Komeda's Coffee: the perfect afternoon pit stop!

When the afternoon hits, I'm often in need of a bit of a pick me up - and it's usually coffee or something sweet to the rescue! I tried a new little coffee shop today, which is actually a chain in Japan - it's called Komeda's Coffee. The company started in Nagoya back in 1968 and ever since then they've spread across much of the country.

Part of the company's motto is that they want a trip to their store to feel like you could just be relaxing in your living room - and I definitely got that impression that it was a very homely feeling place. They have various coffee options on their menu, and a host of savory foods too - but the one thing that they are known for as a signature item on their menu are their Shiro-Noir danishes. They were given the name Shiro-Noir because of the white ice cream (shiro means white in Japanese) and the contrasting dark baked danish (noir meaning black in French).
When the danishes are made, they are folded into 64 (yes, 64!) separate layers - and it makes for a beautifully fluffy dessert. The ice cream on the top with the buttery danish pairs really well together, and is the perfect companion to a coffee. A mini sized Shiro-Noir (which is the one we got in the picture above) was only 400 yen, and was enough for us to split. It's actually quite a bit of ice cream they put on there!

If you're traveling around Japan and looking for somewhere to stop in and recharge for a while after a day of sightseeing, Komeda's Coffee is a good place to visit. They have an English version of their website here, but the store locations are only listed on the Japanese version (you can find that here, if you want to use Google Translate to assist!)