Thank you to all cocoa fans! The first store of the Dutch cocoa brand "Van Houten" "VAN HOUTEN COCOA BAR" will open in Harajuku, Tokyo for a limited time from January 10th to March 22nd.

It seems that drinks and sweets using cocoa (of course Van Houten!) Are offered here, but the one that stands out is the drink called "cocoa beer". Cocoa + beer seems to have a ridiculous taste ... I was curious about the eating editorial department, and I had a special tasting.


First of all, I will have "cocoa beer" (650 yen). A novel dish of draft beer poured into a glass with cocoa. Suppress the desire to simmer the beer as it is, and pour in a terrifying cocoa.


The finished drink looks like cafe au lait. When I took the courage to drink it, the taste was surprisingly well-balanced. While the sharpness peculiar to beer remains, the image is that the bitterness and acidity are mellow and the richness increases. The tastes seem to be different, but those who like flavored beer may fall in love with the acupoints.

In addition, since you pour the cocoa yourself, you can freely adjust the density. If you get lost, take the plunge and put everything in. When I (the author) tried it, the scent of cocoa began to live when about 80% was added, and when it was almost completely poured, the balance between the two became better.

In addition to this, the alcohol menu also includes three types of "cocoa cocktails" (700 yen each) combined with liqueur. Of course, non-alcoholic drinks such as "cocoa" (500 yen) are also available. Not only is cocoa powder melted, but milk, cream, and butter are also added, so the point is that it is rich and rich.


"Yogurt cocoa" (500 yen) is also a surprising combination like cocoa beer, but the acidity of yogurt and the richness of cocoa match and I drank it. The aftertaste is refreshing.


The recommended food menu is "cocoa cream donuts" (350 yen). Fried bread sprinkled with plenty of cocoa powder and granulated sugar. When you break it, you will find an overflowing cocoa custard cream inside! Other sweets with a good balance of non-sweet dough and cream. It's possible to To go, so you can eat while walking. The difficulty is that the powder on the outside is easy to scatter and difficult to eat.


"Chocolate ice cream" (450 yen) is made by combining Van Houten cocoa with Van Houten chocolate. It is a bit different from general dark chocolate ice cream, and it is impressive that you can feel the richness of cocoa. The "Chocolate Ice Cream & Cocoa Chiffon Cake" (650 yen), which comes with a chiffon cake, is a great deal because you can enjoy a bittersweet cake and plenty of fresh cream.


In addition, baked goods with cocoa are also available, and drinks are full of cocoa as well as sweets. The sweetness of the sweets is modest, so even people who are "impossible to combine sweets with sweet drinks!" May enjoy "cocoa sweets + cocoa drinks". If you really don't like it, try the sugar-free "non-sweet cocoa" (500 yen).


The store is located at 6-3-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Business hours are from 9:00 to 22:00. The menu is the same throughout the day, so you can try drinking cocoa beer from the morning, take a break with a hot cocktail on the way home from work or drink, and use it in various ways.

* Prices shown include tax