Putting green tea in everything has become a sudden craze over the past year or two, with those ‘green tea ice-blended’ drink stalls cropping up on every street corner, matcha-infused desserts appearing on every café menu, and a restaurant won’t be considered legit without one or two green tea items in its repertoire. The demand for green tea-anything has been steadily rising over time, and everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon to put out their own twists on this Japanese favourite. This mostly applies to desserts, because matcha flavor just goes so well with most sweet treats, it’s made tons of people fall in love with the bright green leaves. Read on to find out which 10 delicious green tea desserts you must try if you’re a fan of matcha.
Green tea crème brulee, Mei by Fat Spoon
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This fusion of French and Japanese cuisine works oh-so-well on the tongue, with the matcha flavor of the crème brulee shining through the rich, creamy custard, and the crisp burnt sugar on top caramelised to perfection. This dish is served with a scoop of black sesame ice cream, an excellent accompaniment to this pudding that will satisfy every lover of Japanese flavours in their desserts.
Pork-free
Address: Mei By Fat Spoon, 22G, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-10pm, Tues-Sun
Tel: +603-2300 3327
Website: http://facebook.com/meibyfatspoon
Green tea cream puff, Beard Papa’s
Yes, the classic Beard Papa’s cream puffs do come filled with green tea cream, if you didn’t know that already. Matcha powder is mixed into their signature, silky-smooth vanilla cream to come up with this bright green concoction, which is then stuffed to bursting in their crispy choux pastry shells. Make sure you have some napkins handy because we all know how messy eating Beard Papa’s can be!
Available at several outlets nationwide.
Halal
Address: LG007, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.
Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +603-2282 4043
Website: www.beardpapa.com.my
Green tea not-waffles, Square Q Café
You might be confused on what I mean by ‘not-waffles’. Well, Square Q Café specializes in what appears to be your run-of-the-mill Belgian waffles, but they’re actually made of glutinous rice flour and milk, so they end up being more similar to Japanese mochi than your usual fluffy waffles. Yes, I know that might be confusing, but the chewy texture is actually pretty good. These mochi-waffles come in various flavours, but their green tea one provides just enough matcha flavour to compliment the fruit and cream toppings, making it a superb dish to try if you’re feeling like trying something new!
Pork-free
Address: Square Q Cafe: I’m Not Waffle, 11, Jalan Solaris 3, Solaris Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-11pm on Mon-Thurs, 11am-midnight on Fri, 10.30am-midnight on Sat, 10.30am-11pm on Sun. Closed on Tuesdays.
Tel: +603-6206 4828
Website: http://facebook.com/MySquareQ
Green tea lava cake, Okonomi
Lava cake has become all the rage recently, so it would only be fitting to combine these two food trends together to create the ultimate indulgent treat: green tea lava cake. The one served at Okonomi doesn’t disappoint, the light and fluffy cake bursting open to reveal the oozy, molten core within. Served with vanilla ice cream and matcha chocolate, this is a must-try for all you matcha fans out there!
Halal
Address: Okonomi, A4-G2-02 Solaris, Dutamas, No.1 Jalan Dutamas, Publika, 50480 KL.
Hours: 10am – 11pm Daily.
Website: http://facebook.com/okonomifoods
Green tea water cake ice cream, Ichiban Boshi
I’m sure you’ve seen the so-called ‘water cakes’ floating around social media; transparent, pristine, water drop-shaped ‘cakes’ that have blown up in America. We all know that that’s just glorified agar-agar and nothing special to us Malaysians, but this dessert is. A green tea-infused water cake is topped with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, colourful rice balls, and crushed peanuts, and the end result is delicious. The different textures of the dish become harmonious once in the mouth, and the pretty presentation and colours don’t hurt to look at either. Definitely give this a try if you’re into these kinds of desserts!
Pork-free
Address: Lot 1.14 Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11am-10pm daily
Tel: +603-2141 6621
Website: www.ichibanboshi.com.my
Green tea parfaits, Nana’s Green Tea
Nana’s is famous for their green tea dishes (as obvious by the name), and their towering mountains of parfaits are one of their main attractions that reel people in to have a taste. One of their most popular parfaits is the Matcha Nama Chocolate Parfait, a masterpiece of a green tea kanten jelly base, vanilla ice cream, cornflakes, matcha ice cream, red bean paste, matcha syrup, and topped with a swirl of whipped cream. It’s as much a visual delight as it is to your tastebuds!
Available at several outlets nationwide.
Pork-free
Address: Lot 231A, Lower Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +603-2386 6036
Website: www.nanasgreentea.com.my
Green tea soufflé, Franco
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Soufflé is quite hard to come by here in KL, but Franco’s version is exquisitely executed, and with a green tea flavor to boot! The perfectly crisp sugary crust will rise tall, then deflate gracefully, and a nudge from your spoon will reveal the fluffy, creamy green interior. Its sweetness is balanced just right, not too sweet or too bland. Many have raved about their soufflés and it’s not hard to see why!
Available at several outlets nationwide.
Pork-free
Address: G-11, Avenue K, 156 Jalan Ampang, 50450, KL
Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +603-2181 2808
Website: http://facebook.com/FrancoMalaysia
Green tea mille crepe cake, Arthur’s Hokkaido Mille Crepe Cake
These painstakingly made cakes are created out of alternating layers of thin crepes and cream, sometimes going up to 25 layers per cake. The end result is a soft, velvety cake that holds its shape when cut through and tastes wonderful. Arthur’s is no exception, and their green tea cake seems to beckon to you with it’s bright green powder topping and layers filled with chunks of red bean. Try this out if you’re feeling adventurous about your cakes, you won’t regret it!
Pork-free
Address: P6.38.00, Level 6, Pavilion KL, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, City Center, Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +6010-366 8824
Green tea soft serve ice cream, Tsujiri
The newly-opened Japanese dessert franchise specializes in their signature O-matcha soft serve ice cream, full of creamy, green tea goodness. The bright green confection can be served on a waffle cone, in a cup, or in myriad other ways, like in parfaits, floats, even on their shaved ice! This is the perfect remedy to cool down from our hot Malaysian weather.
Pork-free
Address: 58,Damansara Uptown,Jalan SS 21/58, Damasara Utama, 47400 Selangor.
Hours: 1pm-11pm on Mon-Thurs; 1pm-midnight on Fri & Sat, 12pm-11pm on Sun.
Tel: +603-7733 5541
Website: www.tsujiri.my
Green tea tiramisu, Tokyo Pastry
This adorably-styled café in Avenue K serves up a mean green tea tiramisu cake that will have you wanting so much more. Perfectly shaped in a cube, the Matchamisu consists of sheets of green tea chiffon cake sandwiched between thick layers of light mascarpone cream, with bits of coffee-soaked cake mixed in. This is definitely an interesting twist on the ever-popular tiramisu cakes that you should try out!
Halal
Address: M-20 & SAC-M-1, Mezzanine Level, Avenue K, 156, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hours: 10am-10pm daily
Tel: +603-2181 7660
Website: www.tokyopastry.com
If you’re a fan of green tea, have you ever tried any of these desserts? What did you think? Let others know in the comments section!
