Beauty may be skin-deep, but this parfait reaches deeper.
It’s that time of year again, when the temperature rises and people in the city look for ways to beat the heat. For many, that means reaching for mint, as loads of stores have jumped on the choc mint bandwagon as a way to stay cool during the hottest days of the year.
One brand surprised everyone recently by putting forth its own choc mint treat, because it’s Yojiya, a Kyoto-based company that’s more commonly associated with skincare, specifically oil blotting paper. With only one store in Tokyo, aside from Haneda Airport, Yojiya is now thrilling fans in the capital with a special pop-up called “Yojiya Flat”.
▼ The brand’s logo, which has been around since 1965, famously depicts the image of a woman reflected in a hand mirror, highlighting the focus on beauty.
The Tokyo pop-up can be found in the “Calendarium” space on the first floor of the Yurakucho Marui department store.
The highlight of this pop-up event is the cafe space, something you can’t get in Tokyo, which serves up choc mint parfaits as a special treat for summer. There are two kinds available — a regular variety and one that’s called “50 Times the Minty Coolness! Choco Mint Parfait”, which contains about 50 times the usual amount of mint, as a next-level parfait for diehard choc-mint fans looking for a challenge.
We decided to bring a fellow choc-mint enthusiast along on our trip to try the parfait, and when we arrived our jaws dropped to the floor as we found there was a three-hour wait for the cafe.
Yojiya fans in Tokyo were definitely seizing this opportunity to try the treat, and even passers by were drawn to the space, thanks to the advertising, which read “50 times Choco Mint Arrives in Tokyo, Now Only”.
As we discussed returning in three hours, a staff member overheard our conversation and told us, “If you opt for takeout, we can serve you right away.”
▼ It was hot outside and the treat might melt quickly in the heat, but with the two of us we figured we would manage.
▼ So we opted for takeout.
We ordered the “50 Times the Minty Coolness! Choco Mint Parfait” for 1,350 yen (US$9.29) and a cappuccino for 800 yen, seeing as you get a venue-limited “assemble-it-yourself cutlery set” with a storage case, if you order a parfait and drink together.
▼ This eco-friendly, convenient product is an exciting bonus.
Before we got carried away with our freebie, we quickly began taking photos of the treats before they melted in the heat.
▼ Time to find out just how powerful 50 times the mint truly is.
Starting from her ear, we dug in to find the upper portion contained sponge and cream, so the choc-mint flavour wasn’t that strong to start with.
Just as we were prepared to be disappointed with the lack of mint, we dug into the next layer, where we hit a chunk of choc-mint ice cream, and delved into a three-centimetre (1.2-inch) thick chocolate zone packed with crunchy chocolate chips.
This is where the true “50 times” power finally revealed itself, with waves of intense minty coolness hitting the taste buds with every crunch.
It was insanely minty, so much so that it felt like swallowing a whole pack of mints. In fact, after digging into all the layers and finishing just shy of half of it, we had to give up, handing it to our choc mint-loving friend, who was more than happy to gobble it all up, even after finishing theirs.
▼ With the parfait now well and truly finished…
…it was time to try the cappuccino.
Unlike the parfait, which was totally unbalanced, skewing towards minty oblivion, this has just the right amount of coffee and milk, making it a great palate cleanser.
Both items were incredibly high quality, so we left with satisfied grins on our faces, and sweetening the deal even further was the fact that we were able to pick up plenty of free novelties during our visit.
▼ Anyone who orders a choc-mint item gets a free sticker…
…and if you install and show the “Yojiya Official App” at the venue, you’ll get an original tag to use as an umbrella marker, ideal for the June-July rainy season.
So if you’re a choc-mint fan, Yojiya is the place to be this summer, although if you’re in Tokyo, the pop-up is only around from 19 June to 3 July, so you’ll want to get in fast to experience the minty world created by Kyoto’s famous oil-blotting paper manufacturer.
Photos©SoraNews24
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