Sakura season may be over in Tokyo, but we were still able to see some beautiful and sweet flowers bloom at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in Omotesando, Tokyo!
We’re no stranger to the bakery known for its scrumptious baked Cronuts, as we were there for the grand opening of their Omotesando store, and you may also recall that we reported last month on the bakery’s Cronut flavor for March, which happened to be Sakura Almond Ganache and Sakura Honey Jam with Slated Sugar.
Recently, though, we visited Dominique Ansel specifically for their drinks — a very special kind which involved blooming marshmallow flowers!
That’s right, when we heard that they were serving a special hot chocolate into which they would drop a piece of carefully cut marshmallow that would blossom into a flower right in the cup, we knew we absolutely had to try one ourselves.
We made our way to the bakery and up to the Petit Park Cafe on the second floor, where they were serving the special hot beverage.
The second floor cafe has a separate menu from the dine-in area on the first floor.
We of course ordered the “Chef’s Original Hot Chocolate” (780 yen [US$7.21]). And sure enough, we got treated to the lovely sight of a marshmallow flower blooming in the cup of hot chocolate to reveal a dark chocolate truffle hidden in the center!
The hot chocolate tasted divine, and we’re guessing the flavor was carefully calculated so that it wouldn’t be too sweet even with the marshmallow melting into the liquid.
Now, we were quite happy with the cup of hot chocolate, but we found out that they were also serving a special matcha latte with a blooming sakura marshmallow (700 yen) only for the weekend during which we happened to make our visit! Well, there was no way we were going to miss the chance to have such a rare and tempting drink, so we promptly ordered that as well.
And we certainly weren’t disappointed. The presentation of the pink sakura marshmallow in the deep green liquid was just stunning! Plus, this marshmallow came with a yellow yuzu citrus truffle inside, which added to the sense of luxury.
The matcha latte was mild and not sweet at all, which combined exceedingly well with the slightly sweet, sakura-flavored marshmallow. We enjoyed it so much, in fact, that we felt it was a pity that they were serving it only for one weekend. But then, we guess the sakura flowers in real life are like that as well — sweet, beautiful, and gone all too soon.
Fortunately, the hot chocolate with the white marshmallow flower is still available, but if you want to try the drink with the beautiful edible flower, make sure you go up to the cafe on the second floor, as the blooming marshmallow isn’t served at the dine-in area on the first.
Oh, and if you’re at the bakery, you may also want to check out these seasonal treats as well:
▼ The Cronut for April is the Okinawa Pineapple Jam and Milk Chocolate Ganache with Sour Plum Sugar. Sweet milk chocolate combined with the zest of pineapple … yum!
▼ The current seasonal double layered cream puff is the adorable “Pika Pika Religieuse“, made in the image of a young child just starting kindergarten. Japanese students begin their school year in April, and the expression “pika pika“, meaning bright and shiny, is often used to refer to children beginning their first year of kindergarten or grade school.
Whatever you decide to have, we hope you enjoy your sugar rush!
Shop Information
Dominique Ansel Bakery Tokyo/ドミニクアンセルベーカリートウキョウ
Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 5-7-14
東京都渋谷区神宮前 5−7−14
Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (9 a.m.-7 p.m. on select peak days; details available on website)
English website
Images © RocketNews24