extras, so you can customise it to your own taste.

We visited on Monday evening just before Christmas and arrived to find an orderly queue forming outside. It didn’t take long to be seated and we started by ordering iced Oolong tea – a lovely, refreshing drink in a can without any added sugar. For something stronger, Kanada-Ya serves a good range of bottled cocktails, Japanese craft beer, rare Japanese whiskies and wine selection.

I was excited to try Kanada-Ya’s spin on one of my favourite Japanese bites – Chicken Kara-age. The tender chicken thigh was well-marinated in ginger, garlic and soy and fried with a little more batter than I’m used to, but still delicious and satisfying. It was not at all greasy nor in any way spicy but the seasoning certainly packed a punch. There’s also a side of Paolo’s Spicy Kale to choose from, if you’re after something healthier.

To follow, Steven went for the Original Ramen, which made such an impression on us the first time we visited Kanada-Ya St. Giles. It was exactly how we remembered, with a rich, creamy 18-hour pork bone broth, plenty of springy, hand-pulled noodles, earthy wood ear fungus, finely-sliced spring onion and a large sheet of flavoursome nori.

Of course, the star of the show was the chashu pork belly with a deep honey barbecue flavour and a silky, melt-in-the-mouth texture. This house-marinated pork really is rather special and sets Kanada-Ya apart from other from rest.

I wanted to try something new and happily, the Chashu-Men was just as tasty and comforting as I’d hoped. The ramen base was exactly the same as the original, but the bowl was lined with generous slices of succulent chashu pork collar. The slices of pork were larger and leaner, with hardly any fat at all, and the portion size was almost double. The pork collar still had that sweet chashu flavour, but it was much more subtle than the intense pork belly in the Original Ramen. Both types of pork are absolutely delicious, it just depends on your mood and hunger levels.

It’s essential that you save some room for the dreamy Matcha Soft Serve. The smooth, not overly sweet whipped ice cream was packed full of matcha green tea, giving it a bold flavour without any bitterness. It’s the perfect light dessert to cool down after a bowl of hot ramen and leave you with a bit of a matcha high.

There are still so many ramen bars to work my way through in London and beyond, but Kanada-Ya has set a standard that will be hard to beat (although I’m up for the challenge). If you’re in the mood for a ramen fix, or want to see what all the fuss is about, Kanada-Ya is where you need to be.

For more information, visit: www.kanada-ya.com

Chérie City was a guest of Kanada-Ya Haymarket

Photos by Chérie City and Kanada-Ya Haymarket

London, Restaurants

Tonkotsu Noodles at Shoryu Ramen London

December 26, 2012 by cheriecity

The Japanese ramen trend has truly taken off in London (via New York) and we are now spoilt for choice, with a number of ramen joints popping up across town within just a few months. One of the most talked-about places for authentic ramen is Shoryu Ramen, a stylish yet casual tonkotsu noodle bar just a few steps away from the Japan Centre on Regent Street.

Earlier in the summer, I visited the Japan Centre for tonkotsu ramen and the manager Nari, who also oversees Shoryu, told me that it was the next big food trend to hit London. Boy, was he right about the ramen invasion and cleverly the Japan Centre was there to meet demand with Shoryu.

Judging by the frequent queues and high number of Japanese guests, Shoryu has already become a big hit. Ramen varies between regions in Japan and Shoryu specialises in Hakata ramen, expertly made by Fukuokan-born Head Chef Kanji Furukawa.

The restaurant is petite and has a walk-in only policy so there’s a good chance you’ll have to queue at peak times. Whenever a guest walks in, all of the staff shout ‘Irasshaimase!’ – an honored tradition of welcoming customers. The design of the restaurant is contemporary, bright and unfussy and tables are squeezed quite closely together.

We began with Edamame with hakata yuzu and British sea salt (£3.50) to snack on. The steamed edamame pods were infused with fragrant, citrusy yuzu and very fine salt, served cold. The large beans were plump and full of flavour – edamame perfection!

The Matcha Orange Smoothie (£2.90) wasn’t quite what I was expecting. On a positive note, it was filled with lots of detoxing matcha powder, but it was unfortunately very bitter, possibly made with concentrated orange juice instead of freshly squeezed and had the thin texture of a juice – not really a smoothie at all. Steven fared better with a simple Diet Coke (£1.50), although notably they also serve Chegworth Valley Apple Juice, Gekkeikan sake and Asahi beer.

We’re both gyoza fiends and could easily wolf down dozens of those little parcels, but spotting the size of the ramen bowls leaving the kitchen, we shared just one portion of Gyoza Dumplings (£5 for 6). They were quite possibly the best gyoza I’ve ever had – thin steamed skins lightly fried on each side and filled generously with beautifully-seasoned pan fried pork, vegetables and herbs.

The six gyoza dumplings were served piping hot and came with a delicious soy vinegar dipping sauce. Gyoza dumplings must be one of Shoryu’s most popular starters, as almost every table ordered a plate of them, and rightly so.

