Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is holding a “Sakura Afternoon Tea” from March 4 to April 27.
The savory items created by a Japanese cuisine chef include Shinshu salmon sakura sushi, egg sandwiches, Japanese parsley and garland chrysanthemum dressed with sesame, and simmered fish roe with ginger. Guests can also enjoy grilled kiri-mochi rice cakes, which they grill themselves over charcoal and eat with a sansho pepper sauce. The sweets selection features sakura matcha tart, sakura mochi wrapped in domestically sourced cherry leaves, sakura mousse made with white chocolate, sakura nama chocolate, sakura marshmallows, and sablé with cherry leaves and dried bonito flakes. The fromage blanc dessert, inspired by a traditional “wanmono” soup dish, is served with a kudzu sauce flavored with sakura blossoms and finished at the table with smoke from cherry wood chips and cacao nibs. The sakura parfait layers jelly infused with the aroma of cherry leaves and raspberries, sweet red bean paste, shiratama rice dumplings, matcha cream, and more. For drinks, 35 varieties of tea from Kyoto and regions across Japan are offered in a free-flow style. At the counter seats available only on weekends and holidays, guests can enjoy pairings with premium teas while courses are served one plate at a time: appetizer, interlude dish, soup, charcoal-grilled item, and main dessert.
The venue is the kappo restaurant “Ryozen” on the 3rd floor. The afternoon tea is served from noon to 4:00 p.m. The price is 8,000 yen, including tax and service charge.
