New Zealand x Japan : Seasonal Delicacies
2026/6/3
"Hojicha: Japanese Tea Flavour Beyond Matcha" Hojicha Blancmange, Chestnut Ice Cream, Sanshu Mikawa Mirin Sauce
Matcha has become one of the most widely recognised Japanese tea flavours around the world, but in recent years hojicha, a roasted Japanese green tea, has also been gaining attention for its distinctive aroma and gentle taste.
This dessert features a hojicha blancmange, served with chestnut ice cream and a clear mirin sauce. The sauce is made with Sanshu Mikawa mirin from Aichi Prefecture, brewed using traditional methods, adding gentle rice-derived sweetness and clarity.
The visual inspiration is rainy Auckland in late autumn : a single autumn leaf floating on rain-kissed water. The clear mirin sauce evokes rain droplets, while the delicate pumpkin and beetroot tuile represents an autumn leaf remaining at the end of the season.
Through this dish, the depth of hojicha as a Japanese tea flavour beyond matcha is expressed together with the seasonal sensibility of Japanese cuisine, in harmony with the atmosphere of Auckland.
This dessert features a hojicha blancmange, served with chestnut ice cream and a clear mirin sauce. The sauce is made with Sanshu Mikawa mirin from Aichi Prefecture, brewed using traditional methods, adding gentle rice-derived sweetness and clarity.
The visual inspiration is rainy Auckland in late autumn : a single autumn leaf floating on rain-kissed water. The clear mirin sauce evokes rain droplets, while the delicate pumpkin and beetroot tuile represents an autumn leaf remaining at the end of the season.
Through this dish, the depth of hojicha as a Japanese tea flavour beyond matcha is expressed together with the seasonal sensibility of Japanese cuisine, in harmony with the atmosphere of Auckland.
 |
 |