Tangmochan2
Had lunch in Kanda and had tapioca coconut milk for dessert, but wanted to have tea, so came to Ginza. Unfortunately, the two places I wanted to go were closed (only selling products). It's Christmas on a Sunday, so the other place seems like it will be too crowded to get in without waiting. Saw the dessert set sign here, which caught my eye. At the entrance, there was alcohol disinfectant, and a concierge pointed to the menu with their hand and said it's on the third floor with a lovely smile. Also, alcohol disinfectant was available here too. There were seats where you had to take off your shoes and seats where you could keep them on, but we were guided to the shoe-off seats with a lovely smile. There were beautiful flower arrangements in large vases in all directions, creating a luxurious and vibrant atmosphere. We were guided to a corner table. They served cold water - "Ice Shop Mikasa". We ordered a sweet menu, a set of roasted sweet potatoes to compare, and a set of grilled rice cakes on charcoal. The rice cake set might be a bit heavy, so we asked if there were any other sweets available, but unfortunately there weren't. So, we shared the rice cake set among three people, with one drink included, and ordered two servings of Sencha tea ("Tenkaichi"). The rice cake set takes about 20 minutes to prepare. The tea was taking a while to arrive, and we ran out of water. Just as we were pouring water for ourselves, they came to pour water for us. We had asked for the tea first, but they said it would come together. Sencha tea ("Tenkaichi") was served in a pot with hot water, and a container for cooling the tea was also provided. The first brew was quite warm and strong, with a slightly bitter taste. You could adjust it yourself, which was very nice. We had quite a few rounds, and it was delicious throughout. The charcoal-grilled rice cake set was like a flower viewing bento kit. The dishes were lovely, and when they pulled out the drawer, it was so cute that we almost wanted to cheer. Inside the persimmon-shaped pottery were kinako, grated daikon with soy sauce, mitarashi sauce in one box, anko and zunda anko in another box, and a sweet red bean soup. The red bean soup was a single serving, but the rest was plentiful. Each skewer had two rice cakes, and with five skewers for three people, it wasn't enough, so we added two more plates (6 skewers). It was fun to enjoy the variety of flavors. The rice cakes were light, and when grilled, they were fragrant. It was fun to grill them on charcoal. A friend told me that they were even more delicious when grilled after dipping them in mitarashi sauce, and indeed they were very delicious. After the meal, I felt that it would be better to have a lighter lunch since I eat less these days (laughs). We didn't have the sweet red bean soup, but the mitarashi anko was delicious, the kinako was good, the anko was light and good, and the zunda anko was very fresh and delicious. The grated daikon with soy sauce was a bit strong in soy sauce for me, but my friend really liked it and had seconds. I was very happy with the amount of toppings, the volume, taste, and cuteness of the set for 1400 yen including tax. If you go up to 800 yen for Japanese tea, it's a set for 1800 yen including tax. There are additional charges for gyokuro and matcha, with 8 types to choose from. Additional rice cakes are 300 yen for 3 skewers, which is very reasonable, and it's nice to have a sweet treat between lunch and dinner. It's like a gap business between lunch and dinner. It seems like a hidden gem for having tea. There seems to be a shabu-shabu all-you-can-eat option that I would like to try someday. They offer Japanese tea, a set of roasted sweet potatoes, a set of grilled rice cakes on charcoal, and a shaved ice menu. The service staff seemed to be divided into those responsible for lunch and those responsible for shabu-shabu, so one person seemed a bit passive towards us, but when they served us, they had a good vibe and a lovely smile. The staff who served us were bright and had a very good vibe with a smile throughout. After paying the bill, I said, "Merry Christmas!" and they replied, "Merry Christmas! It's the first time I've been told that!" with another lovely smile. The concierge on the first floor saw us off outside, saying "Merry Christmas!" with a lovely smile. Especially during busy times, it's a great feeling to discover a hidden gem for tea after lunch in the Ginza area. I would like to try the roasted sweet potato comparison and the charcoal-grilled rice cake set again. Next time, I'll have a lighter lunch (laughs). The lovely Christmas tree on the first floor is said to be displayed until 12/25.