If there’s one food trend that has never died down, it is Japanese Green Tea – Matcha. In every cafe, you’re 90% likely to see a Matcha Latte or a Matcha-infused dessert somewhere on the menu. However, we would like to introduce you to Matcha’s just-as-delicious but less-talked-about counterpart – Hojicha.

Hojicha is kind of roasted green tea that carries a strong toasty, smoky flavour that is super delicious and earthy. It’s a unique flavour that you won’t forget once you try it! So here’s a list of the best Hojicha desserts in Singapore that will get you hooked onto this underrated flavour.

108 MATCHA SARO – HOJICHA MINI PARFAIT

The Hojicha Mini Parfait is our favourite dessert from 108 Matcha Saro! The dessert comes with a swirl of Hojicha soft-serve, a scoop of sweet red bean paste, chewy mochi balls and a generous drizzle of syrup. The toppings paired impeccably with the flavourful soft-serve – especially the mochi balls!

108 Matcha Saro
5 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City, #B1-K5
Singapore 038985
Tel: +65 6259 4704
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: City Hall/Esplanade

Photo Credit: Creme Maison

CREME MAISON BAKERY – HOJICHA HAZELNUT PRALINE

First on our list is from one of the best cake shops in Singapore, Creme Maison Bakery. If you’re a fan of hojicha and really want a nice fluffy cake to sink your teeth into, their Hojicha Hazelnut Praline cake is the perfect dessert.

The earthy hojicha-infused brown sugar sponge is layered with sweet hazelnut praline and topped off with more hazelnuts; a real sweet treat!

Creme Maison Bakery
30 Tai Seng Street #08-03B
Singapore 534013
Tel: +65 8181 3689
Nearest Station: Tai Seng

DOPA DOPA CREAMERY – HOJICHA ICE CREAM

Located in the heart of the CBD, Dopa Dopa has made many fall for their silky smooth gelato. It’s hard to miss with their bright yellow interior and decor. One of their best flavours would definitely be their smoky Hojicha. It packs a huge punch of flavour without being grainy or too overpowering.

Dopa Dopa Creamery
29 South Bridge Road, #01-01
Singapore 058665
Tel: +65 6535 3539
Mon to Thu, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

HVALA – HOJICHA CAKE

Hvala’s Hojicha Cake features a light and airy Hojicha-infused sponge, layered with fresh cream, adzuki beans and a generous drizzle of thick Hojicha sauce. We loved how the smoky aroma of Hojicha was amplified by the bitter Hojicha sauce and the adzuki beans speckled through the layers gave a nice textural contrast to the cake!

This is the cake you can pass the time with, with a book in hand and a matcha latte to sip on.

Hvala
111 Somerset Road
TripleOne Somerset
Singapore 238164
Daily: 11.30am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

Photo Credit: Instagram

KATASUMI KOOHII – HOJICHA CHIFFON

Hidden in Bukit Pasoh is a Katasumi Koohii, a Japanese-inspired book cafe serving up fresh bakes and cakes. One of which is a cloud-like Hojicha chiffon perfumed with the fragrant roasted tea. It’s also topped with a fluffy hojicha whipped cream to enhance the flavour!

The cafe is so cosy that you can spend hours with just a cake and cuppa, forgetting about the world for just a moment.

Katasumi Koohii
25 Bukit Pasoh Road
Singapore 089839
Mon, Wed to Sat: 12pm – 8pm
Sun: 12pm – 6pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)
Nearest Station: Outram Park

MIAM MIAM – HOJICHA PANCAKE

Miam Miam is known for their delicious fusion-style pasta and mains but not many know that they have just-as-splendid desserts on their menu as well! One of their desserts happen to be a Hojicha Pancake, consisting of a fluffy pancake, Hojicha whipped cream, azuki beans, mochi and brown sugar syrup.

The fluffy pancake absorbs the thick syrup, making it ultra decadent. Paired with the hojicha cream, red beans and chewy mochi, it’s a great Japanese fusion dessert that you’ll definitely enjoy.

