I bought 2 boxes of MiYAKO MONAKA and am currently making them myself. The coarse red bean paste made with Hokkaido-grown Erimo red beans comes in 2 bags of 35 grams each. The tart-like monaka shell is crispy and fragrant. There is also sweetened white bean paste available. You can customize it by adding fruits or ice cream to create your own enjoyment. The red bean paste was exquisite.

This is a gift. Kyoto sweets, profound ✨ Established in 1950, a specialist in sweet red bean paste recognized by many famous shops since its founding, creating a rare hybrid Japanese-Western delicacy using "raw red bean paste" without using flour! The appearance and texture are similar to snowball cookies, crispy and crumbly. You would never know it's made with raw red bean paste unless told! The gentle sweetness and attention to ingredients are clearly conveyed. The Japanese flavor is delicious, and the addition of raspberries and lemons adds a fruity tanginess, making the cookie's deliciousness stand out even more. The Earl Grey flavor also has a strong taste of tea leaves! It gives off a high-level, adult-oriented cookie impression. The packaging is also very sophisticated and elegant. It's perfect for gifts and presents. I think it's a product that you wouldn't be embarrassed to give to anyone. ✨

I purchased An-Deshu and An-Cheesecake. Both cost 350 yen excluding tax. The Deshu had plenty of red bean paste at the bottom and felt quite heavy in the stomach. The sweetness of the red bean paste was mild. The Cheesecake had a noticeable texture of white bean paste and lacked a strong cheese flavor, so it might be suitable for those who don't like cheesecake. Both desserts were dense and heavy. Personally, I preferred the Cheesecake. The staff member opened the door for me even before entering the store, which gave a sense of hospitality, but they stayed close by throughout the visit. I wished for a bit more space as I wanted to take my time and think.

I tried the cookies from Anko-ya! These cookies are a bit hard to imagine as they are made without wheat flour and have an anko base. There are various flavors available, but I tried the soybean flour flavor! The box is cute! It looks like Western sweets (^^) What I liked first was the smooth melting texture (^ ^) It crumbled and melted in my mouth, just like polvorón! I thought the taste would be more anko-like, but it surprisingly had a subtle flavor and was easy to eat, even for those who don't like anko! Maybe it's to enhance the soybean flour flavor? I feel a depth similar to Japanese sweets! Overall, it was a delicious cookie with a moderately sweet taste, and with around 10 cookies for about 500 yen, the cost performance is not bad! I would like to try various other flavors like pudding and cakes as well!

【Gluten-free Treats to Enjoy❤️】At Miyakomatsu-an, a cafe that also attracts international customers, many people come here to buy souvenirs. They offer a variety of gluten-free sweets made without wheat flour, such as Snowballs with sweet bean paste, cheesecake, and chocolate cake. There are so many different kinds of sweets to choose from! They are surprisingly delicious considering they are gluten-free, and the perfect level of sweetness makes you want to eat as many as you like. The baked goods, like the Sweet Potato and Sweet Bean Paste Choux, have a moist texture thanks to the sweet bean paste. The Choux with sweet bean paste has a light cream inside, balanced well with the sweetness of the bean paste. Additionally, the chewiness of the sweet bean paste and the crispy choux pastry create a delightful snacking experience.

A 18-minute walk from the European-style hot pot curry. My husband and I came to the cafe we had been curious about for a while. We arrived around 12:30. First visit. One group of two customers was already there. One customer was also using takeout. The cafe space is not very large, but they have wide aisles, so it doesn't feel cramped at all. It actually feels quite open. We were already full from lunch, so we shared the Rice Flour Souffle Pancakes between the two of us. We also ordered two cups of the Tokumatsu Blend. They told us it would take 30 minutes for the pancakes to be ready, but we didn't mind waiting at all. (laughs) Before we knew it, 30 minutes had passed. The coffee wasn't particularly noteworthy... (sweat) But the souffle was amazing. It was so fluffy that it almost disappeared. (laughs) If the red bean paste and syrup were a bit less sweet, I might have liked it even more. ↑ But that's just a matter of personal preference. (sweat) For home, we also got two of each of the An de Chou, Matcha An de Chou, Strawberry An Blanc Chou, Zenzai Chocolat, Sweet Potato, and An Frian. They blend the best of Japanese and Western sweets, and all the pastries were delicious. Our favorite is the Zenzai Chocolat at home. (laughs) The stylish interior is clean and the staff are polite and refined. I couldn't catch about half of what they were saying, but it was all part of the charm. I ended up getting a loyalty card. (laughs)

