To make matters worse, it seemed like every meeting I attended I would be given a cup of very bitter green tea and a small confection with anko in it. It would have been rude of me to refuse, so I would shove it down as quickly as I could. Of course if I did it too fast, they would offer me another one! So it had to be timed just right. Too slow and I would gag.
Over time it became more palatable to me. While it still isn't my favorite, I certainly don't mind it. I often get it as part of dessert.
While wrapping up our big day in Ueno Park, we decided to go somewhere for dessert. I voted for a "traditional Japanese dessert" shop, not fully knowing what I was getting myself into. Many dessert restaurants in Japan are French pastries (cakes, tarts, and so forth) with Japanese flavors. Going traditional usually means forgoing the cake.
Mihashi first opened it's doors across the street from Ueno Park in 1948. It serves traditional Japanese desserts, including it's most popular item - chilled bowls of anko, agar (a natural gelatin), red beans, mochi, and sections of tangerines, covered in a sweet syrup.
There was a short line out the door to get a seat in the restaurant. I'm not surprised since it is so hot outside and all of the desserts are served chilled. In true Japanese style, we were left staring at plastic replicas of the food while we waited. My son kept changing his mind about what he wanted because the "samples" (as they are called) were so enticing.
The line moved quickly since there were 2 floors of seating available. Small parties of 2 and 1 were seated together, helping the line move even faster.
As soon as we were seated, they brought hot tea for the adults and water for my son. We had pretty much decided what we wanted based on the "samples," but perused the menu anyway, just to make sure. It's a good thing we did, otherwise my husband wouldn't have seen the seasonal special that he decided to order.
Our desserts came surprisingly fast. My son ordered apricot shaved ice. Tokyo style is served with the flavor in the bottom of the bowl with fluffy, soft shaved ice piled on top. A couple of semi dried apricots decorated the side of the bowl.
I ordered the traditional dessert of anko, agar, red beans, and mochi. I chose the version topped with soft serve and fruit.
My husband decided to try the hojicha (roasted green tea) flavor ice cream served with anko, agar, red beans, mochi, soft serve, and tangerine slices. The soft serve was an add-on, but gave a wonder added creaminess to the dessert. It reminded me of pouring a small amount of cream on top of my stepmother's berry cobbler in the summer. It is heavenly without, but the cream just takes it to another level of deliciousness.
We were all so pleased with our desserts. The hit the spot without being overwhelmingly sweet. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed mine nearly as much before I changed my mind about anko, but if that was the case, I would have happily eaten my son's shaved ice!
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