Sanoah

Tea leaves kneaded into the pasta dough give Sanoah’s dishes a distinctive touch. One diner who tried the vongole bianco said the tea-infused noodles stood out, making it a good option for anyone keen to enjoy tea in a savoury dish. The menu also lists vongole bianco and porcini cream pasta made with the restaurant’s original fresh pasta, as well as its onsen egg carbonara. This last dish pairs chewy fresh pasta made with tencha (shade-grown tea leaves used to make matcha) with a rich cream sauce of egg yolk and grated cheese. A light salad is suggested alongside it.

Lunch combinations range from a main dish with salad to a fuller set with a drink and dessert, so you can keep the focus on your meal or take your time over something sweet afterwards. Set meals include mixed fried items—prawn, horse mackerel and beef croquette—as well as fried Hiroshima oysters and yangnyeom chicken in a sweet-and-spicy sauce. The mixed-fry and oyster-fry sets come with rice and soup, making them a substantial choice for lunch.

For dessert, try a Mont Blanc parfait, with its cream piped to order. One version combines chestnut cream and vanilla ice cream with lemon jelly and raspberry sauce; another uses matcha chestnut cream made with matcha selected by a tea master ranked tenth dan. Both have layers that leave a refreshing finish. The Wafé is another option for fans of matcha and azuki beans: matcha soft serve is served with a daifuku filled with matcha bean paste, strawberries, shiratama rice dumplings and other toppings. One diner enjoyed it with sencha, a fitting pairing for a sweet treat. The tea menu also features a robust Assam-based blend suited to milk tea and a delicate Ceylon tea recommended served straight.