Category: Nara

Sakura 吉野葛佐久良

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Sakura is a Yoshino Kuzu specialty store. The owner is the 6th generation of a kimono shop founded in 1873.

Various Kuzu confectionaries are sold at the front of the store with a sweet old lady behind the counter. At the cafe, you can savor handmade Kuzu desserts and tea while enjoying the view of the garden and relaxing in a serene and homey setting with soothing instrumental Japanese music playing in the background.

The waitress didn’t speak much English, but there was an English menu.

We ordered the Kuzumochi with kinako and kuramitsu (black sugar syrup) and Matcha with red bean kuzumochi.

The kuzumochi was soft and chewy, complemented beautifully with the kinako and syrup. The slightly bitter and earthly matcha was perfectly balanced with the red bean kuzumochi.

I will definitely revisit this cafe.

 

Sakura 吉野葛佐久良

Website: https://www.instagram.com/yoshinokuzusakura/ http://www.nizuka.com/yoshinokuzu.htm

Telephone: 0120-26-0887

Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. – 17:00 p.m., closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays

Address: 2 Takamikadocho, Nara, 630-8336, Japan

Shichifuku shokudo 七福食堂

Shichifuku Shokudo is a ten-minute walk from the Higashimuki shopping street. I found this gem on Google Maps while searching for a place to have lunch. The restaurant also has a website selling coffee beans and aprons.

This modest restaurant offers a healthy, affordable seasonal set menu at 1300 yen, along with some drinks and desserts.

I recommend making a reservation; you can email them at nanafuku.shokudo@gmail.com.

The staff was pleasant and friendly. The male waiter that served us spoke English and had a gentle demeanor.

The set menu consists of scrambled eggs with shirasu (Whitebait), pickled carrot salad with goji berries and orange, pork croquettes, seafood soup, and a soybean pudding-like dessert with sweet syrup and grapes. I also ordered a lemonade and panna cotta.

The ingredients were fresh and reminded me of a homecooked meal. The scrambled eggs with shirasu were a lovely pairing. The salad had a good combination of sweetness and tanginess. The seafood soup was gorgeous, light, hearty, and packed with umami. The croquettes were juicy and delicious. The soybean pudding was interesting. It had a subtle hint of soybean, and the texture was jello-like but softer. The syrup had the right amount of sweetness.

The lemonade was refreshing with a hint of rosemary. The panna cotta was creamy, rich with a custard-like texture and a coffee liqueur syrup.

Overall, I had a lovely delectable lunch.

Shichifuku shokudo 七福食堂

Website: https://www.instagram.com/shichifuku.shokudo/

Telephone: 070-1800-0789

Opening hours: Check the restaurant’s Instagram page for the latest opening hours

Address:19-19 Narukawacho, Nara, 630-8335, Japan