Häagen-Dazs Japan has announced that it will release two new flavours from its popular hanamochi ice cream series on September 17: "Soybean Flour Brown Sugar Syrup" and "Zunda."  

Soybean Flour Brown Sugar Syrup Hanamochi

The soybean flour brown sugar syrup hanamochi was released back in 2015 and returned again in 2017. This year, Häagen-Dazs is bringing is back even more delicious than before. They have blended together a variety of soybean flours to elevate the ingredient's original flavour.   The top of the mochi is sprinkled with a blend of lightly roasted black and yellow soybeans. By roasting them, the original taste and fragrance of the soybean comes through tenfold. Dark roasted soybean has also been combined with milk for a velvety texture, and the entire thing is drizzled in a rich original brown sugar syrup sauce which further enrichens the soybean flavour.  

Zunda Hanamochi

Zunda is sweet soybean paste made from mashed edamame beans and a flavour that has been gaining popularity in Japan in recent years. Häagen-Dazs is incorporating the flavour for the first time in their hanamochi series.   The lumpy texture of the crushed edamame goes deliciously well with the chewy mochi, taking the original authentic taste and texture of edamame to a whole new level. Mixing it with soybeans and rich milk turns it into a smooth ice cream in your mouth. The sauce also contains a sprinkle of salt to bring out the flavour of the zunda. The packaging has also been updated, inspired by their flavours and topped with a golden lid, giving it a modern-Japanese appeal. Don't miss out on these two new flavours.

 Fruit tart specialist shop Qu'il fait bon will be selling a brand new kind of lovable tart which is made using a rare species of grape sourced from Yamanashi prefecture. The tart is currently selling at Grand Maison, Ginza and Hamamatsu. These will be available for a limited period only. The tart is covered with incredibly rare "My Heart" grapes, which were developed by the grape research institute Shimura Budou Kenkyusho. Growing and cultivating these grapes was no easy task and took an incredible amount of time. There was only a short window of time available to harvest the produce and even then the harvest was small, so stocking up was very difficult. Despite the challenges, these tongue-tantalizing tarts are being sold this year, however, they are in limited supply. Shine muscat grapes and loubell muscat grapes were crossbred to create this new kind of grape. The marvellous flavour of both parent grapes can be tasted. The new grapes have a high sugar content, a wonderful scent and the skin is wonderfully crunchy.     Take a bite into the special Yamanashi Grape My Heart Tart and you will be filled with a sophisticated fruity flavour. The adorable heart-shaped grapes are layered perfectly on top of a bed of white wine custard. You just have to try this delicious and beautiful tart!

Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo will begin serving its new citrus fruit-packed Yuzu Lemon Afternoon Tea on November 1 at the Le Jardin, the hotel's lobby lounge which offers a view of the beautiful garden.   You'll see yuzu and lemons throughout the year, but it is said that winter is the best season to enjoy them. Both lemons and yuzu are said to have a relaxation effect, and so Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo will beckon guests through its cosy doors with the afternoon tea set's refreshing citrus fragrance, inviting them to an early wonderful winter at the beginning of November. The set includes an assortment of sweets including a yuzu and lemon flavoured savarin, a lemon cheesecake that squeezes out all the juicy nectar of the citrus fruit, and more. The lemons and yuzu are the citrus kingpins of this afternoon tea. The seasonal scones are a mix of yuzu and vanilla scones and silky white chocolate scones to relieve some of the sourness. Enjoy together with a mix of dips including salted clotted cream for even more flavour. On the savoury side of things there is a tempting mix of bites and nibbles, including the use of spicy ginger to warm up your cold body. Welcome the winter early this year and do it in style with Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo's new afternoon tea set.