Atelier Matcha — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

As a matcha fan, specifically a Yamamasa Koyamaen brand fan, I set my expectations a little too high for what I received.

The atmosphere was nice, the place spacious, with different interior design areas good for photo check-ins, but I didn't come for that.

We ordered a matcha shot with milk set, a strawberry parfait drink, a matcha flan parisien, and a matcha canelé.

The matcha shots were good, but I would have loved more variety. The purpose was to try different taste profiles, but the Ogurayama and Tennouzan had very similar matcha profiles, which, when mixed with milk, became essentially the same drink.

The parfait drink was ordinary; I expected more for such a pricey drink.

Then came the desserts. The canelé was far too expensive for what it was: a plain canelé with green white chocolate glazing. The matcha taste was nonexistent.

Finally, the flan. It was literally the same plain flan on the menu, with a greenish white chocolate sauce—no matcha taste whatsoever.

I came with my girlfriend, so I rated it 3 stars (originally 2, but she saved a star). I was ultimately still...

Visited this new Japanese franchised matcha spot and had mixed feelings. The ingredients are clearly high-quality—I could taste the rich, authentic matcha flavor, which is a big plus. However, the drink itself was just okay, overly sweet for my liking, and served in a very ordinary glass that didn’t elevate the experience. The self-service setup felt a bit lackluster, and the interior gave off a food court or ordinary cafe vibe with uncomfortable wooden chairs and plain tables. The self-serve water station was also pretty basic. For ~200k VND per glass, it feels overpriced, even for a Japanese franchise. Staff weren’t particularly attentive either. Worth a try for the matcha quality, but I expected more polish...

The café is quite spacious with lots of seating, which makes it a nice place to relax.

However, when we arrived, there was a “Closed” sign hanging at the front door, so my friends and I thought the café was closed and almost left. Luckily, one of us noticed staff inside and went to ask — turns out the café was actually open! (The sign just hadn’t been changed 😅)

We decided to stay and ordered two drinks. The matcha was rich, smooth, and had a nice balanced flavor — very satisfying for matcha lovers 💚 However, there were limited options for pure matcha (non-milk drinks), which might be difficult for those who are lactose-intolerant or...