Tirol Chocolate Flavour #9: Kinako Nama Mochi

9. Kinako Nama Mochi (2018)

Most people know Japanese mochi as the soft, slightly gooey, but chewy rice cakes often used in Japanese sweets. Plain mochi is usually sold in stores as a hard block that becomes soft when heated in the microwave or over a grill. Nama mochi is mochi that has just been pounded and never allowed to dry. It has a very fluffy and soft texture compared to the chewy mochi.

One way that Japanese like to eat mochi is by dipping it in a mix of sugar and kinako powder. Kinako is soy beans that have been dried by roasting and turned into a fine powder. It's toasty, peanuty flavour goes well in many Japanese desserts, and even mixed with milk or yogurt. Tirol Chocolate has a flavour that mimics this mochi and kinako combo perfectly.

Flavours: toasty kinako, mochi rice, white chocolate

The filling has a soft mochi texture, as though it is freshly made mochi, it is slightly chewy and sticky. The outer layer of  sweet kinako chocolate goes well to bring out the rice flavor of the mochi, which seems to also be covered with some kinako powder. Overall, a comforting “wa” 和 (Japanese-style) flavour.

Gari-Gari Kun: A Tamagoyaki Egg Flavoured Popsicle?

Gari-Gari Kun is a popular popsicle in Japan. It's not like the usual popsicle that has the same icey consistency throughout, rather it's a combination of 2 favourite summertime sweets, ice cream and kakigori (crushed ice). Sounds like it would be a crunchy thing to chew on, but it actually is easy to bite into and melts in your mouth immediately like ice cream. The outer layer is a non-dairy ice cream, and the inside is all crushed ice. One of the most interesting things about Gari-Gari Kun is the flavours it comes up with. While they do have their best sellers which you will see in the stores during the summer months, the company comes out with limited time flavours that match the season.
One flavour that caught my eye this season is the tamagoyaki. If you're unfamiliar with that, think of the egg that comes as a sushi topping wrapped in seaweed, that sweet egg is tamagoyaki; an rolled egg omlette seasoned with a bit of soy sauce and sweetened with mirin.

So how was this egg-flavoured popsicle?

It was fairly sweet like a Kansai style tamagoyaki, the soy sauce bringing out the sweetness.  There were bits of egg actually in it that felt a bit chewy at first and then when all else melts, you have bits of egg that feel and taste like just that! Overall I'd say it was almost like a pudding made with plenty of eggs, but with the texture of crushed ice that melts as it hits the tongue. I guess it works!

Esseru Super Cup Chocolate Mint Craft Ice Cream

My chocolate mint flavoured ice cream craving continues...
This one I found at my local grocery store freezer section. I found this one to be a little less minty and a bit sweeter than the previously tried "Gisshiri Mint Chocolate". Even though the packaging says there are 1.5x the amount of chocolate in this ice cream, there seemed to be less chocolate compared to the "Gisshiri", but gave it the same crunchy texture.

Tirol Chocolate Flavour #8: Matcha Warabi Mochi

8. Matcha Warabi Mochi (2019)

This one is a true Japanese sweets flavour. Matcha, we all know is that green tea with a slightly bitter profile that goes so well in sweets, especially creamy ice cream and in milk teas. Warabi mochi may be a little lesser known. It's a soft, sticky dumpling similar to the rice mochi but instead of rice, it is made from the starch of the roots of the warabi plant (bracken fern). As such, instead of being pure white, it is clear and shiny after being heated and cooled.

Flavours: matcha, red bean paste

The matcha chocolate has a subtle sweetness, and a nice amount of bitter aftertaste. The jelly inside is unlike warabi mochi, firm, but after chewing it more, starts to have the stickiness and texture of real warabi mochi. The filling has the mild flavour of adzuki (red bean) paste, with the same amount of sweetness as the outer coating. The chocolate part also tastes like it might have red bean paste mixed in with it.

Solo Pizza Napoletana; The Best pizza in Nagoya

One of my favourite foods every since childhood has got to be pizza. What kid didn't enjoy pizza day at school? I got hooked on it early. Now that I'm in Japan, I can't just go into a Pizza Pizza and buy a large slice of pizza and a drink. There are some big world-wide chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza here, but you cannot buy a personal sized pizza. I am not partial to eating only thin crust, or certain toppings, I just like a good pizza! While I do enjoy the big chains and their Asian flavour toppings such as teriyaki chicken and mayonnaise or Korean kalbi, I think I have found the best pizza in Nagoya. It's a pizzeria called Solo Pizza Napoletana. From the name, you can tell they specialize in the thin crust of Napoli.

All their pizza have conventional toppings (no Asian flavours), some of them being a bit more gourmet style. I just had to try the Pulcinella, truffle sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella and roast ham . First of all the crust (which is the same base for every pizza here), it is just perfect; chewy, charred but not too burnt, with a good balance of salt and yeast. It's one crust you don't want to skip, it can be savoured even on it's own.

Next, the toppings. The porcini mushrooms were tender, and bursting with it's signature flavor. Thin slices of ham acted well as a good seasoning for the overall pizza. A few leaves of basil gave the pizza a nice accent. This was a tomato sauce-less pie, but the truffle oil and porcini juices were flavour enough!