Located 6-8 minutes on foot from Omiya Station, you can find the sweets shop called Toshouan. The shop has a beautiful atmosphere and offers very polite customer service, making it an attractive sweets shop. You can purchase sweets that incorporate traditional Japanese elements, perfect for souvenirs. They also have an eat-in space where you can enjoy tea and sweets on the spot, making it a great choice to visit during your sightseeing in Kyoto. I tried the smooth pudding matcha, plain, and sweet potato this time. All of them have a good shelf life, making them perfect for souvenirs. The smooth and rich pudding with a perfect balance of sweetness and the slight bitterness of matcha was delicious! The sweet potato sweet, with its concentrated sweetness, had a satisfying texture and was also delicious, so be sure to visit. Thank you for the meal! *Instagram gourmet account: https://www.instagram.com/shunsuke.naka/ (Over 10,000 followers!)

At the request of my husband who loves sweet bean paste, we visited the café at Toshuan. As you would expect from a sweet bean paste shop, they had a wide selection of sweet bean paste desserts on the menu! We were particularly interested in the rice flour souffle pancakes, so we ordered the limited-time chocolate and plain flavors to share. The chocolate souffle pancake had cocoa souffle batter topped with couverture chocolate and served with sweet bean paste on the side. The sweet bean paste was delicious, and it paired well with the chocolate. However, the black pepper sprinkled around the pancake might have been a bit too much and interfered with the chocolate flavor. The plain souffle pancake had a fluffy rice flour batter drizzled with maple syrup and topped with butter and sweet bean paste. It was simply delicious. I usually prefer smooth sweet bean paste, but the sweet bean paste here was so good that I bought some to take home. We also bought a baked confection called "zenzai chocolat" to take home, and it was also incredibly delicious. I will definitely come back again. Toshuan comes highly recommended!

The specialty of this restaurant is cookies made from red bean paste without using any wheat flour. It was the most delicious cookie I've ever had. When I gave it to my friends, they all definitely enjoyed it, so it might be perfect as a gift. I'm curious about other items too, so I might go buy them again sometime.

The texture was rich and moist, and it was very delicious! I love both anko and cheesecake, and this combination was the best. I chose coffee for the drink, and it had a slightly fruity and acidic impression. It seems they also offer takeout, so I plan to go back and buy again!

Ande Cookie (Kinako) 450 yen, One bite Yokan Black sugar 200 yen, One bite Yokan Chestnut 200 yen, Zenzai Chocolat 250 yen, An Purin 300 yen, all prices excluding tax. A series of souvenirs for my wife. This place will make you go "Mmmmm"! I found a really great restaurant! Kyoto has delicious sweets! Definitely going to gain weight... Visited around 1:30 pm on a weekday. After going to Akutagawa for ramen on the way back, as usual, I went to Toshuan to buy souvenirs for my wife. Actually, I went to Kameya Hachinaga, a shop that specializes in warabi mochi, featured on a TV show, but they were sold out. I searched on Tabelog and went to two sweets shops, but both were unexpectedly closed. Finally, I came to Toshuan, which looked delicious! Ultimately, this place was a great choice! It feels like a shop specializing in anko (sweet red bean paste) with many anko products! From cute packaged items for souvenirs to several types of fresh sweets in the showcase! This time, I bought An Purin, which was amazingly delicious with a rich and jiggly pudding topped with sweet anko with a hint of salt! Probably the best pudding I've ever had! Ande Cookie surpasses the incredibly popular cookies from Seijo Ishii in terms of deliciousness! (Seijo Ishii is delicious too) My wife and I had a little tug-of-war over it but stopped ourselves with reason! I haven't tried the Yokan and Zenzai Chocolat yet, so I'm looking forward to them tomorrow! It's near Nijo Castle, so if you visit for sightseeing, be sure to stop by! Kyoto sweets are still deep and I'm starting to prefer visiting sweet shops over ramen shops! Definitely going to gain weight, but I plan to visit many different places whenever I can! Thank you for the meal!

