Kapitolyo Food Diaries: Kissako Uji Matcha Cafe

Kissako's famous Matcha Parfait

You may have encountered Kissako Uji Matcha Cafe somewhere on this blog before, and yes, you are not dreaming! Although Kissako may not have provided my first matcha experience, it otherwise led me to revise my opinions about this green tea variety in quite a "360-degree" fashion.

Matcha used to be just OK for me until my first visit to Kissako with my sisters on the eve before Valentine's day. And since then I have been making occasional visits there whenever I end up in Pasig. Considering how pricey Kissako's fare is, I see it as a grand treat for me.

Kissako Uji Matcha Cafe is one of my favorite cafes in Metro Manila. Simply, I'd say it's one of the best places not just for matcha lovers but also for other foodies as well.

But don't take my word for it! Spot.ph has also put Kissako on top of its list of the best matcha places in Metro Manila for two years in a row. Better yet, you've got to visit the cafe yourself. Maybe non-matcha lovers will have a transformative experience there as I had. Yeah, I understand that matcha can be an acquired taste, and now not only have I acquired it but also somehow I have embraced it!

When Kissako was first launched early last year, it instantly made waves as the matcha mecca. And it's definitely worth the hype and the rave customer reviews.

You must have known me as the one who does not usually jump into the latest food trends, but even that doesn't keep me from professing my love for matcha. Even if the matcha craze has died, I would keep on coming back to this place.

Here's what I've tried at Kissako so far!

Matcha Ramen (P200) - Now that I have truly discovered my newfound love for matcha this year, I wanted to try other matcha-based dishes. Ramen is perhaps my most favorite Japanese dish, so ramen spiked with matcha? Why not? Kissako marries my two loves!

This is not the usual ramen, just by looking at the deep green color of the noodles. From my first sip and slurp, I could say that the matcha in the noodles was only subtle according to my tastebuds (I expected them to be strong though), but nevertheless evident. With the yummy umami broth, grilled pork belly and boiled egg (tamago), the Matcha Ramen was a total comfort food, even though I had this during the onset of the summer season. Hahaha.

Choco Hojicha Latte (P160) - One celebrity said on his Instagram account that Kissako's Choco Hojicha Latte is the best hot chocolate he's ever had! Curious, I came back at Kissako to try it.

And he's absolutely right! The flavor was sweet yet deep, and the combined flavors of the cocoa and the hojicha green tea (yes, "green tea," and I will explain this to you later) were tantalizing. If only this wasn't priced at P160 (or if I had some a bit more money to spare), I would have ordered for another cup right away. Maybe I would, someday. Two straight cups of this? Why not? I loved this!

Choco Hojicha Latte for both chocolate and tea lovers!

Matcha Parfait (P195) - Kissako's best-known dish and obviously its best-seller. I have enumerated all the ingredients on my previous blog post. There's not a single visit to Kissako that I haven't ordered this matcha heaven in a tall glass! (look at the first pic of this post)

Matcha Cheesecake (P170) - Japanese cheesecakes (as well as cheese tarts) are the craze nowadays. While I'm waiting for the hype to completely die down, for the meantime I wanted to try Kissako's Matcha Cheesecake. Honestly, this was my first time to taste a Japanese cheesecake, so I couldn't make comparisons for the time being. My folks, on the other hand, compared it to Uncle Tetsu's -- and concluded that Kissako's cheese cake was better. So until I have tried other Japanese cheesecakes, Kissako's matcha cheese cake was just yummy!

Strawberry Shortcake (P170) - Kissako also sells non-matcha stuff like the Strawberry Parfait and this one, the Strawberry Shortcake. This was super-light, fluffy, and not too sweet. I had reservations to order this at first because I thought it was topped with buttercream (and I'm not much a fan of buttercream), so my high school friend and food trip buddy Aneth ordered this.

Upon my first bite of this cake, I was surprised that it wasn't buttercream at all! I thought it was whipped cream so it didn't kind of gag me. Yay! With this cake's sheer lightness and small slice, isn't P170 a bit too much, though?

Matcha Latte (P160) - Although I have made few visits to Kissako, it was just recently that I had my first Matcha Latte. Actually, my first-ever, authentic, honest-to-God matcha latte! Its vibrant green hue is an assurance already that Kissako only uses top-grade matcha powder. I have yet to try other matcha or green tea lattes to make further comparisons, but Spot.ph always puts Kissako's Matcha Latte on the top of its list of the best matcha lattes in Manila. Rich and a bit creamy but there was also lightness to it. Sweet, but with a delightfully grassy taste. Comfort, relaxation, and peace of mind in a cup. Hehehe.

Hojicha Parfait (P195) - I have longed to try the Hojicha Parfait and here I go! Hojicha is Japanese green tea, but why does it look brown? It's because the leaves were roasted so it gave the hojicha tea its brown, greenish-brown or reddish-brown color. The roasting process lent this parfait a deep, subtly burnt flavor. The jelly was also flavored with hojicha. It was just as oishi as the matcha parfait!

These are just a few things that I have tried at Kissako, as I would keep on coming back to my old favorites like the Matcha Parfait. Next time I will try other things like their recommended Horiguchi Coffee, Matcha Roll Cake (it's always unavailable whenever I visit there, huhuhu) and Oreo Matcha ice cream!