Tsujiri

Profile

Address:   台北市忠孝東路五段8號
                 No. 8, Section 5, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Sinyi District
Phone #:  02-2729-9699

Website: http://www.tsujiri.com.tw/
Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: no

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 4.5 out of 5

Decor:  3 out of 5

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Overall: 3.7 out of 5

Recommendation: Strong matcha flavored icecream and desserts.

Review

At the Hankyu Department store B2 food court lies Taiwan's first Tsujuri Tea House. The line is a good 15 minute wait, but the products are definitely the best in class. While the prices are a bit high, they do not exceed 200 NT for a single item/combo. Tsujiri is a 150 year old traditional tea house that became famous for their tea leaves and matcha. Most of their items are worth trying, and I will be returning to taste more of their non-icecream items.

Expect long lines for quite a while, until they find a way to serve more customers faster with expanded seating. I guess they need to test out the market for a while, but I really think they can expand the dining area and production lines if the popularity endures the hype. There isn't much to talk about in terms of decor and service. I must hand it to them that they are able to churn out their products fast enough to serve this seemingly unending chain of customers, without receiving any gratuity.

Their main attraction is their ice cream products. This is the Tsujiri Sundae. One of these will run you around 175 NT. It is layered with matcha jelly, red bean paste, matcha ice cream, and topped with 3 extremely Q mochi balls,caramel, and peanut powder. When you dig into all three layers, the taste, texture, and complexity of it all overwhelmed the senses. The matcha and red bean flavors seem to dominate, but the texture of the jelly and mochi make the sundae more interesting too. These come in very small sizes, so consider if you really want to share it after waiting 20 minutes.

Tsujiri also offers combo sets. This one is the Matcha Latte + Mochi Ball set. Sets run around 180 NT, and are usually Matcha Latte + some matcha related desert. I will want to try the chiffon cake and the matcha pudding in the future. I really liked the hot Matcha Latte, because the matcha flavor paired well with the warm milk.

You can tell by this side view that the matcha powder was used very heavily, and the residue on the side of the bowl should be evidence enough of how rich the content of the latte is. The warm latte, bringing in the aroma of matcha pairs very well with the dry, sticky, powder laced mochi balls. I don't think i'll ever get the mochi balls again. I would like something less dry like cake or pudding to pair with this latte.

The neighboring table got this monsterous 240 NT shaved ice/ice cream bowl. It is a bowl of red bean paste and ice cream topped with flavored shaved ice, topped with more ice ream, and plated with a cherry and two mochi balls. I don't know if I have the courage and skill to undertake this foul beast, but one day when I get the huevos, i'll tackle this sucka. 3 people were engaging this monster and shouting at eat other about the proper way to eat this without letting it melt away or collapse. This is another one of those items that you should attempt with friends at least once in a lifetime. Tsujiri definitely brought something unique and of high quality to bless the citizens of Taipei.