On a roll with the Kewkacha sibs

Their latest venture, the Kyoto-lifestyle cafe Kyo Roll En at Gateway Ekamai mall, is inspired by the traditional wooden Machiya townhouse, with wooden posts, beams and floors and furnished with wooden tables and chairs.

“We give it away in the name, really,” says Litti. “‘Kyo’ refers to Kyoto, ‘roll’ is for roll cake and ‘en’ is the Japanese term for garden. It just means the garden of the Kyoto-style roll cake. 

“But it’s more than just a place for dessert. We want to present a lifestyle shop where visitors can enjoy the total experience. Aesthetic appreciation is as important as taste. Apart from the wooden decor we also pay attention to the use of pottery, serving trays and cutlery. The dessert cafe business is very competitive today, so we have to offer something unique and hard to copy.”

Catering to middle and high-end customers, most of premium-quality treats are from Japan. They include matcha, black sesame, kanten (agar jelly), yubari melon, mikan orange, kuromitsu (syrup made from unrefined Okinawa black sugar) and kuromame (black soy bean). The chocolate, though, is Valrhona from France. 

“The Kuro roll, a bamboo charcoal roll filled with Hokkaido fresh cream and the black soy bean, is only available here. Black in colour, this food-grade, edible bamboo charcoal powder has used in Japan for generations for its detox benefits,” says Litti.

Another seven roll cakes are on offer with prices ranging from Bt399 to Bt489 a roll – depending on the ingredients – or Bt85 to Bt105 a piece. The Milky is a cow-print roll filled with Hokkaido cream and infused Madagascar vanilla while Gion is a matcha roll with azuki red bean cream and fresh strawberry stuffing.

Chocolate lovers will be unable to resist a second piece of both the Valrhona roll with grand cru chocolate, milk chocolate cream and hazelnut praline stuffing and the Tsujiri chocolate roll stuffed with matcha cream and azuki bean. You can add spice with the slightly tangy leopard-print passion fruit roll with passion fruit cream and peach or Ichigo strawberry roll with fresh yoghurt cream and strawberry mousse or opt for the classic Kyo roll with vanilla and custard cream stuffing.

A good way to go is to order the beautifully presented roll cake set (Bt155-Bt169), which includes a piece of your favourable roll cake, fresh fruit platter, a nama chocolate and soft cream and sugar syrup.

Another irresistible temptation is anmitsu – a Japanese dessert served in a bowl with small cubes of agar jelly, shiratama mochi ball, red bean, boiled black soy bean and a variety of seasonal fresh fruit slices such as mikan orange, strawberry and mango. The anmitsu usually comes with a small cup of black sugar syrup, which is poured on the jelly before eating. It is also topped with soft ice cream in a variety of flavours from matcha, bamboo charcoal, milk and strawberry. Prices range from Bt139 to Bt155.

The Japanese-style shaved ice dessert known as kakigori flavoured with black sugar syrup or fresh fruit sauce is a refreshing choice. Worth trying is Mont Blanc Kakigori (Bt145) which offers a spaghetti-like cluster of chestnut puree on top of shaved ice, sweetened Japanese chestnut, chestnut cream, black soy bean finished with milk ice cream and a separate cup of black sugar syrup.

Just as he does at his Parferio ice-cream boutique, Litti presents a selection of multi-layered parfaits –the modern Japanese version of a sundae – at Kyo Roll En but with a creative twist.

“Ice-cream parfaits with fruit granita and desserts – all served in one glass with fresh fruit – are very popular in Japan. The layering is an art form because the chefs have to know how to combine different ingredients to get a good taste, fresh smell and new texture,” says Litti. 

Goma parfait (Bt139) blends black sesame mochi, black sesame granita and bamboo charcoal soft cream and is garnished with black sesame powder and tuile. For the artistic Chocolate Melt (Bt159), the glass is decorated so that it gives off a melting sensation and is filled with Belgian chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate mousse and finished with berry sauce, almond and pistachio toppings. Equally tempting is Mango Blossom (Bt159), which showcases fresh mango slices arranged like rose petals together with mango ice cream, granita and almond jelly.

Kyo Roll En offers just 20 cups a day of custard pudding (Bt85). Served in egg-shaped glasses with caramelised custard, this pudding is truly smooth, melts on your tongue and not too sweet. 

Signature drink blends are Marron Latte (Bt105), served hot and cold and Momo Tennensui (Bt95), an iced peach juice mixed with natural water. Matcha from Uji of Kyoto is also available and you can enjoy it iced (Bt105), as a matcha frost (Bt125) and as matcha latte (Bt115).

Before leaving, do check out the selection of products – most of them made from wood – that Litti has carefully selected from Japan. They include wooden keyboards, flash drives, wall clocks, wristwatches, digital picture frames and tissue boxes. 

 

SHAPED IN WOOD

>>Kyo Roll En is on M Floor of Gateway Ekamai mall (BTS: Ekamai). It’s open daily from 10am to 10pm. Call (02) 108 2660.