How much do I love matcha? A latte.
Judging by all the fanfare surrounding Tsujiri's first western Canada location, it seems like Edmontonians do too.
Established in Uji of Kyoto, Japan, Tsujiri is a globally recognized tea brand with a 155 year old history. During our short stay in Kyoto last May, we actually planned to visit Tsujiri there. In the end, we ended up settling for another matcha cafe that had a shorter wait. A year later, the stars must have aligned in my favour since I don't have to buy another plane ticket to finally try it out.
Tsujiri opened in mid-May, in the same 109 St. building that also houses Coco's, Chix Shack, and The Pint. Although I was excited for Tsujri to open, I ended up waiting a bit before trying it out, hoping the lines and hype would lessen somewhat. A month later, on a Sunday afternoon, the place was predictably busy, but the line definitely more manageable in terms of numbers.
Tsujiri is a sleek brand; although the teahouse is painted black, light wooden slats and feature walls help create a calm, serene environment (amidst the actual chaos). I would say one design flaw of the space is that the only menu is located on a wall in the middle of the store by the cash register. It's impossible to see if you're waiting further back, lest you risk losing your place in line to take a closer look. Until they help remedy that problem with posting another menu or having paper menus available, I recommend figuring out what you want to order before you visit. (There's probably a photo of the menu uploaded somewhere on the interweb.)
We reached the front of the line after five minutes or so. The staff at Tsujiri were super friendly and seemed well-trained. The girl working cash provided recommendations and was able to answer all the questions that people had. They were also apologetic about wait times, but I'm sure a little more time and experience would help iron out any efficiency kinks. As for space to dine in, it's quite limited. There's a bar counter with seven stools, four or five tables, and a hidden tatami room in the back for larger groups. It doesn't seem like people linger too long after finishing their drinks/desserts, as we were able to secure a table a couple minutes after receiving our order.
Since MH lives in Toronto, she was able to try Tsujiri before us plebeians. She ended up really liking her yuzu citron float with matcha soft serve ($6.75) and said it was her favourite item that she's had so far. I could see it being really refreshing on a hot day.
I decided to get one of their matcha parfaits. They have three different kinds, but the most popular (ie. the prettiest and most instagrammable) is the sakura parfait. I opted to get the matcha/vanilla mix which is $8.00. If you want only matcha soft serve, it's just slightly more expensive at $8.25.
Workers are careful and meticulous about presentation, so it takes a little bit of time to make. The sakura parfait starts with a layer of genmai, a Japanese brown rice cereal that had been roasted and puffed. It's a nice toasty and fragrant crunch when you finally reach the bottom of the cup. There's also a generous layer of red bean hiding in the middle, along with pieces of mochi, chestnut, and a pink shortbread cookie with an edible sakura baked onto it. The shortbread doesn't taste much like anything, but the bite with the sakura has a bit of a salty finish as the flower is pickled, salted, and dried. The real star of the show is the matcha soft serve! It has a strong matcha flavour but it's not overly bitter. If you're a matcha "beginner" as they call it, the vanilla definitely helps to balance and temper the flavour.
 |  |
Aside from drinks and parfaits, Tsujiri also has a variety of pastries/desserts available in a display case when you walk in. I originally wanted to try their yuzu tart but they weren't available at the time I went. They did have a matcha cake roll, matcha creampuff, and a matcha or kinkako daifuku.
I got a matcha creampuff ($3.00) to go which came boxed in sleek packaging. The creampuff is actually quite big, about palm-sized. It's filled to the brim with a matcha cream and dusted off with even more matcha powder. The matcha flavour is very strong and quite bitter in this, so don't expect the creampuff to be very sweet at all.
I'm super excited that Edmonton finally has a Tsujiri of its own, and I hear that Calgary should expect a location in the future as well! Tsujiri, I love you so matcha.
Tsujiri
10173 109 ST
Edmonton, AB
(780) 757-5525
0 comments:
Post a Comment