{"id":691,"date":"2025-07-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/?p=691"},"modified":"2025-07-16T15:55:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T15:55:16","slug":"japanese-food-is-about-more-than-trends-big-brands-are-getting-it-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/2025\/07\/10\/japanese-food-is-about-more-than-trends-big-brands-are-getting-it-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese food is about more than trends \u2014 big brands are getting it wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Japanese desserts are having a moment in the UK (Picture: Getty Images\/iStockphoto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From ramen to sushi<\/a>, plenty of delicious Japanese<\/a> dishes have become staples on restaurant menus across the UK over the last few years.<\/p>\n

But most recently, Brits have become obsessed with sweet treats from the country in East Asia<\/a>, with matcha<\/a> and mochi popping up everywhere, in part thanks to brands like Blank Street Coffee<\/a> and Little Moons.<\/p>\n

Blank Street started life as a coffee cart in Brooklyn in 2020, but now has 74 locations across the US<\/a> and UK and is valued at a cool $500 million (\u00a3368,000,000). Its success can be credited, in part, to the launch of their blueberry matcha, which was created by a mixologist in London<\/a> in 2023. <\/p>\n

The sugary drink went viral online and inspired the brand to double down on flavoured green tea drinks<\/a> – which now account for 50% of the business. The menu currently includes White Chocolate Matcha, Strawberry Shortcake Matcha, as well as classic Iced Matcha Tea or Latte. <\/p>\n

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Blank Street has become known for its matcha (Picture: Pat Greenhouse\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile Little Moons, a brand founded by siblings Vivien and Howard Wong in 2010 and inspired by the food they grew up eating with their Asian parents, is now an ice cream mochi empire, worth a whopping \u00a350 million (a revenue that jumped by \u00a340m in the last two years alone). <\/p>\n

Mochi is made using a short-grain glutinous rice called mochigome, which is steamed, pounded and moulded into a stretchy dough that can be flavoured and wrapped around a filling. <\/p>\n

Traditionally they are filled with anko, a sweet red bean paste, but Little Moons put a British spin on this by wrapping their mochi around balls of ice cream in flavours like chocolate and salted caramel and strawberries and cream. Recently they’ve also jumped on the Dubai chocolate trend<\/a> and launched a Dubai Moons collaboration with Choco Fruit UK.<\/p>\n

Vivien claims she and her brother founded the company after spotting a \u2018shift\u2019 in the way people in the UK were consuming Japanese food.<\/p>\n

She recently told Forbes:<\/a> \u2018We had always loved the traditional Japanese mochi our parents made with red bean paste, and on our travels in Japan and the US, we discovered mochi filled with ice cream. That was the \u201caha\u201d moment: what if we gave mochi a modern British twist by using ice cream as the filling?\u2019<\/p>\n

And these aren\u2019t the only brands putting a British twist on Japanese treats. If you’ve been on social media lately, you will have seen photos of the viral M&S Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme Sandwich<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DHIuEu8tYcj\/?hl=en&img_index=1<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The retailer confirmed to Metro<\/strong> that their first-ever dessert sandwich was inspired by the \u2018cult sweet Japanese sandos\u2019 sold in convenience stores across Japan. <\/p>\n

Sando means sandwich in Japanese, but it also refers to a specific style of sandwich in Japan that\u2019s made with soft, pillowy milk bread (shokupan). Classics include the egg salad sando, katsu sando and fruit sando usually filled with whipped cream and large slices of fruit. <\/p>\n

Marks & Spencer<\/a> has put its own spin on the latter with its sandwich, which is made with a brioche-style sweet bread, whipped cream cheese and creme fraiche and Red Diamond Strawberries.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for M&S said: \u2018We\u2019re constantly inspired by food cultures and food trends from around the world, whether it\u2019s a subtle influence or a more direct nod, we love putting our own unique and innovative spin on products to make them feel right for our customers.\u2019<\/p>\n

Thus far, the sandwich has proved so popular with customers, it\u2019s even outselling water, with hundreds of thousands of the sandwiches dropping into 800 Foodhalls across the UK every morning this week. Production has even had to be increased to keep up with the demand. <\/p>\n

