It's that time of the year again when everyone's heading back to uni. Actually, I started lessons three weeks ago already haha, but I know all my friends back in London should be starting pretty soon, so I thought I'd procrastinate on doing my readings by sharing some lobangs I have! There's a huge selection of Japanese restaurants in London, some better than others, but not a huge selection of Japanese style desserts. Here, I'm mostly referring to a more contemporary style of desserts, for example, cakes with matcha and anpan (japanese sweet red bean) and that generally have a much lighter, fluffier texture with reduced sweetness, as opposed to traditional Japanese sweets and desserts like dorayaki. There are definitely some gems around though, and here I present to you my two favourites.
1. Lanka
This one is an absolute gem. It has to be one of my favourites and I've been here more times than I can count. It's not just that the desserts are great, but the general atmosphere is just so...cozy. How do I even describe it? I guess the best description I can give is that it resembles a Japanese perspective on French cafés, so, very charming in an Amélie sort of way. The service is impeccable. Every single time I've been there, the service has been top notch. The servers are incredibly friendly and warm, and occasionally, if you're lucky, the chef serves up some free samples of things like macarons, or some seasonal treats (I've had this about two or three times).
The menu tends to rotate everyday, depending on the chefs whimsy, with occasional seasonal treats (e.g. pumpkin cupcakes around fall, strawberry millefeuilles around spring, and so on). I'll try to make some recommendations, but there's no guarantee that they might be on the menu on the particular day you turn up. My top picks would be the strawberry green tea shortcake (best. shortcake.ever. Plus, I'm a big sucker for shortcake so this would always be on my favourites list), the Earl Grey Creme Brulee (although this one might be hard to find since I haven't seen it on the menu for awhile, but if it ever pops up DEAR LORD get it, it is by far the best creme brulee I have ever had) and the chocolate fondant (basically a fancy lava cake, but so good).
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| The famous but elusive Earl Grey Creme Brulee |
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| Swiss roll wasn't bad, but wasn't spectacular either |
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| Hazelnut tart. Wasn't a big fan of this, it wasn't bad but not my favourite |
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| Pretty simple, green tea gateau cake but I love green tea so I love this |
The tea here is equally heavenly. My personal favourites are the rose green tea and Queen's Choice (a slightly citrusy black tea). If you had to go anywhere on this list, make it Lanka, you won't regret it I swear! The only downside is that there are only two or three tables since it's a pretty small place, but if you go on weekdays it's generally not very crowded!
Address: 9 Goldhurst Terrace, London NW6 3HX, United Kingdom
Opening Hours: 10.30 am - 6.30 pm Mon-Sat, 10.30 am - 5.30 pm Sun
2. WA Cafe
Not to be confused with the one in Singapore, WA Cafe is a little bit further out in Ealing, but worth the trip out of Central London. What I like about WA Cafe is that there's a large variety available, because it sells not only desserts but also japanese style breads in both sweet and savoury form. Their menu is a little more static (read: permanent) than Lanka's, but availability also depends on the time you arrive, and whether it's been sold out or not. WA Cafe is considerably more crowded than Lanka, although they have a few more tables available, so avoid this place like the plague on the weekends! Or, if you can't make it on any other day, at least arrive early in the morning because by the time it gets to around 10.30-11, this place is PACKED.
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| Raspberry tart, and white bean (and green tea?) bread. Recommend the bread over the tart. |
These two guys are some of my top picks, the mini choux trio (top) which consists of black sesame, green tea and white bean filling and the chicken kaarage(fried chicken) roll (bottom).
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| The strawberry shortcake was pretty good, but I'm spoiled by Lanka, so nothing else really compares anymore |
Two other top picks: The Sakura Mousse Cake (it tastes as good as it looks) and the Sesame Cheesecake. LOVE the cheesecake, but it's not for those with an aversion to sesame because the flavour here is pretty intense. The base is made of a black sesame crust, and topped with a glazed sesame biscuit as a decorative topper. The cheesecake is soft, smooth, creamy and the base to filling ratio is just perfect.
Address: 32 Haven Green, Ealing, Greater London W5 2NX, United Kingdom
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 8.30 am to 6 pm, Sun 9.30 am to 6 pm, closed on Tuesdays
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the lobang and have fun before the routine of uni kicks in! xx
