Ozu

Ozu’s Gion Kyoto Parfait layers Uji matcha, shiratama rice dumplings and tea jelly. The matcha’s distinctive flavour, the dumplings’ satisfying texture and the tea jelly make for a dessert that draws on Japanese ingredients. A set with a drink is also available, making it an easy choice for a break centred on the parfait.

One visitor remembered the parfait’s appearance, including its deer-shaped cookie, and found its size easy to enjoy. The menu also features a parfait combining cream made from Annō sweet potato—with its sweetness brought out by roasting—with fresh pineapple and tea jelly.

There’s more than dessert on offer. Gion Ozu’s special kasujiru soup is made with Hakushika sake lees and Kyoto dashi. It includes seasonal ingredients and salmon that is grilled first to bring out its aroma, and can be ordered with rice balls. A diner who tried the set described a hearty soup and two kinds of rice ball, grilled with miso. For dessert, there’s cheesecake made with Hakushika daiginjo. The menu describes a sweet cheesecake with the aroma of daiginjo sake, an option for those curious to try a sake-inspired dessert.

A visitor who stopped in for shaved ice singled out the plum flavour, saying it was refreshing on a hot day. The menu also lists seasonal summer options: one topped with fresh pineapple and made with homemade syrup from honey-preserved domestic lemons, and another with amazake syrup made from sake lees, garnished with narazuke pickles and crunchy rice crackers. Seasonal sweets offer a choice of changing flavours.

For a drink with dessert, tea options include Darjeeling and Earl Grey, as well as ginger milk tea and tea soda. The evening menu also lists a sake-tasting set pairing three Hakushika sakes with small dishes selected to complement each one. From a café drink to sake, there are options to suit different times of day and moods.