A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but a “flower” that’s actually a crepe tastes a lot better.
Cakes and cookies tend to be pretty easy to decorate, since with all of their flat surface area, they’re sort of like edible canvases. Crepes, though, don’t really lend themselves as well to stylistic endeavors. Really, all you’ve got to work with is that tiny bit that sticks out from the top of the wrapper.
But in this case, that’s all the chefs need.
That may look like a wrapped camellia from the florist, but it’s actually a crepe. And while it’s pretty enough to be sold in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku, it’s actually offered at the cafe Chiccha na Crepe-ya (“The Little Crepe Cafe”), located at Sakari Station in Iwate Prefecture.
▼ Camellia crepe in the foreground, real camellias in the back
Like many rural communities in Japan, the town of Ofunato, where Sakari Station is located, takes pride in its local botanical beauty. As the city is known for its camellias, Chiccha na Crepe-ya celebrates the flowers’ blooming, which peaks in mid-March, by adding the camellia crepe to the menu when the flowers are showing their petals.
Unlike the cherry blossom ice cream we recently ate in Tokyo with its real sakura flowers mixed in, there aren’t any actual camellia petals inside the crepe. Instead, you’ll find the much more traditional ingredients of custard, whipped cream, and tangy sliced apples, with the fruit picked in nearby fields. Those who’ve been lucky enough to be passing through Sakari Station say it tastes fantastic.
The camellias only have a few more weeks to bloom, though, so whether you think you can bring yourself to eat this edible piece of art, or just want to gaze upon it, hop on the next train to Iwate.
Restaurant information
Chiccha na Crepe-ya / ちっちゃなクレープ屋
Address: Iwate-ken, Ofunato-shi, Sakarimachi-cho, 11-8
岩手県大船渡市盛町町11-8
Website
[ Read in Japanese ]