02 July,2023 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Nasrin Modak Siddiqi
Matcha Cake
At a celebrated US chain of coffeehouse, this writer is guilty of having nothing but green tea latte - hot or iced - because there's a dearth of good quality matcha teas in the city. So, when we heard of a new cloud kitchen in Bandra with a menu of all things matcha, we had to try it. We are told they import ceremonial grade matcha from Tokyo for an authentic kick - so off we went to check out their menu on a food delivery platform. No prize for guessing, there wasn't one item that didn't have matcha in it.
Our first worry was that it was travelling some distance and our experience with delivery boys has often been - for the lack of a better word - lousy. We even called the outlet to ask them to pack it well and they assured us there will be no spillage, because the drinks are foil sealed and sent. It took the order two hours to be delivered from a distance of nine kilometres. Lesson learnt: it's best to order directly from the outlet.
Matcha Cookie
For our Sunday brunch, we called for Tokyo matcha cake (Rs 310), matcha cream croissant (Rs 310), matcha white chocolate cookie (Rs 260), and matcha waffle with maple syrup (Rs 330) - all four lived up to our expectations. The cake, lightly dusted with matcha was reasonably moist; on par with some of the better matcha cakes we've had in the Far East. The croissant, our first with matcha filling, truly won our hearts. The creamy filling oozed right out when we warmed it up in the microwave, giving us a pool of matcha cream in which we dunked the flaky croissant and savoured the treat. Bet it would have tasted delicious even if we hadn't heated it. Waffles are usually tricky to make, but this one was done to perfection and it carried a mild bitterness of matcha, which was cut by the gentle drizzle of maple syrup.
The cookie had crumbled by the time we could get it out of the box, but the blend of white chocolate with matcha made it an irresistible pairing. All four of the dishes didn't have an overtly sharp taste of matcha, nor were they wretchedly sweet.
Matcha Latte
The drinks we ordered were matcha vanilla bean latte (Rs 335); tropical matcha (Rs 335), and salted caramel matcha (Rs 399). While the latte didn't disappoint entirely, we thought it was too milky. They do have options of oat milk, almond milk and cashew milk at an additional cost for all milk-based drinks. Ditto with the salted caramel matcha. Besides, you don't get any of the frappuccino fun of whipped cream swirls you see in the menu photos - it can't survive the Mumbai heat. The tropical matcha was average and more of an acquired taste, even for us. Will we order again? The desserts, yes, but for the drinks, we may want to trek to Bandra where we've heard that they serve a few items at Ritual Daily Coffee.
What: Tokyo Matcha Bar
At: Shop no.5, Kenwood CHS, Near, Zig Zag Road, Pali Hill
When: 7 am to 12.30 am
Call: 8108017036
Rating : Good
Tokyo Matcha Bar didn't know we ordered from them. Sunday Mid Day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
