Hysteric Jam.. Best Japanese Crepes in Kobe

Japanese crepe is a must for tourists when visiting Japan. In Tokyo, I think Harajuku is the place for it. Well, today, I will be telling you about the place to get one of the to-die-for Japanese Crepes in Kobe.

So, if you have never tried Japanese crepes before, imagine fluffy pancake-like crepe filled with fresh cream, ice-cream, cakes and fresh fruits.

The shop I’m talking about is called Hysteric Jam. It’s located in the heart of Kobe, around the Motomachi area.

What I love most about this shop is the menu. They offer such a wide range of crepes ranging from savoury to sweet. Ham, tuna, banana chocolate, strawberry, blueberry cheesecake, you name it, they’ve got it!

Also, in front of the shop, there is a huge window showcasing different types of crepes, so even if you don’t speak or read Japanese, you can still order the crepe you want. 

The menu I tried is called Crème brûlée crepe. The crepe is filled with fresh cream and custard cream, and burnt caramel on top. I’m telling you, it’s the best Japanese crepe I’ve ever tasted, and I didn’t really like Japanese crepe before eating this one. I mean I’m all for the French crepe filled with banana and nutella, but ‘thinner’ pancake that is called crepe here in Japan, I didn’t get it at all.. well, until I met Hysteric Jam that is. Crème brûlée crepe is creamy, rich, and sweet(but not too sweet if you know what I mean) filled with flavours from the eggs and cream from the custard. The fresh cream helps to tone down the sweetness. If you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, I recommend you to try one from the premium crepes line (flavours include: creme brulee, rum raisin, tiramisu, green tea tiramisu).

The Crème brûlée crepe costs 530 yen (US$4-5). You can also get something cheaper around 500 yen (US$4-ish).

The store only offers take out, but they do provide tables(sadly no chairs) in front of the store.

If you’re planning to go to Nankin-machi (Kobe Chinatown), do give Hysteric Jam a try! You won’t be disappointed.

Shop Information

Name: Hysteric Jam

Business Hour: 12:00~19:00 (opens on Sunday)

Holiday: None (but sometime closes on rainy days)

Style: Take out

Website: http://hysteric-jam.com/ (Japanese only)

Nearest train/bus station: 3 mins walk from JR Motomachi Station,
                                         1 min walk from Subway Kaigan Line Kyukyoryuchidaimaru-Mae Station

Map:

The Kingdom of Sweets - PATISSIER es KOYAMA (パティシエ エス コヤマ)

(credit: Picture from http://www.cake100.net/images/shop/escoyama/1.jpg)

PATISSIER es KOYAMA may be quite unknown to many foreign tourists for the fact that it's not in Kobe itself, but in a city called Sanda in the Hyogo Prefecture (same prefecture as Kobe). However, to the locals and many Japanese people, this patisserie is very famous. What's special about this patisserie, or should I rather say a sweet complex, is the fact that PATISSIER es KOYAMA is not only a patisserie, but also a chocolatier, boulangier, and a confiserie. What makes it more interesting is the fact that all of these various kinds of goodness are housed and sold in different buildings. Okay, that may in fact, sound a bit complicated, so let me show you the map of PATISSIER es KOYAMA.

PATISSIER es KOYAMA has five major brands: es KOYAMA; ROZILLA; hanare; co. & m. es; es Boulangier.

es KOYAMA is where the most famous sweet of Chef Susumu Koyama, the Koyama Roll, is made and sold along with other cake desserts are made.

ROZILLA is where the chocolate creations are sold. Products such as Hard-type Chocolate Baumkuchen, chocolate bonbon and chocolate macaroons are sold there.

hanare is the cafe where customers can sit down to eat cake (served with ice-cream) or lunch. I love the lunch menu there. It's delicious!

co. & m. es is where the macaroons are made and sold. Various flavours such as yuzu and cherry blossom are available (seasonally).

es Boulangier is the bread shop. My favourite bread is the chocolate banana croissant like bread, and the churros. They're very reasonable priced. Another reason to love es KOYAMA even more!

My favourite product from es KOYAMA would have to be the Hard-type Chocolate Baumkuchen.

