Last Updated on March 27, 2025
A Japanese-style afternoon tea that is full of seasonal delicacies
Before I travelled to Kyoto, I associated tea in that city with attending a tea ceremony where deep green matcha is whisked into a soupy foam and enjoyed alongside wagashi, traditional Japanese confectionary, that provides a sweet foil to the drink. When invited to partake in an afternoon tea at the Banyan Tree Group hotel, Dhawa Yura Kyoto, I was not anticipating the Full English version. Yet, while the experience took the form of what we have come to expect in fine hotels in the UK, the food on offer had a wonderful Japanese twist.
I was somewhat surprised to find that many Japanese hotels now serve afternoon tea as well as a growing number of tearooms where this very English tradition is observed. Chatting to our server I discovered that afternoon tea grew in popularity in Japan during the Covid restrictions when residents were allowed to meet up with people during the daytime hours but hospitality outlets were required to close in the evenings. Thus, afternoon tea became a sought-after way of going out to see friends. Once the restrictions were lifted, people reverted to evening get-togethers, yet afternoon tea remained a fixture. While we enjoyed our afternoon in the comfortable tea lounge at Dhawa Yura Kyoto, I observed a number of tables filled with women having tea together.
I approached the afternoon tea with a measure of trepidation. I was booked in for 3.30 pm and had recently eaten lunch at a Michelin-star restaurant in the city. It has to be said that I was not hungry at all. Anyone who has enjoyed afternoon tea knows not to eat lunch beforehand, and possibly not breakfast either. I mention this only to make the point that the food was so light and eaten at such a leisurely pace, that I was shocked to find myself managing every last morsel.
In Japan, seasonality is a fundamental tenet of cuisine, be it Michelin star or snacks at the 7/11. I anticipated that the afternoon tea at Dhawa Yura Kyoto would be themed around the Sakura – the cherry blossom season which, I was fortunate to discover, was in full bloom all over the city. It was also strawberry season so I expected to find some making an appearance. I was not disappointed!
The afternoon kicked off with a welcome drink – a non-alcoholic Rosé with Sakura (cherry blossom) syrup, and grapefruit herb tea. Seasonally pink and very refreshing. I sat back at a low, marble table dressed with a beautiful recycled kimono runner, and relaxed. Outside the rain pelted down but indoors all was snug in the elegant lounge decorated in shades of orange and grey. The tea set was a covetable Rosenthal design with gold handles on the white porcelain. I began with Sunshine Lady Tea which was rose-flavoured, later changing to Queen’s Tea which seemed appropriately British.
Soon a three-tiered bamboo tray arrived laden with exquisite delicacies. The pastry chef at Dhawa Yura Kyoto is a talented woman. I was aware that these pastries were ephemeral, not only because I was about to eat them, but due to the fact that once the cherry blossom season was over – a matter of weeks – the menu would change. The pastries were as beautiful and delicate as the blossoms adorning the trees outside. It seemed a shame to eat them but more of a shame not to.
The savoury selection was a welcome change from the afternoon tea to which I am accustomed. I often find that after eating a plate of finger sandwiches I am already rather full. The selection is also mostly rather standard – egg and cress, ham or roast beef, cheddar and pickle and so on. Here, there was sashimi of Spanish mackerel topped with strawberry purée, tiny cauliflower florets, hazelnuts and lemon-flavoured micro herbs. The white, green and red colour scheme of Sakura season was evident and the taste contrasts were excellent. Another way to showcase the Sakura colour scheme was the square of poached chicken breast with mashed avocado, feta cheese and a slice of strawberry. A tiny quiche has teeny fried shrimp with a cherry blossom and was topped with a delicate dill cream. Lastly, a crispy spring roll was filled with sparerib in a BBQ sauce and spring onion, and topped with strawberry purée and cacao nibs.
Moving onto the sweet offerings, I discovered that these too were very light. In Japan, I found the baked goods to be much less sweet than in the West and all the better for it as I do not have a particularly sweet tooth. Here I began with a lemon and olive oil cake which was topped with diced peel and a jaunty wafer-thin chocolate sporting a green and yellow blossom design. It was dainty and light.
A Sakura strawberry sphere was a wafer-thin white chocolate disc on which perched a pink mousse topped with pink jelly that was filled with tiny pieces of strawberry, a cherry blossom and gold leaf. Here there was that lovely balance between the sweet and the salty – cherry blossoms are brined for eating – swirling in the mouth.
Strawberry pistachio took the form of a tiny éclair shaped lozenge with a biscuit base. It was topped with pistachio cream and two pink cherry blossom flower-shaped sweets on a chocolate branch. Inside there was a strawberry mousse surrounded by desiccated coconut. A lovely rendition of the white, green and pink colour scheme. Strawberry almond matcha tart was a fluted round tartlet topped with sliced strawberry, piped matcha cream and a pink petal. It was filled with almond paste. Once again the Sakura colour scheme was evident. There was a lovely balance between the slight bitterness of the matcha and the sweet almond paste.
Sakura peach was a beautiful orb. It perched on a chocolate brownie disc and was filled to bursting like the ripest peach with a cherry blossom flower on top and sprinkled, for good measure, with gold leaf. Inside was a strawberry jelly. The outer layer had a slight saltiness to balance the sweeter components. Finally, bonbon chocolate was a tiny sphere made of pistachio green chocolate on a base of dark chocolate. It had a yuzu filling which provided a refreshing end to the most lavish and delicious tea.
It is no understatement to suggest that I was taken completely by surprise not only to find an afternoon tea of this nature in Kyoto but also by the wonderfully varied, light and delightful delicacies on offer. This is typical of Japanese inventiveness and exquisite presentation of food, and this was served with splendid aplomb at Dhawa Yura Kyoto.
Dhawa Yura Kyoto by Banyan Tree Group
84 Ohashi-Cho, Higashiyama-Ward, 605-0009 Kyoto, Japan
