You can enjoy the seasonal and fragrant parfaits created by Keimi Tamura, who has trained at Michelin three-star restaurants like PIC and Mandarin Oriental. Normally, she sells reservation-only cakes at her shop in Kyoto, but on weekends she personally serves parfaits at "atarayo" in Azabu Juban. In March, you could try the parfait with strawberries from Hiroshima and wild butterbur sprouts from Niigata. In April, she is making a parfait that lets you savor the aroma of white asparagus. The seating includes 4 counter seats (for 1-4 people) and 1 table seat (for 2-3 people), with 3 time slots available [1st slot 11:00-12:30, 2nd slot 13:00-14:30, 3rd slot 15:00-16:30]. The menu options include a tea pairing set (macaron + parfait + pairing) for 3,740 yen (tax included) and an alcohol pairing set (macaron + parfait + pairing) for 4,840 yen (tax included). You can choose from macarons with Uji matcha and tonka bean paste, Tamba black bean and white bean paste, or domestic black sesame praline and black sesame paste. Additional charges apply if you want to try all three. "atarayo" is located at THE CITY Azabu Juban 1 AVANTI 6th floor, 2-6-2 Azabu Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo. They are open only on weekends from 11:00 to 14:30. Reservations can be made through their website, and you can also find more information on their Instagram page.

The shop is located in Azabu-Juban and operates on weekends only with reservations. They also have started weekday operations recently, so it's best to check their Instagram for updates. The menu consists of tea or alcohol pairings only. The seasonal limited edition macaron uses domestically grown roses and white bean paste, giving it a unique taste similar to a monaka. The seasonal white peach parfait features a refreshing sorbet made with real wasabi, creating a delicious and refreshing dessert. You can choose from 3 regular macaron flavors and one seasonal limited edition macaron: 1. Tama Macaron: a Japanese-style macaron made with domestically sourced ingredients - Uji matcha with Tonka bean paste, Tanba black bean kinako with white bean paste, domestically sourced black sesame braline with black sesame paste. 2. Seasonal Parfait: 9th edition (July 15th to August 6th, 2023) featuring white peaches from Tokushima and real wasabi from Shizuoka, with various layers including sudachi foam, cream, wasabi sugar, peach and wasabi sorbet, sudachi jelly, peach compote, peach-flavored parfait, peach kudzu jelly, plum confiture, yogurt mousse, and more.

I visited the pastry workshop Kei in Kyoto, which is operating as a pop-up store in Nishijin. The pastry chef, Keimi Endo, who graduated from the Tsuji Culinary Institute pastry department, worked at the three Michelin star restaurant PIC in France before returning to Japan. After returning, she worked as a pastry chef at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo and the members-only French restaurant La cle Tokyo. In 2022, she opened her own pastry workshop "Kei" in Kyoto's Eikoin, where she creates new Japanese-Western sweets that showcase Japanese seasonal ingredients. I tried the Tea Pairing Set for 3,960 yen (tax included), which included a macaron, parfait, and tea pairing: - Uji new tea - Kei (Tama) Macaron: A macaron that combines Japanese ingredients like traditional Japanese sweets - Seasonal Parfait (featuring Wakayama-grown loquat and wood shoot white miso): White miso Chantilly, wood shoot and white miso ice cream, wood shoot jelly, sansho pepper kudzu jelly, loquat compote, mascarpone mousse, custard, savarin dough, and yuzu sauce The parfait showcased the delicate and gentle flavors of ingredients like loquat, while the macaron was moist and had a gentle taste that I personally enjoyed. I look forward to visiting again in the future. Thank you for the wonderful experience!

I visited the members-only bar called Kosekiya in Azabu Juban on weekends, coming all the way from Kyoto. It offers reservation-only pairing of parfaits and macarons with tea or alcohol. The crispy exterior and moist macaron shell were to my liking, and the cream inside, flavored with ingredients like tonka bean, yuzu, and red bean, had a wonderful aroma. The kumquat parfait used organic ingredients that would appeal to those in the organic food community, and the delicate custard was delicious.

I visited the Tokyo branch of the confectionery workshop Kei after a short break. It was crowded due to the Azabu Juban festival, but I managed to arrive. Mr. Endo greeted me, mentioning that it had been since March since we last met. This time, I tried their 10th creation, a parfait made with Aomori-grown black currants and figs, accompanied by macarons and tea pairing for ¥4,840. The macarons were made with Japanese rose and white bean paste, offering a delicate and flavorful experience. The parfait consisted of black currant confiture, compote, cinnamon kudzu jelly, black currant mousse, cocoa cream, cocoa nibs, sablé, mascarpone ganache, fig purée, figs, lavender and mascarpone ice cream, and lavender chantilly. The progression of flavors from the lightness of figs and lavender to the richness of cocoa and finally the tanginess of black currants was well thought out. Just like a certain restaurant that requests non-disclosure of their parfaits, a parfait with a well-crafted story can truly be appreciated as you eat through it. The tea served was black soybean tea, which complemented the parfait well. The shop seems to be gearing up for the autumn and winter season, with the Tokyo branch continuing its operations while Mr. Endo focuses mainly on activities in Kyoto, providing parfaits in Tokyo and Ashet desserts in Kyoto. I am looking forward to what they have in store for the future.

I visited the temporary pastry shop Kei for the second time. This time, I tried the strawberry and butterbur scape parfait macaron, made with Tanba black bean powder and white bean paste, as well as domestic black sesame praline and black sesame paste. The macaron, using mainly traditional Japanese ingredients, had a mild and fragrant sweetness. The combination of strawberries and butterbur scape was reconstructed from a dessert previously served at Endo's restaurant, and it was a delightful mix of strawberry sweetness and a hint of bitterness from the butterbur scape, evoking the feeling of spring. The bitterness of the butterbur scape at the end was refreshing. I also purchased the Bonbon Chocolat that caught my eye on Instagram for takeout. The chocolates had a great shape and were filled with ganache covered in a thin couverture, with flavors like vanilla, tangerine, and Todomatsu. The Todomatsu ganache was particularly interesting. I look forward to visiting again when I have the chance (though it seems that dining in at the Kyoto shop may be delayed).

Located in a quiet area southeast of a temple, the confectionery workshop Kei (Tama) is run by the owner, Mr. Endo, who has honed his skills at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo's French restaurant before opening his own shop in Kyoto. Currently, the workshop is still in progress, focusing on making baked sweets and operating on a fully reservation-based takeout system. Additionally, for a limited time, they are renting a space in Tokyo to create parfaits, which are available for eat-in by reservation only. During my visit to Tokyo, I tried their macarons and parfait with a pairing drink. The pairing options include alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and I chose the non-alcoholic option for ¥3,520. I also tried two macarons for an additional ¥495, one with Uji matcha and tonka bean paste, and the other with kinako buttercream and yuzu bean paste. The macarons aim to blend Japanese ingredients into Western sweets, resulting in a gentle and harmonious flavor. The parfait I had was made with Fukujukinkan (a type of citrus), amazake with rice koji, polished rice, and fresh ginger. The layers included Fukujukinkan compote, Fukujukinkan ice cream, amazake cream pudding, amazake ginger meringue, Fukujukinkan jelly thickened with kudzu starch, Fukujukinkan puree, and ginger syrup. The combination of white and yellow colors created a calm yet striking presentation. The use of amazake and rice-related ingredients to connect the flavors was an interesting concept. The unique and Japanese-inspired parfait was delightful, and I look forward to trying their new parfait offerings in the future. I also heard that they will be offering Ashet Deser in Kyoto, so I am excited to try that as well.

During a business trip, I visited Asakusa Juuban.