There is a café that has renovated a traditional house in Omomatsu-cho, Kurashiki City. It is the cafe "Niwa to Bungaku", which is bustling with lunch and café customers every day. It has been covered twice in Kurashiki Tocotoco.
The café is run by patissier Nakahara Yosuke.
"We have a new pudding available. Please come by," Nakahara contacted me, leading to my visit to the café for an interview.
Many fans imagine "cafe 'Niwa to Bungaku' means pudding," and indeed, a new pudding has been born.
I headed to the café with excitement.
A café surrounded by books and a Japanese garden
Located in a residential area near cafe "Niwa to Bungaku". Although it now has a storefront, it originated as a shop selling sweets while pushing a tricycle under the name "Mazekoze Confectionery." In 2022, it underwent a renewal, significantly changing its interior.
Inside the café, there are counter seats facing the Japanese garden and a large bookshelf.
There are also small bookshelves everywhere, making it feel like the entire café is surrounded by books. The atmosphere varies depending on the seating.
So far, cafe "Niwa to Bungaku" has changed its sales methods and renewed the store, so the birth of a new pudding may be a natural progression.
Pudding that can be enjoyed cutely at home
So far, the café has offered two types of pudding: the traditional firm "firm pudding" and the smooth "smooth pudding." Both are served upside down, presenting a cute appearance.
In cafes and coffee shops, when you order pudding, it is typically served upside down, so no one questions that presentation. However, when eating homemade pudding, you usually scoop it out with a spoon while it remains in the container.
Nakahara wanted customers to enjoy the pudding at home in a cute way, just like "Purin" (a popular pudding brand), so he improved the existing pudding to make it easier to flip at home.
Too cute pudding (firm pudding)
The retro-style firm pudding is called "Too cute pudding" for takeout, while it is referred to as "firm pudding" inside the café.
The too cute pudding is sold with an illustration showing how to flip it. The illustration is adorable, but the container is very simple. Let's flip it over to make it look even cuter.
The manager, Nakahara, demonstrated how to flip it. The key is to twist your body vigorously, as if you are practicing a swing.
Due to centrifugal force, the pudding smoothly falls out of the container. Twisting once is sufficient.
After twisting, simply invert the container like a Purin and serve it in a dish. The pudding with caramel sauce comes out. It looks cuter when flipped over than when eaten straight from the container.
I had the "firm pudding" served for dining in. It was topped with fresh cream and a bright red cherry, making it even cuter.
Although it has a firm texture, it is smooth in the mouth. The gentle flavor of the eggs spreads in your mouth. Since it is quite filling, this pudding might be a good choice if you want to enjoy a substantial pudding.
The caramel is slightly bitter, perfectly balancing the flavor with the pudding. It was a dish that satisfied both visually and in taste.
Creme Renversée (smooth pudding)
The other pudding is called "Creme Renversée" for takeout and "smooth pudding" inside the café. The main ingredient is fresh cream, which is surprising. While the too cute pudding uses whole eggs, the Creme Renversée (smooth pudding) uses only egg yolks.
Creme brulee can also be flipped over, but it is so soft that it barely holds its shape, so a special spatula is used to remove it from the container. Insert the spatula along the edge... and out it comes. A pudding covered in caramel sauce has appeared.
This is also for the in-store "Smooth Pudding" presentation. It is a luxurious pudding made with plenty of fresh cream.
The spoon glides in easily, more so than the overly cute pudding. Even before eating, it was clear that it was smoother. When it reaches my mouth, it has a slippery texture. I wondered if anything smoother existed in the world. It melts away immediately in the mouth. It is a refined pudding with a vanilla aroma.
Although they look similar, I enjoyed two further evolved types of pudding that differ in taste and texture. It seems that when not using a special container like Pudding Cup, gelatin is needed to flip it over. However, Nakahara-san has researched to make it additive-free and easy to flip at home, going through repeated failures, taking about three years from concept to completion.
Easily Takeout at "Mazekoze Confectionery"
Until now, baked goods and cakes for takeout were sold in-store. Starting in 2024, they will park a car in the store's garage and sell from there. The store name is the same as during the tricycle era in the Bikan Historical Area, "Mazekoze Confectionery."
The car was purchased to start Mazekoze Confectionery. A refrigerated showcase has been installed inside the car, and refrigerated items are also sold. The upper showcase contains baked goods. It is truly a small confectionery shop.
In addition to various cakes, you can also purchase the overly cute pudding and creme brulee.
According to Nakahara-san, the "Pudding Butter Sandwich" is also recommended. It features cookies with an almond aroma, sandwiched with a cream made from butter cream and pudding. The fruits change with the seasons.
Is it safe to say this is a variation of pudding sweets? It has a lot of cream, so the calories are on the higher side, but once you fall in love with it, it’s hard to let go. It’s a sinful sweet that won’t release your heart.
Mazekoze Confectionery is basically unmanned, so once you decide what to purchase, press the button to call the staff.
You can shop right there without entering the store, which is very convenient.
Café "Garden and Bungaku," which continues to evolve with improvements to sweets and store renovations. I spoke with the manager, Nakahara Shosuke.
Data for café "Garden and Bungaku"
| Name | café "Garden and Bungaku" |
|---|---|
| Address | 3-14-45 Oimatsu-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 080-7459-0572 |
| Parking | Available 7 spaces at the yellow poles of Namba Parking |
| Business Hours | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last Order 4:00 PM) |
| Regular Holidays | Sunday Mazekoze Confectionery operates Thursday to Saturday |
| Payment Methods |
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| Reservation Availability | Yes Reservations required for use after 5:00 PM |
| Seating | 22 seats: 16 table seats, 4 counter seats, 2 sofa seats |
| Smoking | Completely non-smoking |
| Toilet | Western-style toilet |
| Website | café "Garden and Bungaku" Instagram |
