Minamoto Kitchoan : Spend an afternoon in Japan...in Paris
East meets west with delicious success at Minamoto Kitchoan in central Paris. Tucked between a truffle specialist (the mushroom, not the chocolate) and a caviar boutique, this Japanese pastry shop and tea room offers a culinary adventure not two steps from the Madeleine. Prepare your taste buds for the unusual delights of red bean ice cream, delicate cherry blossom jellies, and green-tea cakes. While many of the pastries are direct descendants of the wagashi confectionery--traditional cakes served during the Japanese tea ceremony--others like the fukuwatashisenbei, or 'little waffle pause', fuse western flavors with Japanese precision. Try one and you'll find the novelty of wagashi hard to resist.
The origins of wagashi date back over two thousand years to when they were made from little more than fruit, berries and nuts, and reserved for religious purposes. Japanese confectionaries began to incorporate western ingredients, especially sugar, in the 14th century as trade developed with Spain and Portugal. The 1600s saw the expansion of wagashi use to tea ceremonies, afternoon snacks and gifts. The wagashi at Minamoto are essentially the same as their forbears, though each creation reflects a unique vision and the evolving ingenuity of Japanese confectionery.
(photo courtesy of Minamoto website)
The casual visitor to Minamoto discovers a tantalizing variety of exquisitely shaped and carefully packaged creations that test the imagination of the doggedly western palate. Buy a box of ayaichigo--thimble-shaped arrow-root jellies embracing a creamy strawberry center infused with Azuki beans--for home, or follow the short stone-lined walkway to the tea room and ask for a pot of genmai-cha with your afternoon snack. If the hint of toasted rice in this delicate green tea starts your tummy grumbling for something more substantial, order a bowl of udon noodle soup or an elegant salad. But whatever you do, save room for dessert. The 'Mountains of Minamoto' are ice cream wonders that will turn your world upside down. Yesterday, I regaled myself with the coupe glacée crousti-moelleuse du sésame noir, an impressive name for a sumptuous snack. Black sesame ice cream and red bean jam balanced atop a cushion of spongy biscuit and crispy wafer, the whole adorned with a generous crown of whipped cream and a sprinkling of dark sesame seeds. I threw out my conceptions of sweet and savory at the first spoonful. I never imagined beans and ice cream to be a winning pair, but the delicate sweetness of Azuki beans outdoes the often sickly-sweet strawberry sauce that ruins many an ice-cream sundae. If you're not feeling like a gourmand, have a warm bowl of creamy kinako matcha au lait, whipped green tea and milk. For more adventurous sippers, the milk-based Calpico is a lightly carbonated beverage infused with orange. Ingenuity aside, even a simple pot of tea is a pleasure at Minamoto where everything comes carefully arranged and no tea cup is without its bamboo coaster.
Minamoto is the perfect place for an afternoon pause. Settle yourself next to the window for a view of the courtyard and treat yourself to something out of the ordinary.
Minamoto Kitchoan
17 Place de la Madeleine
75008 Paris, M°Madeleine
01 40 06 91 28
www.kitchoan.com
