With flagship branch, The Matcha Tokyo wants to bring matcha to more Filipinos

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MANILA, Philippines – Nowadays, it seems like every café and dessert shop is serving some matcha-flavored dish, drink, or dessert.

Whether it be lattes or pastries, people can’t seem to get enough of Japan’s earthy green tea in general — this craze is so intense that the worldwide demand for this green tea powder is causing supply shortages in Japan.

But amid the matcha mania, the Philippines isn’t worried; more matcha-forward cafés are sprouting up, and Japan’s The Matcha Tokyo in the Philippines continues to bring something new to the table, hoping to convert more people into loving the green tea.

The Matcha Tokyo recently opened its latest flagship store, complete with exclusive menu items. Pushing the boundaries of how matcha can be used in food, the brand is making the ingredient both accessible and appetizing through Filipino-Japanese fusion creations. From a buttery twist on the classic pandesal to an ube matcha latte topped with silky cream, The Matcha Tokyo offers surprisingly inventive treats.

Located on the third floor of SM Mall of Asia, the 60-seater flagship blends Japanese and Filipino culture not just in its dishes but also in its store design (check out the zen centerpiece). Since launching its first Philippine branch in BGC in 2022, The Matcha Tokyo wants to be a reliable source of 100% authentic matcha.

The matcha experience

Upon entering the massive store, you can expect to feel a classy and serene ambiance. The Matcha Tokyo’s minimalist approach is designed to seamlessly combine the pale wood furniture with the green trees scattered across the store.

The center garden features stones on top of white sand, illuminated by soft lighting meant to mimic sunlight. It was intentionally designed to remind visitors of matcha’s Japanese origins and the calm tea-drinking rituals the brand seeks to replicate in the Philippines.

“This is our biggest store yet. As you can see here, there is a different design aspect, so when you’re inside the store, you feel very zen,” Anna Paw, partner owner of The Matcha Tokyo Philippines and Tasteless Food Group chief finance officer, told Rappler.

Outside the store, customers are also treated to a window view of the mall overlooking the seaside sunset.

Matcha-tastic picks

The visual and sensory experience is nothing without the main attraction of the store: the brand new, branch-exclusive food offerings.

From savory panini pressed sandwiches to Filipino-Japanese fusion meryenda pastries and healthy yogurt bowls, all the new items creatively integrate matcha in one way or another.

“We integrated both the store’s design elements — like the trees —and menu offerings specifically for the Filipino market. For example, the Ube Matcha, which was first developed here in the Philippines, is now being sold in Japan seasonally. So, it’s really about blending Filipino and Japanese food concepts to create something new and unique,” Paw said.

The Ube Matcha Latte (P280) takes the classic matcha latte and adds a purple twist to it. Topped with ube flavored cream, this drink combines the earthy taste of ube with matcha’s slight vegetal taste.

Admittedly, the ube cream overpowers the green tea flavor and adds a bitter aftertaste that dampens what makes both ube and matcha great separately. To temper the overwhelming taste of cream and whole milk, you can opt to switch to oat, almond, or soy milk for an add-on price of P50.

While the combination of flavors of the Ube Matcha Latte could be improved, the Warabi Mochi Latte (P280) was a delight to drink. At the bottom of the matcha drink is a popular Japanese confection, warabi mochi, made of bracken root, and usually drizzled with kuromitsu or brown sugar syrup. The softness and depth provided by the toffee-like flavor of the kuromitsu enhances the green tea flavor of the matcha and is perfect for customers who like their lattes sweet.

One of Matcha Tokyo’s more experimental food items is the Steamed Bread and Butter (P380). This set meal packages four freshly steamed breads inside a bamboo steam basket and is served with three flavored butters: sweet potato, matcha, and shoyu (soy sauce).

All three of these butters hold completely different taste profiles — nutty, sweet, and salty — so if you’d like to switch up your meryenda experience, try this branch-exclusive item.

It’s a creative way to “reinvent” something as simple as bread and butter — the shoyu brings out the saltiness of the butter, while the matcha and sweet potato make the steamed bread more of a dessert rather than a savory snack.

An understated pick of the new menu is the Strawberry Banana Yogurt Bowl (P395), served with matcha honey, bringing something new to an already familiar breakfast item.

This matcha honey combines the umami flavor of matcha powder with the rich caramel taste of the honey. This yogurt bowl manages to incorporate the novel ingredient in a way that complements the bowl’s components rather than overpowering the other toppings and fruits.

The Matcha Tokyo is now selling the limited edition Mont Blanc Toast (P395), which features a large scoop of matcha ice cream topped with matcha-flavored chestnut cream, placed on a thick slice of bread, and garnished with gold leaf. The grassy flavor is strong in this dessert! But it’s a sweet treat to cool off and leave yourself feeling full.

Flagship firsts

A new customer-centric perk in the new branch is the interactive Matcha Experience (P595) and Hojicha Experience (P595) special set, where customers can whisk and customize their own matcha and hojicha lattes.

For those unfamiliar with hojicha, it is a variety of green tea that is roasted to bring out the nuttiness of the leaves. Both sets come with a chasen, or bamboo whisk, used to mix the powders, a glass of milk, a sweetener, and four dessert samplers on the side. Included in the samplers are a cookie butter basque, matcha madeleine, warabi mochi, and butter cookie.

Paw said they want to continuously explore how matcha can be creatively adapted for a broader audience, particularly Filipino diners. Through beloved local ingredients and approachable, everyday dishes, the brand finds new ways to showcase matcha’s versatility.

Despite the global shortages, The Matcha Tokyo remains committed to delivering 100% ceremonial grade matcha straight from local green tea farmers. Paw said the brand places importance on ensuring that the farmers supplying them are fairly paid to demonstrate the brand’s support for the local Japanese economy, which is single-handedly responsible for the matcha supply.

The Matcha Tokyo’s flagship store is on the third floor of SM Mall of Asia’s main building in Pasay City. The store is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. – Rappler.com

Mika Layda is a Rappler intern studying Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in English Literature at the Ateneo de Manila University.

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