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

Don Meijin is a new donburi eatery at Ramen Champion Bugis+ that has been making waves on social media. You can find quite a range of donburi including Jumbo Chicken Katsu Don (S$13.80), Unagi Don (S$18.80), as well as the signature Spicy Chilli Crab Tendon (S$14.80)—a unique combination of chilli crab sauce over crispy tempura.

Priced affordably at S$14.80, the Spicy Chilli Crab Tendon is served in a unique presentation of two delicate Japanese-inspired bowls. One of them serves as the backing for the generous portions of freshly fried tempura—which includes prawns, asparagus, pumpkin, salmon, kakiage and eggplant.

The tempura prawn was fried to perfection; the batter was flavourful and crispy, and the meat was soft and tender.

Unlike Singapore’s chilli crab sauce, Don Meijin’s chilli crab sauce was considerably spicier which gave the don a great kick of flavour. The sauce was also filled with plenty of snow crab meat and egg, with a slight hint of tomato sauce.

We only wished that there was more of this intense, tangy sauce to go with the large portion of rice served beneath the tempura.

Diners also have the option of ordering the Ochazuke Set (S$2)—a set with rice crisps, wasabi and dashi soup; or the Kansai Fu Mini Udon Set (S$3) to complete their dining experience.

With fantastic ambience, polite staff and efficient service, Don Meijin is great for those who are looking for a quick and delicious meal, and for parties who wish to enjoy their meal at their own time and pace.

Don Meijin
Ramen Champion Bugis+
201 Victoria Street, #04-10, Bugis+
Singapore 188067
Tel: +65 6238 1011
Mon to Fri: 11.30am – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun: 10.30am – 10.30pm
Nearest Station: Bugis

I first knew of Keisuke Tokyo Ramen at Parco Marina Bay when I went to Nantsuttei Ramen for lunch. One of my favourite hobbies is to read restaurants’ menu, and I remember that they had an ebi-based broth (not Shio, not tonkatsu, not shoyu) ramen when I took a glance at their menu.

A while back, I went to Keisuke Tokyo for lunch, specifically for their award-winning ebi ramen, only to find out that they’ve removed it from the menu late last year.

Is Keisuke Tokyo still worth going? Is Keisuke Tokyo the best ramen restaurant in Singapore? Just how good exactly is Keisuke Tokyo to win the prestigious title of Ramen King in TV Tokyo’s Ramen Champion Series?

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so.

The only ramen that shouted “EAT-ME” was the Kani ramen (crab stock), but we thought that it was unremarkable. While it was interesting to try the crab stock, the Watarikani Ramen ($15.8) wasn’t out-of-this-world good. The Tonkatsu Ramen ($13) – see the next picture – was decent, but not enough to make me go all the way to Parco Marina Bay just to eat this.

There are only a few things in the kitchen’s arsenal, but it does a pretty good job of accessorising them with different toppings and soup bases to make the menu appear bigger than it is. That’s not to say that there aren’t things to order. Besides the many variations of ramen ($11-15), Keisuke Tokyo also has side dishes like Karaage ($6), Yaki Gyoza ($1 each), Tonkatsu ($9) and Tori Teriyaki ($6) on the menu.

Would I go back to Keisuke Tokyo for their ramen? I’m not sure. There are after-all many Japanese restaurants in Parco Marina Bay at Millenia Walk to try.

That said, Keisuke Tokyo remains one of the more popular ramen places in Singapore, so if you haven’t been there before, maybe you would like to drop by for a visit and let me know if I missed out on anything.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Keisuke Tokyo
9 Raffles Boulevard
#P3-02 Parco Marina Bay Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6337 7919

Featured in

icon-30