Patisserie Gion Sakai — Restaurant in Kyoto

Chanced upon this dessert patisserie after lunch which was fortunately not too full thus leaving space for desserts.

The ambience within the shop is beautiful and minimalist, with the cakes display at the first floor and the eating/drinking cafe at the second floor. For dine-in, it is required for each person to order at least one drink/dessert.

We had the red apple dessert (赤いりんご) (1,024 yen) with 2 pots of hojicha (550 yen each). The red apple dessert really looks like an apple with a sweet jelly outer layer and white chocolate underlayer. The interior is sponge cake with real apple fillings which add slight bitterness to the sweetness. The base is a graham cookie which also compliments the overall taste of the dessert. The hojicha which is mellow is great to drink after the dessert.

Service is of course...

I received a very bitter green tea(basically overinfused), and when I asked for a trash bin to throw away an empty plastic cup they said there is none and, after I insisted, they said I have to take it with me. Highly disappointed by the poor response to a legitimate need, and even more so by the fact that in Japan, the land that perfected the tea ceremony, they brought me a clearly overly infused green tea, which most people know needs a short infusion time or it gets bitter. Japanese culture seems to be very happy to impose their rules and demands on others(it's full of rules), but sometimes completely unwilling to be flexible and offer what others might need or want. It's no problem to inconvenience others, but as soon as they feel inconvenienced, there is no room for flexibility. Very self...

The cakes were amazing. I can't even describe how they tasted, it was such a unique experience. We came late in the day so there weren't many options and we ended taking what was leftover, a blood orange cake, tea and plum cake, and cream puff encrusted with sesame seeds. Each was delicious and a whirlwind of flavors, textures, smells... Overall a wonderful culinary experience.

I was so excited to try the cakes that I forgot to capture then on camera, but each was so delicate and beautifully crafted. Truly a piece of art through...