Have you ever noticed that anything to do green tea seem to be always more appealing? I never understood why. Perhaps it's because of its Japanese roots? or the fact that it's less sweet and thus, more healthy? There's no universal answer, but the newly opened dessert place at the corner of Causeway Bay, Via Tokyo, offers an answer to all the green tea lovers in the city. It is definitely not your typical Japanese dessert place as it only specializes in "Matcha" (green tea) flavoured dishes, ranging from green tea latte to green tea ice cream. Wary of its constant long line-ups, we and our friend Jen arrived on a Saturday morning (thanks to its early opening hour at 9:30 a.m.) and was happy to see that there were no one at the place, yet.
Although Via Tokyo is not a big place itself, with only a few seats available, it effortlessly oozes a stylish, casual and monochrome tone of a Japanese cafe. The service was friendly and heartwarming. The female staff recommended and explained different dishes to us patiently with a perpetual smile on her face. The menu was reasonably priced at $50 to $100 per person and the portion was surprisingly generous that you would definitely be full afterwards.
(1) C ordered the Shiratama Azuki Matcha Soft Cream ($45) was visually stunning. It tasted alright at first bite, but it instantly began to grow on us at each bite. The taste of "matcha" and the airy and ultra-smooth texture of soft ice cream blended together perfectly for a refreshing and playful sensation. The sides were also accomplished: "shiratama", a small sweet rice dumpling, and "azuki", a red bean paste, complemented the dessert while adding pleasing and delicate touches.
(2) Jen went for the Fruit Matcha Soft Cream Shiratama Anmitau ($50) which was a colourful dish with many freshly cut fruits including kiwi, strawberry and mango. The anmitau, a kind of small white translucent jelly, were placed at the bottom of the dish, and the combination made Jen, a Japanese-lover from Canada, squeal in joy! The flavours of the whole dish were incredibly balanced and yet not randomly put together, which was what made it so marvelous.
Overall remarks: Via Tokyo succeeds with precision and detail, evinced not only in its close-to-authentic flavours but also in its stylish and petite decorum. It has quickly won the hearts of many sweet-lovers in the city with almost everybody's favourite Japanese matcha green tea dessert, and even the non-green tea lovers might just fall in love with such an alluring taste as well!
Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
INFO
Via Tokyo
Shop nos. 1A-1B, G/F., Leishun Court, 106-126 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣禮頓道106-126號禮信大廈地下1A-1B號舖
Telephone: 2895 1116
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