For a side, I really do recommend the pickles as a flavour changer. Although they are a bit on the salty side (as pickles usually are), when you take a bite into the pizza again the truffle and porcini flavours are that much more enhanced! The pickling juice is not just vinegar and salt, there is a visible variety of herbs, I could taste the rosemary and perhaps oregano among them. The mix even had gobo (burdock root) in it, which I think is pretty rare.

Sitting outside on the patio is so refreshing and makes you feel as if you’re in a different world, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday Japan. Autumn is the best time because it’s not so hot and muggy! The pizza is good even when it cools down so you can take your sweet time eating it.
The pizza's are also reasonably priced. The one I ordered was ¥1320 (with the new 10% tax). but this was considered more of a specialty pizza. You can get a margherita the same size for half that! The pickles were ¥275 which had a ¥50 discount attached for buying it with a pizza (or with the receipt that shows you just bought a pizza).

Area: Dainagoya building 1F(on the east side, across the street from Nagoya Station) 大名古屋ビルディング1F
Restaurant: Solo Pizza Napoletana ソロピッツァナポレターナ
Website: https://solopizza.jp/
Hours: 11am-11:30pm (LO 11:15pm)

Fukurou: A Hidden Chic Old-fashioned Cafe in Nagoya

In the middle of a residential area, this cafe would be hard to stumble upon if you were exploring only the busy city life. From the outside, it looks almost like a modern Japanese restaurant with it's minimalist appearance. However when you walk inside, there is no mistake that this is a cafe. The interior is designed like an old-fashioned shop, but this in itself if what makes it chic this day in age.

The lunch menu is small, with only 4 types of sandwiches, but you can tell that the owner puts a lot of time into making them. I decided on the chicken teriyaki sandwich. When it was brought to my table, I was surprised to see how volumy it was (volumy is a word they use in Japan to describe a dish that looks like it will fill you up).

The sweet and savory sauce on the teriyaki chicken was subtle, unlike many teriyaki sandwiches you will find, especially those at convenience stores which are sometimes too overpowering. It was very juicy and because of subtle sauce, the flavour of chicken itself and the other ingredients were not lost. The egg salad layer was likewise seasoned mildly and was a good match for this sandwich. Although a warm sandwich, the lettuce stayed crispy. The bread was toasted just enough, and best of all had the crust left on giving a pleasant crunchy and buttery bite in the end. Thick slices of juicy, fresh tomato were refreshing and with the accompanying carrot salad made this a balanced meal. Butter and mayonnaise were the only spreads I could taste...simple is best. The carrots in the side salad were julienned so thinly it was easy to eat, and was topped with a caesar dressing.

I was here at noon and there weren’t any customers. I supposed because that is because this is mainly a coffee and sweets cafe and lunchtime isn't their busiest hour. The atmosphere is quiet and pleasant with its fairytale house decor and orchestral music playing over the speakers.

They also serve "morning", which means for the price of a drink you get a small plate of food. Her the plate consists of toast, fruit and a choice of either egg salad or yogurt. I made another visit one day to experience this breakfast menu. I ordered the banana juice and morning B, the one that comes with yogurt. I saw part of the drink being made; it’s more like a smoothie with ice cream. I have a feeling it’s not made with real banana since I didn’t find any pulp or banana bits in the drink. It was sweet with a mild taste of banana, not thick like a milkshake sometimes is. The yogurt was sour but the topping of blueberry jam balanced it out. I had asked for kokutou bread because I saw that other customers were ordering it. Kokutou is a type of brown suger. The bread was slightly sweet, toasting it brought out the molasses type flavour of the kokutou, and went well with the generous spread of butter. The plate also came with a package of red bean paste, which generally goes really well with buttered toast. I found the contents sweeter than a homemade version might be, but it still was a good accompaniment to the dense, moist and thick toast.

Area: about a 5-min walk north of Honjin Station 本陣駅 (Higashiyama Line 東山線)
Shop: Fukurou 梟
Map: https://tabelog.com/aichi/A2301/A230113/23035526/dtlmap/
Hours: 7:30am-4pm, closed Mondays and the 3rd Tues of the month

Tokugawaen: A Great Place to See the Fall Colours in the City

One great thing about fall in Japan besides the relief from the hot, muggy summer and the seasonal foods, are the momiji trees. The Japanese maple is beautiful in autumn when the leaves change to a vibrant red splash of colour. One activity that many Japanese do is take an outing just to enjoy this scene in the crisp outdoor air. Most well-known momiji viewing spots are located a little farther away from the big cities, in the mountains or countryside where there is vast land for trees to grow. However, inside Nagoya, there is a Japanese Garden that can give one a taste of autumn right in the city.

Tokugawaen was actually originally made in the 17th century, for private land. It only became open to the public in the 1940s. When December comes along, the garden, which usually closes late afternoon, is kept open until 8:30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for two weekends in order to let people see the momiji trees at night under lamps and laterns. This year, wanting to stay in the city, I decided to visit Tokugawaen for my annual momiji viewing. It seemed almost magical with lanterns lining the paths and brightly lit red and green leaves reflecting on the pond below. There aren't many skyscrapers surrounding this garden so it didn't even really feel like I was in the city.

Venue: Tokugawaen 徳川園
Where: a 10-25 minute walk from Ozone Station 大曾根駅 (Meijo Line 名城線), or hop on the city's sightseeing Meguru Bus which stops right at the entrance of the Garden
Website: https://www.tokugawaen.aichi.jp/english/
Admission Fee: 300 yen