(credit: picture from es KOYAMA official site & http://entabe.jp/news/article/1295)

As for the cakes at hanare cafe, my favourite cake would have to be the Mille-feuille. (I've tried the Chocolate Fondant cake, Koyama Roll cake, and the mille-feuille so far.) What's so good about this Mille-feuille is the fact that it isn't too sweet. Between the layers of pastry sheets and custard, there is a thin layer of sour strawberry jam. It's a wonderful combination, especially when eaten with the complementary strawberry cheesecake ice-cream. As for the lunch set, I've only tried the Sanda-beef hamburger so far, and let me tell you, so far, so darn good!! All I can say is LOVE LOVE LOVE!! 

(What I had at hanare cafe)

If you have children with you, make sure to visit the small hut, called 未来制作所 Miraiseisakujo, next to the hanare cafe. There is a small hole that only children can enter to see the processes of making the cakes. The children are also able to purchase sweets that are only made available to them. However, they are not allowed to tell their parents what exactly that they see (which I think is quite hard for children), in order to make the parents even more curious. My friend said that Chef Koyama's purpose for making the hut only available to children, while parents have to sit and wait next to the vending machine was to help encourage conversation in the car after visiting PATISSIER es KOYAMA (not sure if the information is 100% correct).  

(Miraiseisakujo)

So, if you have the chance, please take time to visit PATISSIER es KOYAMA :) 

Official site of Es Koyama (Japanese) : http://www.es-koyama.com/index.html

Official site of Es Koyama (English) : http://www.es-koyama.com/global/index.html

How to Get There

From Osaka (45 mins)

From Osaka JR Station, take the train to Shin-Sanda on the Takarazuka Line. 

Then in front of the station near the Rotary, take the Number 44 bus towards Yurinokidaikoen Mae (ゆりのき台公園前) and get off at Yurinokidai Yubinkyokumae (ゆりのき台郵便局前).

From Kobe (60 mins) 

From Kobe 

From Sannomiya JR Station, take the train to Shin-Sanda (normally have to transfer at Amagasaki)

Then in front of the station near the Rotary, take the Number 44 bus towards Yurinokidaikoen Mae (ゆりのき台公園前) and get off at Yurinokidai Yubinkyokumae (ゆりのき台郵便局前).

Konigs-Krone's Kurone (Custard Danish) ケーニヒスクローネのクローネ

Konigs - Krone is one of the well known Western-style confectionery and cake company, which has its headquarter in Kobe. One of their well known desserts is the Kurone.

My first time tasting the Kurone was back in 2010, my first time in Kansai area. Now, in 2013, after almost 20 times traveling to Kansai in three years, I can definitely say that Kronigs - Krone's Kurone is not to be miss.

Kurone is pretty much a puff pastry in a cylinder shape with a hole in the middle. The shape itself, is rather similar with the Trdelnik in Czech Republic, and Slovakia. However, the middle hole is filled with vanilla custard filling. The Kurone is then topped off with a dust of icing powder.

The texture of the Kurone is rather crunchy (さくさく in Japanese) and not too sweet. Kurone is a great treat as it is served cold, and can be refrigerate for 2-3 days, so you don't have to worry about having to eat it right away. Kurone is a perfect snack for sight seeing, as you can walk around eating while holding one in your hand.

For a piece, Kurone costs 105 yen. Quite reasonable price, don't you think?

There are two flavors, custard and red beans (小豆), but I'm not too sure about this. I normally just order the one with custard fillings. The catch phrase of Kurone is「ケーニヒスクローネのクローネは、パンなのかパイなのか？パイなのかパンなのか？」which can be translate to Konigs-Krone's Kurone is... bread? pie? is it bread or pie? I thought the catch phrase was quite unique and interesting as to me, it's obviously a pie, as there is no.. glutenous pull to it, if you get what I'm trying to say.

Konigs-Krone's Kurone is available in major cities, Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo, Fukuoka, etc.

Here's a picture of the head office/shop in Kobe. The only sad thing is.. It's not available online, so you have to go to one of the shops to purchase one, which is terrible for my case as I live in a rather rural area.

Here's the link to the list of the shops in Japan: http://konigs-krone.co.jp/?page_id=75

For this, I give it 10/10 considering the price and taste.