Sakura Afternoon Tea with views of cherry blossom in Kyoto

With the arrival of spring, Kyoto is transformed into a sakura-blooming wonderland. This year, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto celebrates Japan’s favorite season once again with sakura specials through Sunday, April 11, 2021.  The hotel will offer sakura-inspired afternoon tea, takeaway sweets, set lunch and cocktails.

At the Brasserie, the 30 foot windows bring views of cherry blossoms that cascade overhead and below.  The Hotel’s 800-year-old pond garden, Shakusui-en, is home to 22 sakura trees, offering tranquil hanami experiences.  This hidden spot was once belonged to a noble Samurai, Taira no Shigemori.  The restaurant will offer the sakura afternoon tea with five signature sweets showcase a blend of Western confectionary and Japanese tradition.  This year’s beverage menu features 19 varieties of premium Ronnefeldt tea, including a newly-minted original blend created especially for Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto.  Guests also have the option to select the Premium Afternoon Tea, which includes a glass of Champagne.

• 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm (last order 2:00 pm); 3:00 to 5:30 pm (last order 5:00 pm)
• Weekdays: JPY 4,800 per person; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: JPY 5,300 per person
• Premium Afternoon Tea with dome charter and one glass of champagne: JPY 10,000 per person
• Menu inclusions: five sweets, four savories, two scones, 29 beverages (including Ronnefeldt teas, artisanal coffees and Valrhona hot chocolate)

The hotel also offers takeaway sweets and gift boxes with seasonally-inspired cakes and desserts.  These limited-edition items are available only during spring, including sakura raspberry verrine as well as pound cakes, meringues and croissants infused with the essence of cherry blossoms. 

Takeaway

• Sakura Raspberry Verrine, JPY 900: A refreshing glass dessert of sweet and sour raspberry sauce and cherry jelly in a salted cherry mousse. The surface is decorated with sakura motifs, drawn in chocolate.
• Sakura Roll Cake, JPY 900: A roll cake with cherry cream and Kanoko beans, wrapped in a cherry sponge cake for a Japanese touch. Accents of fresh cream and cherry blossoms reflect the softness of spring.
• Sakura Cake, JPY 1,000: A seasonal pound cake marbled with colourful cherry and matcha dough, baked with a generous sprinkling of Kanoko beans.
• Sakura Meringue, JPY 500 yen: A light meringue with a hint of salted freeze-dried cherry blossoms.
• Sakura Cookies, JPY 500: Fragrant pink-hued cookies that look and taste like spring. The rich cookie dough is made from cane sugar mixed with salted cherry blossoms and leaves.
• Sakura Strawberry Croissants, JPY 450: Heavenly croissants filled with strawberries and cherry-flavored almond cream.

Gifts

• Sakura Gift Box, JPY 2,800: A limited-time gift set featuring a trio of premier Four Seasons baked treats: sakura pound cake, yuzu weekend and sakura cookies.
• Assorted Spring Gift Box, JPY 2,800: A superb mix of different flavours. This gift box includes three types of cookies (matcha, vanilla and sakura) along with two types of meringue (strawberry and sakura).

The Brasserie will offer Chef Takashi Koga’s five-course Sakura Lunch with a line-up of edible artworks from firefly squid risotto, to sakura shrimp quenelle with spring cabbage.  The masterpiece of this epicurean art gallery is the “Sakura Terrarium,” a dish that engages and delights all five senses. Inspired by Kyoto’s natural beauty and the Hotel’s very own Shakusui-en, Chef Koga composes a miniature garden in a glass, delicately combining different colors, textures, aromas and tastes. Featuring elements such as lightly-smoked cherry salmon tartare, spring vegetable jelly, smooth mousse and cherry crumble, this luxuriant edible landscape perfectly captures the fairy-tale feeling of springtime.

• 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
  
• JPY 6,800 per person
• Menu inclusions: appetizer (Sakura Terrarium), risotto, fish, main, dessert, coffee/tea

At the lounge area in The Brasserie, two sakura cocktails will be available.  

• Spring Sprout. Gin and cherry blossom liqueur come together to evoke the flowering buds of sakura.
• Sweet Blossom. Infused with the sweet, mellow scent of cherry blossoms, this fragrant drink is made with Kyoto Fushimi sake, cherry liqueur and mascarpone cheese.
• 11:30 am to 9:00 pm
  
• JPY 2,600 per cocktail

To book a sakura celebration, contact The Brasserie at +81 75 541 8288. All sakura dining offers are available through April 11, 2021.