200 Victoria Street
#02-14 Bugis Junction
Singapore 188021
Mon to Thu: 11.30am – 10pm
Fri: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Sat: 11am – 10.30pm
Sun: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

3 Gateway Drive
#01-21/22 Westgate
Singapore 608532
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Jurong East

NANA’S GREEN TEA – HOJICHA PARFAIT

What’s better than a scoop of hojicha ice cream? A scoop of hojicha ice cream with mochi balls, tea jelly, whipped cream, hojicha paste and cereal crumble! That’s everything in Nana Green Tea’s Hojicha Parfait. It’s intricately layered to give you maximum satisfaction so if you’re a big hojicha lover, you absolutely have to put it on your list of “must-eats”!

The Atrium @ Orchard, Plaza Singapura
60B Orchard Road
#03-80/82
Singapore 238891
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Dhoby Ghaut

SUGAR THIEVES – HOJICHA CROISSANT

With their ever-changing croissant line-up, Sugar Thieves keeps their fans constantly on edge for their new releases. One of our favourites has to be their Hojicha Croissant – a buttery, flaky pastry filled generously with thick, luscious hojicha-infused cream. It’s then dusted with more hojicha powder on top, making it a roasted-tea flavour bomb!

Sugar Thieves
Blk 333, #01-23
Kreta Ayer Rd
Singapore 080333
Tel: +65 9850 4377
Wed to Sat: 12pm – 6pm
(Closed Sun – Tue)
Nearest Station: Outram Park

TSUJIRI – HOJICHA ROLL CAKE

This fluffy, cloud-like cake was packed with so much hojicha flavour, you couldn’t imagine it until you try! Seemingly simple, this roll cake is anything but. The delicious roasted aroma of hojicha is contrasted by the whipped cream and sweet azuki beans it’s served with. Tsujiri is one of Singapore’s “OG”, most well-loved, matcha cafes and when you taste their desserts, you’ll know why.

176 Orchard Road
The Centrepoint, #01-101
Singapore 238843
Daily: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

TWENTY GRAMMES – HOJICHA SOFTSERVE ON WAFFLE

Launched for their 2nd anniversary and remaining as a popular menu item, Twenty Gramme’s Hojicha Softserve on Waffle is a must-try Hojicha dessert. The soft serve sits nicely in a cup with bite-sized waffle pieces, and is decorated with beautiful lavender-coloured edible flowers.

We loved the taste of the Hojicha soft-serve and waffle bits. Intense roasted flavours were present but not overpowering; just the way we like it!

Twenty Grammes
753 North Bridge Road
#01-01
Singapore 198721
Tel: +65 6717 1733
Mon to Thu, Sun: 12pm – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 1am
Nearest Station: Bugis

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you would have heard about the hype over Mentaiko. It is a Japanese delicacy where Pollock roe is marinated to form this beautiful orange or sometimes pinkish sauce-like texture.

Mentaiko’s unique salty and spicy taste and its soft, jelly-like texture make plain food outstanding. It is usually used as toppings for sushi, but it can also be eaten on its own. In recent years, mentaiko dishes have been gaining popularity quickly and many restaurants have harnessed the umami-rich nature that is this Japanese ingredient into their dishes.

If you have not tried this wonderful dish, then you really ought to. Here is a list of 7 stunningly good Mentaiko Dishes that you can find in Singapore.

DONYA JAPANESE CUISINE

Nestled in the corner of Blk 126 Toa Payoh Lorong 1’s coffee shop, Donya Japanese Cuisine was opened with the idea of bringing premium Japanese rice bowls to people in the neighbourhood. A casual and simple place to grab some quality Japanese eats, Donya Japanese Cuisine focuses on donburi with prices starting from a mere S$5.80.

This place serves a few mentaiko dishes like Salmon Mentai Don (S$8.80) and Mentai Maki (S$5.80), which are the chef’s recommendation. Drizzled with a generous amount of torched Mentaiko sauce, every mouth of the Mentai Maki was bursting with flavour. For the price of only S$5.80, this wonderful dish is really worth it.

Donya Japanese Cuisine
Toa Payoh Lorong 1
Blk 126 #01-577 Stall 1
Singapore 310126
Tel: +65 8866 2126
*Daily: 11 am – 2.30pm
5pm – 8.45pm
Nearest Station: Toa Payoh

(Donya Japanese Cuisine has multiple outlets)

Photo Credit: GRUB

GRUB

Surrounded by lush greenery, having a meal with a gorgeous view is what makes dining at GRUB a pleasant affair. Located at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, GRUB serves one of the best mentaiko fries and pasta with a view. It is great for families as little children can play around the park while parents have their meal.

