Vert in Kagurazaka is known for its creative take on Japanese tea. The menu, which skillfully incorporates this culturally significant beverage into innovative desserts, is so well-received that it's sometimes impossible to secure a reservation. Fear not, though: these coveted sweets are now a lot more accessible, thanks to the opening of sister shop Vert Hanare in downtown Asakusa. You can drop in at this dessert parlous without a booking, and the à la carte menu allows you to pick and choose your tea-infused indulgences on a whim.
The new space is a bijou example of modern minimalism, with design elements that are ever-so-subtly inspired by tea ceremony tradition. The white sculptural fitting that runs above Vert Hanare’s six-seat, natural stone counter, for instance, riffs on the umbrellas used in nodate, an open-air form of tea ceremony.
On the other side of this counter, pâtissier-owner Toshihiro Tanaka and fellow confectionary artisan Nakanishi whip up such delights as glass desserts (from ¥2,750) that vary according to the creative whims of the chefs. When we visited, these offerings included a concoction blending Japanese tea with orange, ice cream, mascarpone, myoga (Japanese ginger) and aromatic kuromoji. Surprisingly, the astringent tea has a way of enhancing the sweetness of the citrus fruit ingredient. A simpler ice cream dish, meanwhile, consisted of green tea ice cream on a bed of orange pulp (ice cream is priced from ¥800).
Around eight to ten desserts are offered at any one time, along with a selection of fine teas priced from ¥1,100.