After taking in the incredible view of Yoshinoyama (Mount Yoshino in English), we went to find the tofu store and decided to bring home some goodies to eat at home. I mentioned in my previous post that they have relocated their business a few meters away from their original location. The place we went to at first (the original location) turned into their factory.
It wasn't that hard to find the chaya (茶屋 or teahouse in English) because there's only one main road, and when you just keep on going, you'll eventually find it. It's not so far from the factory but if you're in an unfamiliar territory like me, you'd think you're lost or have missed the place. Anyways, it's not that hard to miss because there's only one tofu teahouse that we've seen so far from all the walking we did.
The teahouse is called Tofu Chaya Hayashi (豆腐茶屋林). What do they serve? You guess it right! It's all tofu! And it's all handmade!
This chaya isn't that big and I heard people are lining up to eat in this famous shop during the peak season of Spring. When we came here, it's in the middle of summer and it was a Sunday, so Yoshinoyama wasn't crowded and we were able to get in immediately.
Tofu is such a great alternative when you're dieting. It's also rich in protein. Lately, I've been seeing lots of tofu products in the supermarket like tofu ramen, tofu nuggets, and a lot more.
In this teahouse, they're serving tofu ramen, tofu burgers, and a few more tofu dishes and appetizers. They have tofu donburi (which means rice bowl), and the traditional food goma tofu (胡麻豆腐 or sesame tofu). My boyfriend's favorite mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) is also on their menu. We already finished lunch and still too early for dinner so we didn't try their meals. Maybe next time.
It was surprising to find so many foods made out of tofu. There's a tofu shop near our home in Tokyo but it's nothing like this shop. There were so many products that caught my eye. I wanted to try the tofu butaman (豚まん or steamed buns with filling). I'm not a fan of burger patties but the tofu burger made me curious.
I was so ready to order - I decided to go with pancakes and tofu soft cream set but we only came for takeout. I thought we would be dining in but my companions didn't want to stay.
There was a tatami style seat for a group. It feels so private. Besides that, there's the normal table and chairs.
We bought tofu donuts because the little kid with us wanted it. She loves tofu and their donuts are worth coming back for. The tofu donuts were only plain flavor but it was already so good. You can drizzle flavors on it but I was satisfied with the plain ones.
My partner's mother treated me tofu soft cream. I felt like a doting little kid because I wanted the soft cream, just like the little kid with us. 😁 Of course I didn't force them to get it for me. I mentioned how it tasted in my previous post - tofu and cream mixed together and it was unexpectedly tasty. I could have another round of it but it made me a little bit full. It looked like a normal portion from the photo but it's actually a large portion.
If ever you decide to come to Yoshinoyama, make sure to include this shop in your itinerary. If you don't like tofu, maybe you'll change your mind after dining in here.
Happy #MarketFriday by 
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.