Regarded as the Starbucks of Japan, Nana’s Green Tea is a modern Japanese Cafe that will be officially open in Vancouver on June 6. Nana’s was established in Tokyo ten years ago and is considered as a pioneer in the use of matcha at Japanese cafes. Since then, 79 locations have been opened with plans for there to be 100 cafes by the end of 2019. The tea leaves used at Nana’s Green Tea cafe are from Uji, Kyoto, which is a renowned tea-producing region. Earlier today, I attended a media preview of Nana’s Green Tea Vancouver – the first location in Canada – at 2135 W 41st Avenue.
Disclosure: All food and drinks were complimentary at the media event.
Modern, Minimal Interior
Nana’s Green Tea Vancouver boasts a modern and minimalist interior. The space is narrow with 8 counters by the window near the front of the cafe and 18 seats for the dining area at the back.
Nana’s Green Tea Vancouver Menu
Drinks at Nana’s Green Tea Vancouver range from matcha-based, Azuki red bean to coffee. Their parfaits are very popular desserts with customers. Aside from sweets, you’ll also find donburi (rice bowl) with miso soup.
What We Tried
The following items were served at the media tasting. Some were presented as sample size only.
Matcha Chocolate Latte, Hoji-Cha Shiratama Float and Azuki Strawberry Latte
All three drinks were enjoyable and not too sweet. My favourite was the Hoji-Cha (roasted green tea) which came with Hoji-Cha ice cream and rice flour dumplings. I simply love the nutty undertones of the Hoji-Cha flavour.
Fresh Tuna with Curry Tartar Sauce Donburi
This donburi bowl was very good and had a distinguishable curry flavour. There were reasonable portions of fresh tuna in the bowl. I found the miso soup to be very comforting.
Matcha Shiratama Parfait
This is Nana’s Green Tea signature parfait featuring matcha ice cream, matcha syrup, whipped cream, azuki paste, rice flour dumplings, cereal cornflakes, vanilla soft serve, matcha syrup and matcha pudding. All the ingredients were of good quality and the dessert was not overall too rich.
Matcha Roll Cake
This swiss roll cake was light, fluffy with a notably intense matcha centre.
Matcha Gateau Chocolat
This cake was denser than the swiss roll cake and had a reasonable balance of chocolate and matcha flavours.
Overall Impression
Based on the items I tried from Nana’s Green Tea’s media tasting, I feel that their menu will be well-enjoyed by customers. I’d be interested to try more of their menu when they are fully open. The standouts from the tasting were the Hoji-Cha Shiratama Float, Fresh Tuna with Curry Tartar Sauce Donburi, Matcha Shiratama Parfait and Matcha Swiss Roll.
Nana’s Green Tea
Address: 2135 W 41st Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Website: www.nanasgreentea.com