However, not everyone is on board with the way brands are turning traditional Japanese dishes into trends. <\/p>\n

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The M&S sandwich was inspired by Japanese fruit sandos (Picture: Courtney Pochin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018It\u2019s no secret that Japanese desserts are having a moment,\u2019 Marcin Chanek, the head chef at Marugame Udon, tells Metro.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He’s thrilled to see a rising interest in Japanese flavours, but like several other chefs, he has concerns about whether the history and art of the cuisine is actually being taken seriously.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whilst it\u2019s exciting to see Japanese desserts go viral, it\u2019s important to respect the roots of Japanese cuisine and know how it\u2019s meant to taste when it\u2019s done right.<\/p>\n

‘That doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no room for innovation, as Japanese food has always evolved but we think it\u2019s important to maintain a boundary between creativity and caricature.\u2019<\/p>\n

Leonard Tanyag, the executive chef at LUNA Omakase feels similarly, stating that Japanese desserts are \u2018special\u2019, not just because of the rare ingredients they contain, but because of the \u2018blend of artistry and discipline\u2019 that goes into creating them.<\/p>\n

\u2018In Japan, the best desserts are found in cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, but my personal favourite is from a particular part of Hokkaido: a matcha cheesecake made with Wagyu milk. It\u2019s unlike anything you\u2019ll find elsewhere in the world because of the delicate balance of sweetness, the aesthetics, and the deep respect for seasonality and precision that defines traditional Japanese patisserie,\u2019 he explains. <\/p>\n

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Chef Leonard Tanyag shared his thoughts on brands turning Japanese dishes into trends (Picture: LUNA Omakase)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Unfortunately, when big brands try to replicate this abroad they often focus on the look rather than the craft. It might photograph well, but the taste just isn\u2019t quite right.’<\/p>\n

Leonard puts this error down to three things: mass production, a misinterpretation of ingredients and a lack of seasonal focus. And the latter is key.<\/p>\n

He claims the brands that ‘do it better than others’ are the ones who are ‘genuinely invested’ in seasonal flavours and traditional Japanese techniques. <\/p>\n

The chef continues: \u2018We\u2019re seeing other Japanese-inspired trends gaining momentum too, from mochi doughnuts and yuzu-infused pastries to the growing popularity of kinako, hojicha, and kuromitsu in Western menus. But again, the success comes down to how much respect is paid to the original craft.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tWhere to find Japanese desserts in London\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Happy Sky Bakery, 94 Askew Road, W12 9BL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Happy Sky is a Japanese artisan bakery known for its breads, pastries and of course, sandos. The menu features dishes ike orange and matcha cheesecake croissants, mochi croissants and sandos. <\/p>\n

Toconoco, 28 Hertford Road, N1 5QT<\/strong><\/p>\n

As well as a number of rice and noodle dishes, Toconoco has several sweet treats on the menu, inclduing a daily cheesecake, matcha blondies, red bean buns and mochi. <\/p>\n

WA Cafe, locations in Ealing Broadway, Covent Garden and Marylebone<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Japanese patisserie is serving up edible works of art, with a selection of fluffy cakes, pastries and buns. They also sell loaves of shokupan, as well as souffle cheesecake, and matcha drinks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Do you think big brands are respecting Japanese cuisine in their twists on tradition?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u2018What brands often get wrong is assuming that Japanese food is all about minimalism or novelty. In reality, it\u2019s deeply rooted in omotenashi (hospitality), seasonality, and an incredible attention to detail. Without that, you lose the soul of the dish.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He adds: \u2018If brands want to do better, they need to look beyond Instagrammable plating and actually collaborate with Japanese chefs or artisans. <\/p>\n<p>‘It\u2019s not just about trends, it\u2019s about cultural understanding. And when done right, the result isn\u2019t just more authentic, it\u2019s far more meaningful, memorable, and delicious.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk\">MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japanese desserts are having a moment in the UK (Picture: Getty Images\/iStockphoto) From ramen to sushi, plenty of delicious Japanese dishes have become staples on restaurant menus across the UK over the last few years. But most recently, Brits have become obsessed with sweet treats from the country in East Asia, with matcha and mochi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":698,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691\/revisions\/698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.answerla.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}