I love miso-based soups, so I chose the Shoryu Tonkotsu (£8.50) – tonkotsu pork broth with miso, bbq pork, nitamago, kikurage, red ginger, nori, bean sprouts, spring onion, sesame. The bowl was enormous and filled with meticulously placed fresh ingredients ready to be mixed into the mild, creamy and not overly oily tonkotsu broth.

The bbq pork is already cooked and sliced, so it lacks somewhat in tenderness, but it’s hearty, lean and goes well with the ramen. My dish had around four medium slices, so there is a reasonable amount without the pork being the main feature. The plentiful hosamem noodles at the bottom of the dish are thin, springy and hold their own in the broth (thankfully not over-cooked). The nitamago egg, boiled and marinated in a soy sauce mixture, was an authentic addition and added richness to the ramen.

Steven was slightly more adventurous and went for the Piri Piri Tonkotsu (£9.90) spicy tonkotsu pork broth with miso, bbq pork, nitamago, kikurage, red ginger, nori, bean sprouts, spring onion, sesame. This fiery bowl of ramen had a serious kick to it, with spicy seasoning in the broth and slices of super hot piri piri chili. This is definitely one to order to blast away winter colds!

The ramen was so filling and warming, but there’s always room for dessert, especially if they are bright green! We were told that the desserts are made by a very good local Japanese bakery and all contain matcha. I went for the Matcha Sponge Cake (£4.50), which included layers of deliciously vanilla cream, a centre of sweet plum jam and a generous dusting of matcha powder.

Steven’s Matcha Cheese Cake (£4.50) had an intense matcha flavour and the biscuit base was crumbly and heavenly. To finish the meal, we were advised to try Hoji Cha (£2) – a roasted green tea that is almost caffeine-free. It had a subtle, nutty flavour and was very easy to drink. The manager told us that they use the finest quality Hoji Cha and import it straight from Japan. I later found this particular type of Hoji Cha in the Japan Centre and it really is the very best you can find.

Shoryu is the perfect place for hearty, authentic Hakata ramen and is very reasonably priced, considering the generous portion sizes and high quality of the food. They tempted us with some dishes that were ‘coming soon’ on the menu, including my favourite Chicken Kara Age, so I will definitely be back as their menu expands.

Best of all, if you feel inspired to recreate the dishes at home, Japan Centre is just across the road. We were sold on the health benefits of Hoji Cha and matcha, so we picked some up on the way home, as well as some adorable little chocolate mochi and a matcha brownie for the next day. A delicious dinner with a bit of shopping afterwards – what could be better!

Chérie City was a guest of Shoryu

Photos by Chérie City and Shoryu

Afternoon tea, Bars, Cafes, London, Restaurants

Afternoon tea at Yauatcha

October 11, 2009 by cheriecity

Earlier this week, the lovely Sheena Appadoo from Aramis invited me for afternoon tea at Yauatcha. Sheena keeps me in delightful scents and replaced my summer daily staple of DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom with the richer, Autumnal DKNY Women limited edition scent in gold and bright purple – I’m addicted already!

Back to Yauatcha, I’d already tried the macaroons from their patisserie and my favourite is the champagne flavour embellished with goldleaf, but I was excited to sample ‘the full works’ in the tea room.

Yauatcha

The michelin starred dim sum restaurant and tea house, created by Alan Yau (he who launched Wagamama and Hakkasan) looks more like a boutique from the outside and is an oasis of calm with low seating, blossom-embroidered banquettes and blue-tinted facades half concealing the kitchen.

There are three types of afternoon tea available and we ordered the Oriental Afternoon Tea for one (£24.50) to share, which comes with a selection of dim sum instead of sandwiches. I chose a pot of Darjeeling First Flush from a huge range of teas including blue, green, black and white tea.

The dim sum selection included a baked venison puff, char sui bun and scallop siu mai – the former two were tasty but unusually sweet. I’m always more excited about the cakes and they didn’t disappoint! There was a layer of sweet sandwiches – a bright pink rasberry and lychee jelly filling packed between layers of fine sponge and one with vanilla sponge and bitter chocolate ganache.

Yauatcha

The top layer resembled a mini version of the patisserie counter and included a rich chocolate macaroon, a lemon and cola tartlet, chocolate chip marshmallow, chocolate financier, a piece of shortbread and a shot of apple and kiwi mousse.

Just as I had worked my way through the sugary layers, then came two mountainous scones (one Matcha green tea flavoured and one plain) with a tray full of oriental jams and mascarpone cream – I was defeated! From other reviews, I’ve discovered that had we managed to wolf these down too, there were still flavoured marshmallows, mini chocolate slabs and truffles to come!

The service was unobtrusive and we were served at a steady pace, although this should be the case, as we went on a quiet weekday afternoon.

Yauatcha

The only criticism is that they won’t box up the left items to take away, due to ‘health and safety’. At many afternoon tea establishments like Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley, they package up what you can’t eat for you to munch on at home. It’s no biggie though, just take a paper napkin with you and drop a scone or two into your handbag, in case you get peckish on the bus.

You can of course go to Yauatcha for a simple pot of tea and a cake from the patisserie, but the Oriental Afternoon Tea is perfect for sampling a little bit of everything in exquisite surroundings and believe me, it’s more than worth it!

Yauatcha, 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho, London W1F 0DL