I tell and show what desserts are served in a Moscow bar, where the chef is Japanese.
As a student, I was a big fan of Japanese anime cartoons. I watched a large number of them and dreamed of visiting Japan someday. Now I don't watch anime anymore, but my love for Japan remains.
Therefore, when I found out about a small karaoke bar IZUMI, where the chef is a Japanese, I immediately wanted to visit it. I was interested in this bar primarily because of the large dessert menu.
Japan is a country with a completely different culture and cuisine that is unusual for us. Most desserts can seem very odd. When I look at recipes for Japanese sweets, I want to repeat them. But in order to understand if I prepared it correctly, it is important to know what taste and texture the original dessert should have.
So I went to IZUMI and bought almost all the desserts that they have on the menu. The total amount was 2410 rubles for 8 positions. Fortunately, there is a 20% discount when buying takeaway, so it turned out to save a little. Let's show you what I bought.
Since there were a lot of photos, I collected them in galleries. Scroll to the side to see all photos.
For testing I took 8 positions, 4 of them are one dessert - Dango, just with different “toppings”.
Dango (Jap. 団 子) or odango (jap. お 団 子) - Japanese mochi balls, often put on a stick and often covered with anko paste, kinako flour, or fried. Wikipedia
Each portion cost me 250 rubles. I tried all the flavors at once, and it was a mistake. I didn't like Dango. Mochi balls are slimy when hot and hard when cold. They must be eaten immediately, otherwise it is impossible to chew.
Sweet red bean-based anka pasta with matcha tea and lingonberry are used as “toppings”. The strangest sauce is mitarashi. This is a boiled soy sauce with starch and sugar. It is salty and sweet at the same time. I keep trying.
Then I decided to try Dorojaki pancakes. In my opinion, this is the Japanese version of lush pancakes. Such pancakes are prepared with various fillings.
IZUMI serves three types of doroiki stuffed with adzaki (sweet red bean paste): classic, adzaki with matcha tea, and adzaki with lingonberry. I took a set of assorted dishes, which cost me 500 rubles.
In general, it is quite tasty, but I cannot call it something special. Pancakes are unusual only due to the fillings made on the basis of red beans. It's time to try further.
Now I'll try Castella's biscuit / muffin. I was already preparing my own version of the castella before I had time to taste the original, so it was interesting to taste it.
I liked the biscuit. The texture is closer to the cupcake, although not as dense. The taste is very pleasant and delicate. I liked Castella, I will definitely cook it at home myself, so as not to pay 250 rubles for a tiny portion.
Next, I decided to try raspberry rollcake. This type of roll is very popular in Japan. Outside is a delicate and airy sponge cake, and inside is a light cream of whipped cream.
I have a raspberry version. Although a small piece, I liked it the most. Even though it cost the most - 380 rubles for a small portion. It's time to show what I “left for dessert”.
The last one I tried was Japanese cotton cheesecake. The portion is tiny - only 110 grams. It looks like a cross between an airy sponge cake and a dense cheesecake. When I tasted a piece, I realized that the first impression was correct.
The cheesecake is incredibly airy, you want it more and more. Too bad the portion is so small. It's time to take stock.
As I wrote in the beginning, Japan is an unusual country with strange desserts. Dango and Dorayaki didn't impress me at all. But desserts, which are similar to the classic ones, are even nothing.
And I understand that I don't like dango because I am not used to that taste. Perhaps if I had grown up in Japan, I would have treated them differently. But I prefer European desserts. If I visit this bar again, I will definitely take either cheesecake or roll.
Have you tried Japanese desserts, did you like it?