It was during a hot summer day we went to explore the Nishiki market in Kyoto. We did not think that this market, which is mainly composed of a long alley of stalls which follow, could bethat long. At the end of this alley, you also come out onto two other long shopping street arcades including the one of Shinkyogoku . As I said, it was very hot that day, and in this heat , nothing is better than a good ice cream :p
The front of the restaurant was very attractive, it made you want to eat something, with all those images of matcha ice cream cones accompanied with strawberry or red bean paste ... Iwai is a small restaurant but mostly you go for desserts because their desert menu is so diverse. Wewere hungry when we entered and we ordered two different Parfaits : the Matcha Parfait 抹茶 パ フ ェ and the Genji Perfect 源氏 パ フ ェ. It was divine !!!!!!!!! So good!!!!!!! The Matcha Parfait consists of a ball of matcha ice cream, a vanilla, a bit of red bean paste, 2 mochi, a chestnut, 2 very thin matcha shortbread and a little bit of matcha jelly. The Genji Perfect has a ballof Matcha,one of sweet potato ice cream, a custard matcha (a delight !!), 2 macha shortbread, 2 mochi, red beans paste, a chestnut and a small daifuku shaped marron glacé. They also have other kinds of dessert as crushed ice flavored or Abekawa mochi (a mochi sprinkled kinako). You will also find at the entrance a display of candy and ice cream bar.
If you have the opportunity to go to the shopping arcades in Kyoto, do not hesitate to try one of the Parfait in Iwai, you will not regret ;)