A must-have at this café is definitely the Mentaiko Fries (S$9.50). Deep fried till golden brown, the soft but crunchy fries are drizzled with silky smooth mentaiko sauce and they even have a mentaiko dip by the side in case it was not enough. This appetiser is enough to make us go back just for it.

GRUB
510 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1
Bishan – Ang Mo Kio Park
Singapore 569983
Tel: +65 64595743
Mon to Fri: 11am – 3pm
5.30pm – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun: 9am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bishan

ICE EDGE CAFE

Located in Kovan—just a stone’s throw away from Kovan MRT Station—is Ice Edge Cafe. The cafe has been around for a decade and has gained a huge following over the past years with its hearty savouries and stellar sweets. From mains to deserts, its extensive menu is reflective of the cafe’s efforts to cater to every palate.

Now, the Pizza Prawn Mentaiko (S$16.80++) is something you don’t usually see for mentaiko dishes. The pizza comes with a thin crust, with herbs, prawns and mozzarella cheese scattered all over it before the mentaiko sauce is drizzled on top. What a perfect dish to share among you and your family and friends!

Ice Edge Cafe
2 Kovan Road
Simon Plaza, #01-10
Singapore 548008
Tel: +65 6858 5729
Daily: 11.30am – 11.30pm
Nearest Station: Kovan

KOH GRILL & SUSHI BAR

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar sits within Wisma’s Food Republic, and they serve Japanese food at affordable prices. Most people have already heard about this place because of the famous Shiok Maki. There are 2 variations of the Shiok Maki and the difference is that one is with grilled unagi and the other is with fried prawn.

The Original Shiok maki is made up of avocado, unagi and aburi salmon–drenched in an admirably addictive creamy sauce that tasted like a mixture of mayo and mentai, then topped with a generous amount of tobiko. The creamy and savoury sauce is what makes it addictive and a crowd favourite!

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
435 Orchard Road
#04-21 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre
Singapore 238877
Tel: +65 9180 3805
Daily: 11.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

MANEKO JAPANESE RESTAURANT

Situated at the bustling Upper Thomson Road, Maneko Japanese Restaurant is a new eatery that serves quick, fuss-free Japanese delights ranging from donburi, udon to a huge selection of sides. Specialising in dons and sushi, Maneko is proud to serve you delicious bowls of freshness without burning a hole in your pocket.

Their Mentaiko Udon (S$11.90) is one of their signatures and it was definitely one of the best mentaiko dishes we have ever tried. With the light and creamy mentaiko sauce latched onto the chewy udon noodles, every bite we took was just filled with savoury and refreshing mentaiko goodness. For what it’s worth, we were completely blown away by how simple yet addictive this dish was.

Maneko Japanese Restaurant
227 Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 574359
Tel: +65 6909 5401
Daily: 11am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Marymount

MIAM MIAM

Miam Miam serves affordable French Artisanal Cuisine with a Japanese twist. What we love about this place is that the food is prepared upon ordering and they take pride in ensuring that their customers have a wonderful dining experience.

Their Mentaiko King Crab Aglio Olio (S$20.90) is a little bit different from the usual mentaiko dishes. As their pasta was made Aglio Oilo style, don’t expect the dish to be covered with lots of mentaiko sauce, instead, what you get is a hint of the umami-rich mentaiko that does well to complement its host ingredient—the pasta.

Miam Miam
#02-14 Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street
Singapore 188021
Tel: +65 6837 0301
*Mon to Thurs: 11.30am – 9.30pm
Fri: 11.30am – 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

(Miam Miam has multiple outlets)

SALMON SAMURAI

A spot for salmon lovers, Salmon Samurai offers a variety of customisable salmon donburi, udon, and salad, all for only S$9.90. Opened by the guys behind Tanuki Raw and Standing Sushi Bar, Salmon Samurai caters to those working adults who are constantly in a rush but still want to have a healthy grab-and-go meal.

This place serves their salmon lightly seared and their torched mentaiko cream had this smoky aftertaste that we really love. However, we wished they gave more servings of the seared salmon so that we can enjoy the richness of the mentaiko cream that comes with it.

Salmon Samurai
100 Tras Street, #01-11
100AM Mall
Singapore 079027
Tel: +65 6543 6823
*Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Tanjong Pagar

(Salmon Samurai has multiple outlets)