#bestmatcha

This might just be one of the best matchas I’ve ever tasted… and I don’t even know its name.

R got it for me from her friend who recently went to Japan — and with the matcha shortage hitting hard here in the Philippines, I couldn’t resist asking if they could grab me any matcha they could find. A few weeks later, I was handed a small tin — no English, no familiar brand, just minimalist Japanese text and a forest-green container that already looked promising.

As soon as I opened it, I could tell this was something special. The powder was bright, vibrant green — the kind that practically glows — and it smelled incredibly fresh and earthy. I whisked it traditionally with hot water, and the first sip had me shook. Rich umami, a natural sweetness, no bitterness whatsoever, and a creamy finish that lingered on the tongue. It was pure, balanced, and deeply satisfying.

I’ve honestly been trying to hunt it down since, scouring Shopee and checking out other pasabuy sellers here in the Philippines, but so far, no luck. The mystery matcha remains... well, a mystery.

Basically, udon is GOD. And I don't mean any disrespect for the actual god/goddess/spiritual being you love/hate/feel ambivalent about, but a warm steaming bowl of udon (which is japanese for "hey we ran out of chickens, but here is an awesome noodle soup instead") is what i was yearning for on this day when my appetite couldn't make up its mind.

I was invited to Nana's Green Tea Restaurant to come and sample the dishes and enjoy the matcha. It just happened to be a dreary rainy day and i was stuck at home with a surly 5 yr old. A trip out was in order. So i gathered my daughter up and we were off to have what i was told would be the best matcha of my life, and ended up meeting the udon of my dreams as well.

Nana's Green Tea is in Plaza Singapura, and it was before the lunch crowds were to arrive. Which is a good thing, b/c i've passed this restaurant before and noticed with some disdain that it was packed, and the queue went well along the front of the seating area. It was a recently revealed fact to me that some Singaporean's like to queue for the sake of queueing. 

Something tells me if i tell these people they are lining up for Hello Kitty magnets, there will be a riot... of anger.

But after dining here, i can say without a doubt its for the food. My daughter and i were seated and promptly brought gorgeous menus that had pictures as well as excellent descriptions of what i was ordering.

Thank (udon)God for picture menus. It knows i get tired of reading.

  The ambiance was... well, its in the middle of the mall walkway where two lanes converge, so use your imagination. Lots of breezing by of lots of people. But that was ok, b/c the restauranteurs did their best to preserve the "tea ceremony atmosphere" with some deliberately placed partitions which were warmly lit and neatly decorated, adding to the decor without being garrish or too over the top.

Before the queue... hooray!

First, upon recommendation we tried the matcha! Matcha is a finely ground and powdered green tea from the Kyoto region. The proper growing and harvesting of Matcha is what gives it its characteristically vivid green color and with 10 times the antioxidants, and it has an incredible benefit for beauty. Apparently. Anyway, if you like green tea, ramp it up by two and a half and that is the power of matcha. Its a lovely but strong flavor, and here they have come up with every conceivable way to enjoy it.

The traditional way is to have it straight, and it's frothier and thicker than you'd expect. But I had mine with some milk and sugar (iced matcha latte), and my daughter had a matcha shiratama float - with green tea ice cream and mochi.

Tia approves of this drink and message. Tho she preferred my latte. Probably because it was mine. 

(Mochi - yet another Japanese food item that is hilarious, cute, and will take over the world in no time.)

 This photo not taken by me. Courtesy of the interwebs.

We ordered some prawn and broccoli salad, and ebi fried rolls which i thought were great candidates for starters. The salad was creamy, with fresh, firm prawns and crisp lettuce (and like everything japanese) with niblets of corn.

I can't explain the fascination with corn in this country. And you shouldn't either. I'm happier not knowing.

The ebi sushi was UNBELIEVABLE - it was basically a California roll and prepared so fresh that it STAYED crunchy and warm when it arrived at our table. Tia was a particular fan of that one!

See? Couldn't keep her grubby mitts off it...

Then we ordered a delicious looking bowl of salmon udon with cream sauce. It. Was. HEAVEN. Far from being a traditional udon, the sauce was creamy, with large fillets of salmon, broccoli florets (and corn, duh) and large thick noodles of tasty udon. We slurped this up with reckless abandon, and it made you feel all warm and toasty inside. It reminded me of chicken noodle soup on a cold winter's day. Like getting a hug from a cable knit sweater. I LOVED this dish!

I am your gawwwrd now. I command you to eat me! 

It was at this time that we were joined by my friend Wahidah, and she ordered the unagi donkatsu - which i also sampled. Also exceptionally delicious. I had already reached my eating threshhold, but Tia was still plugging happily away on all dishes as if she hadn't eaten in 2 weeks. (thanks alot, Tia. Way to make mama look capable of caring for you.) But on the other hand - the food was REALLY that good. You wanted to keep rolling around in the comfortable duvet of eating that was happening in this restaurant like it was saturday morning and you didn't have to go to school. Remember that feeling? 

Tia and the udon of my dreams. The creamy salmon udon at Nana's Green Tea.

As i blissfully watched on as my daughter started to resemble Violet Beauregard from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie - eat eat eat eat eat! - Wahidah and I ordered the Hojicha Chocolate Latte for our finishing stroke. 

A stroke of genius - Hojicha

It was a stroke of genius to order this, tho it would have been smarter to not let my daughter have any. Because she drank the whole thing. Dont' kill me for letting her have a caffeinated drink b/c according to Wikipedia: Hōjicha also lowers the amount of caffeine in the tea. Because of its mildness, Hōjicha is a popular tea to serve during the evening meal or after, before going to sleep, and even preferred for children and the elderly. So there! (Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that is distinguished from others because it is roasted in a porcelain pot over charcoal; most Japanese teas are usually steamed. The tea is fired at a high temperature, altering the leaf color tints from green to reddish-brown.) 

It is a delicious drink and I highly recommend this restaurant to try all things green tea! I gathered my things, rolled my daughter thru the mall to my car and she promptly fell asleep - dreaming of all things green tea i imagine. And i had a quiet ride home...

... but i could have sworn i heard all those antioxidants at work. Mmmm!

Currently Nana's Green Tea is having a weekday set lunch promotion from 11 a.m to 2.30p.m. You can enjoy a Main Course and your favourite Matcha drinks priced at $13.90, however this promotion only entails drinks that are priced at $8.00 or below.  Available for a limited time only.

The promotion can be found here at Nana's Green Tea Facebook page. YOUR GAWRD COMMANDS YOU!