(Post from a blog) Today, I visited a specialty shop for sweet bean paste treats near Sanjo Horikawa. ■ Toshouan Established in 1950, this shop specializes in sweet bean paste. The showcase next to the register displayed sweets made with sweet bean paste. There is also a cafe where you can dine in. While Toshouan has several stores in Kyoto, it seems that only the "main store" here has a cafe. Today, I decided to dine inside this store. The staff's polite customer service left a good impression. I opted for the cake set this time. The reasonable price is also nice! For the cake set, you could choose from coffee, black tea, roasted green tea, brown rice tea, and cafe au lait. ● Set A I ordered the "An de Chou" set, which includes a choux cream and coffee. ● An de Chou The choux pastry was filled with fresh cream, sweet bean paste, and mochi. It's quite a unique cake. The plate was served cold as well. The choux pastry was moist and tender. The smooth fresh cream and chewy mochi had a lovely texture. The fresh cream and sweet bean paste harmonized nicely. ● Coffee The coffee had a slightly acidic taste. It wasn't too bitter, and I found the interesting contrast with the sweet bean paste enjoyable. I think it feels like a cozy cafe. The attentive customer service from the staff is also wonderful!

I heard they have gluten-free cheesecake, so I visited right away. It's interesting how they've adapted traditional sweet bean paste into Western-style pastries. There were many tempting sweets, but I chose the cheesecake today. I ordered a slice without hesitation from the showcase. It costs just under 380 yen, which is a reasonable price. When you put the fork in, it crumbles delicately, but doesn't fall apart. As you taste it, you think, "Ah, this is how it is." It doesn't have the typical moist and clingy texture of cheesecake; it's rather light. The sweetness is mild, and the azuki beans add a nice textural accent. It's to my liking, but I wish I could taste a bit more of the cheese. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Today's snack is my 4th visit to "Toshuan" at Shijo Horikawa. I'll have the "mango," please. Is the season over already?! Too bad. Then, I'll have the "fresh strawberries" with extra condensed milk without sweet red bean paste. I'll start without the condensed milk. This is strawberry jam ice. The fluffiness of the ice is 50%. I'll add the condensed milk in the second half. This way is more delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Visited for shaved ice. I learned that at Miyamatsu-an, you can have up to 10 anmitsu balls on your shaved ice! Normally, the black honey kinako shaved ice comes with 2 anmitsu balls. You can have up to 10 for free. Even if you don't order them initially, you can still add them later. I thought having 10 anmitsu balls might be too much, but Miyamatsu-an's anmitsu, which they take pride in, is so delicious and easy to eat that I found myself finishing all 10 balls in no time! The anmitsu alone is so tasty. Shaved ice is probably only available in summer, but I would like to try comparing the different types of anmitsu next time. Thank you for the meal.

Today's snack is my third visit to "Toshoan" at Shijo Horikawa. I came to eat shaved ice. I was torn between "mango" and "black honey with soybean flour," but I'll go with the latter. Please give me extra condensed milk without red bean paste. With the extra condensed milk, it's sweet and delicious. When it comes to shaved ice, sweetness is key. The fluffiness level is at 60%. Thank you for the meal.

Today's snack is my second visit to "Toshuan" in Shijo Horikawa. I will have shaved ice again today. Today's highlight is the "Nankou Ume shaved ice." Let's dig in. Compared to the plum shaved ice at "Yukinoshita Kyoto Main Store," it is less sweet. The fluffiness of the ice is 50%. It is topped with pickled plum syrup. As you eat, there is plum jelly at the bottom. It's simple but the thoughtful touches keep it delicious until the end. Next, I would like to try mango or black honey. Thank you for the meal.

After lunch, on the way back, I stopped by "Toshoan" on Shijo Horikawa. They had a sign for shaved ice. The menu includes "fresh strawberries," "Uji matcha," "mango fruit," "black honey kinako," "mizore," and "Nanko ume shaved ice," but since summer has just begun, I think I'll go for something more basic. I'll go with "Uji matcha without red bean, extra condensed milk." I'm not a fan of red bean, but here you can have up to 10 servings of red bean, so I highly recommend it for red bean lovers. Let's dig in. The fluffiness of the ice is about 40%. I love that I added extra condensed milk, so I could enjoy the rich taste until the end. Thank you for the meal.

Although it seems that there is seating available inside the restaurant, they were not offering it probably due to the impact of the coronavirus. I ended up buying some souvenirs and decided to get 4 of the amazing Japanese-style cheesecakes that I had tried before. Apparently, you can only buy up to 2 per person. I really wanted to have the hotcakes instead. If you don't think of the cheesecake as Japanese-style, you might be surprised for a moment thinking, "What's this?"