Suzukien Asakusa, The Most Intense Matcha Gelato In The World, Tokyo Japan

If you are a big fan of matcha, you need to be here in Tokyo. Suzukien Matcha is a gelato store situated in Asakusa that offers 7 intensity levels of Matcha ice cream, as well as other popular Japanese flavours like Houjicha, Black Sesame, Japanese Black Tea and many more. Apart from that, they are also known to serve the most intense matcha gelato in the world.

During our recent trip to Tokyo, we were told to check out Suzukien for it's richest matcha gelato in the world. The stall is actually located near Sensoji temple, google map would be a great help in navigating and looking out for a green banner would be helpful too. In this case, cut through Sensoji and it's located at the back.

I was expecting a queue after reading a couple of reviews but thankfully there wasn't during my visit. I think partly because it was about to close soon. Upon entering the stall, you will be greeted with green shade of gelato from the fridge. As the color says all, the darkest green has the highest intensity of matcha flavour (level 7) and also their best seller. Apart from the various matcha gelato, there are other Japanese gelato flavours as well.

Since I'm here in Tokyo, I know that I need to try level 7 - the world's strongest matcha gelato. We tried level 2 and level 7 - level 2 has the right bitter to sweet ratio where else level 7 was too intense, in another words, too bitter for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the green tea aroma within. If you are not adventurous, level 2 or level 3 would work.

How can you not have Houjicha or Black Sesame gelato in Japan right? So after that we went back for second serving, this time with houjicha (roasted green tea) and goma (black sesame) gelato in a cone. I specially like Suzukien's gelato texture, it is firm on the spoon yet creamy and melts in the mouth. Damn boy, this is the best Houjicha ice cream I ever had.

Suzukien is a very old and traditional teahouse with many years of history to it's name. Besides ice cream, they sell a variety of tea products and pots as well. Overall if matcha is your favorite, their different levels of matcha richness will be your dream dessert. However, most customers are here for the premium matcha gelato, also known as level 7.

Suzukien Asakusa

Asakusa 3-4-3, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-3871-0311

Nearest Subway: Asakusa Station

Opening Hours: 10am - 530pm daily

Closed on the 3rd Wednesday of every month

http://www.tocha.co.jp/

Creamery Boutique Ice Creams Singapore, Lava Cookies From Bangkok

Many people have mixed up between Creamery Boutique and KOOKS Creamery in serangoon for serving up similar lava cookies as desserts, but both brands have no relation to one another. Creamery boutique ice creams is originally from Bangkok, with a couple of outlets in Malaysia and now Singapore being the latest project.

Credit: Creamery Boutique

Creamery Boutique Ice Cream is located at Tyrwhitt Road, just opposite the popular coffee house Chye Seng Huat, the space is formerly occupied by Anythingz Cafe. Using the same recipe as Bangkok, the menu incorporate homemade ice cream, milkshakes as well as 6 different cookie set. The star here is their lava cookie, basically a lava cake in a cookie structure.

Among the 6 different cookie, the Salted Egg Lava Cookie S$9.90 is Creamery Boutique's latest creation that is now available in the Singapore outlet. Thick salted egg filling encased in charcoal cookie, topped with legit salted egg white and a choice of ice cream - recommend to pair with salted egg white caramel.

Among the 3 different cookie we have tried, I was quite skeptical about salted egg dishes these days but I was surprise that this combination works extremely well. The salted egg white caramel ice cream leans towards a sweeter note and therefore sweet and salty blend well as a whole. The cookie on the other hand was soft and slightly chewy. 

The Monster Matcha S$8.90 is possibly the best seller here, this time we pair it with 'Secret Garden' ice cream - a tea flavour created using 1872 clipper tea. The distinct floral aroma coming from the ice cream is highly notable, setting a contrast to the matcha lava filling. The cookie base in this case is slightly different from the charcoal, although it was more 'crumbly'. 

Apart from the lava cookie options, there are 2 non-lava versions and one of them is the Brownie Cookie S$7.90 - think a chewy and gooey brownie but in a cookie form. In this set, we topped it with 'zombie food' ice cream, also known as passionfruit flavour. Not a big fan of this as a whole, it gets quite jerlat after a few mouthful.

With special names tagged to some of these ice cream flavours, I believe many would have been confused. Anyway from my experience here, I would suggest to first sample the ice cream flavours before deciding which to pair along with your cookie. You do not wish to get disappointed when both the ice cream and cookie flavour clashes.

There are 12 different ice cream flavours on display and they rotate weekly. Honestly, I was expecting more localised flavours in the Singapore branch but was told that they are actually working on it - am looking forward. All in all, with it's contender KOOKS Creamery that has been around for some time, Creamery Boutique is in a fierce competition.

Creamery Boutique Ice Creams

139 Tyrwhitt Road, #01-03

Singapore 207557

Friday - Wednesday: 11am - 10pm

Closed on Thursday

Tel: 8133 1250

https://www.facebook.com/creamerysg/

*This was an invited media tasting.

A Better Florist - The Freshest Bouquets of Singapore

In my search for items that are going to make my everyday life just a little bit more beautiful and motivating, I found flowers in Singapore whose flower arrangements exuded happiness. A Better Florist is far better and creative than any florist I came across lately, simply because their bouquets are insanely beautiful. It’s not just about the flowers and their freshness, which I will get to later, it’s about how they combine them, and pay attention to details to make you feel happy instantly.

The best florist in Singapore found a way to make people happy, even by taking a look at the picture of the blooms they have on their website. Their beautiful selection of chic, non-traditional arrangements is enough to make you want to hit that shopping button. I am guilty of that the first moment I stepped into their bloom world, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. You definitely won’t regret it.

What you see on their website, is exactly what you will receive. I was a little anxious about the photo being more flattering than the flowers are in person, but they proved me wrong. The back story of their picture-perfect blooms is that they grow their flowers on a beautiful farm on Cameron Highlands. After they’ve been showered with love, they are picked just at the right time, and used for crafting these breathtaking arrangements. This makes them as fresh as they can be, and also they actually last longer. 

They have a modest selection of flowers on their website, but it’s still difficult to decide which one is the most beautiful one to purchase. They have so many choices, and they are open to creating custom, authentic blooms with your loved ones in mind. Not only do they make the usual flower bouquets and arrangements for almost any occasion that comes to your mind, they have the best baby hamper delivery Singapore has seen in a while!

They are also known as the best florist in Hong Kong, since it doesn’t take long for the good word of mouth to spread. They know have a Dubai Florist and are dominating the Hong Kong flowers scene. Not that it’s a surprise, because they truly are a talented florist team.

In addition to their flower skills, their delivery system is one of the best and most reliable I have come across, and not just when it comes to flower delivery, but overall. They deliver every day, on the most important holidays and if you have a flower emergency they can deliver their beautiful blooms on the same day within only 90 minutes. They definitely bought me with this, especially because life just keeps getting busier and faster for all of us.

// This post is brought to you by A Better Florist, Singapore.

It’s heartening to know that not only does A Better Florist offer gorgeous bouquets that are crafted with great attention to detail, but they also offer fresh farm flowers. Their blooms travel from a farm on Cameron Highlands, where they are taken care off with love and knowledge. Then, in the ideal moment the flowers are transported to A Better Florist and used to create your orders, which is why each time your bouquets are always so fresh.

https://www.abetterflorist.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ABetterFlorist/