Nana's Green Tea

Bakery: Nana's Green Tea 
Address: 2135 W 41st Ave, Vancouver BC 
Website: http://www.nanasgreentea.com/en/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$$-$$$$ 

Looking at Nana's Green Tea, I have to confess it doesn't immediately strike me as a Japanese tea and dessert cafe similar, if not nearly identical, to Tsujiri (the one Vancouver area location being in Richmond). A Japanese lookalike, perhaps, but not the real deal; maybe it's the name? Nana's, however, is indeed a Japanese chain with shops mostly in the Tokyo and Kyoto area. And now there's one in Kerrisdale! Out of all the green tea or even Asian inspired cafes/tea shops, Nana's comes across as the most exclusive. This might be owing to the limited menu and the pricier items.

There was something actually green tea-flavoured that I wanted to try, but it was snatched up before I made it to the front of the line. Actually, the area was pretty empty. The opening hours go quite late - I'm wondering if they would have no more cake/sweet options for the next five hours or do they restock?

Having two options remaining, I went with what had to be a surefire hit: yuzu cheesecake ($5.85/slice). Well, you could definitely taste the yuzu (and I did like how they gave the small container of whipped cream for takeout). That was a plus. I like that distinct citrus taste, even though it kind of lingers on your taste buds for a long time afterwards. Beyond that, the thing I love about Japanese cheesecake - any style, since there are several - is that it's so light and fluffy. Your fork just goes through it like it's nothing and that delectable cheesy mass seems to melt on your tongue. I would have never called this a Japanese cheesecake; it was so thick and decadent, not at all what I was expecting - and why is it so much smaller than the crust? -_- It was borderline NY-style. Wrong cheese? Wrong technique? I have to say I wasn't that impressed. In my opinion, way too much hype and not enough to back it up.

Rating: **1/2