Sweets to Beat the Heat  8/2003

Tired of the summer heat? Refresh yourself with some simple & smooth Japanese sweets! Japanese sweets shops in L.A. offer a variety of traditional to modern confectionery items to choose from. Japanese people enjoy their delicately decorated sweets not only with their tongues but also with their eyes. Take a look at our picks and find your own favorite place. – Tomoko Kato

GINZAYA BAKERY
Little Tokyo Square
333 S. Alameda St. #106
Los Angeles, CA 90013
TEL: (213) 626-1904
Open 7:30 am ~ 7:00 pm

On the left corner of the first floor of Little Tokyo Square, you’ll find this fancy bakery shop decorated with French flags. Ginzaya creates an eclectic style of Japanese & European sweets. Various kinds of cakes such as tiramisu, mocha cake, strawberry shortcake, green tea cake and cream puffs are displayed beautifully in their store window. Are these considered Japanese sweets?  YES.

“Our sponges are much softer and less sweeter than those sold in America,” said Ginzaya’s manager. “My recommendation is the cream puff (golden baked pastry puff injected with whipped cream).”

The cream inside is so soft and smooth. It’s exactly the kind of cream I have tasted in Japan. It’s open from 7:30 a.m. If you are in a hurry in the morning, grab something at Ginzaya Bakery on your way to work.

SENKA CAFE
123 Onizuka Street #103
Los Angeles, California 90012
TEL: (213) 617-8699
Open   8:00 am ~ 7 pm   Mon ~ Fri
10:00 am ~ 6 pm    Sat & Sun

Attention health conscious readers!! Senka Café is here for you.

“I always keep this in mind : ‘What do I want to make for my family?’ I want to make fresh and healthy food for them. And the same thing goes for our customers,” said store manager Ritsuko. “What I also take into consideration is cleanliness, reasonable price, service and quality.”

Her recommendation for summer is the fresh smoothies in flavors such as peach, green tea, watermelon, pineapple, all made with real fruit and low in calories. Are you looking for a gift for someone? Then why don’t you pick a beautifully wrapped box of Japanese jellies from the gift corner?

KINOKUNI JAPANESE BAKERY
3502 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90018
TEL: (323) 732-1282
Open   9:30 am ~ 2:30 pm  except Mondays

Sold at: Marukai, Pacific Supermarket, Nijiya, Safe & Save Market, Granada Market, Enbun Market, Tozai Foods Market, and Yoshino Market.

Kinokuni is a small Japanese sweets shop on W. Jefferson Blvd., so drivers might miss it. Inside, you can find a variety of colorful traditional Japanese sweets, such as daifuku, sakuramochi, kashiwamochi, coconut milk mochi (sweet rice cake), in a window case. All are freshly made in the workshop behind the shop. A popular item for summer is anpan (bread filled with sweet red bean).

“People take anpan on summer picnics,” said the owner, Mr. Yamashita. The shop follows traditional Japanese sweets-making methods while trying to meet modern tastes. The shop’s recommendation is “Peanut Daifuku,” a kind of soft pearly white mochi stuffed with sweet red bean and peanut butter cream inside. Quite a combination!! Their beans are organic and lightly sweet.

FUGETSU-DO
315 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
TEL: (213) 625-8595
Open 8:00 am ~ 6:00 pm  Mon ~ Thu/Sun

After strolling through the Little Tokyo, drop by Fugetsu-do, a cozy traditional Japanese sweets shop which has used the same recipe for over 100 years. This place reminds me of a traditional sweets shop that used to be in my hometown. 30 different kinds of colorful sweets, made finely and flavored delicately, are on display in a Japanese-style window case. Sweets for summer are Kuzu Cake (pudding-like arrowroot cake, $1.00) and Mizuyokan (red bean paste jelly).

Assorted Mochi	Kintoki

“Japanese customers buy sweets according seasons. But regardless of the season, a lot of customers buy ‘Peanut Butter Mochi’ (strawberry rice cake with peanut butter inside) which is a popular item at the shop.” says Brian, the president of Fugetsu-do.

Can’t stand the scorching heat? All right. My recommendation is Kintoki Kakigori ($2.50), which is shaved ice flavored with syrup and topped with sweet red beans. There are also different kinds of Kakigori (shaved ice, $2.00) with different syrups such as lemon, strawberry, bubble gum, and mango.

MOUSSE FANTASY
2130 Sawetelle Blvd., #110
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
TEL: (310) 479-6665
Open  10:00 am ~ 8 pm   Mon & Tue
10:00 am ~ 11 pm  Thu ~ Sat.
11:00 am ~ 6 pm   Sun

When I’m here, I feel like I’m in a Japanese cake shop. Mousse Fantasy is a modern Japanese-style café which offers 37 different kinds of cakes based on mousse.

“We order our ingredients directly from farms. We use good ingredients so that our customers can enjoy tasty food. That’s our priority. Profits come later,” says Mr. Saito, the owner of Mousse Fantasy. “Fruit in the mousse are specially picked. Syrups for Kakigori (shaved ice) are made from natural ingredients.”

The shop’s recommendation is Mont Blanc, a cake made with chestnut puree, Strawberry Shortcake and Graperfruit Jelly” ($ 3.50  - ).The smooth and delicate flavors bring you happiness. Japanese celebrities such as Ichiro and Rie Miyazawa have visited this shop.