At a resort-like café overlooking Suruga Bay, you can enjoy an adult-oriented parfait featuring Shizuoka-grown tomatoes and fruits. The combination of delicately sweet whipped cream and fresh Amela tomatoes offers a unique taste experience rarely found elsewhere. Introducing Marine Café, which opened in February 2023.
The Marine Café is run by an experienced owner who honed their skills in Yokohama.
Yokota, the owner of Marine Café, gained experience at renowned specialty cheese and parfait shops in Yokohama. In February 2023, she fulfilled her dreams of opening a café in Mochimune, Shizuoka City, her husband's hometown. The café offers adult-oriented parfaits, perfectly paired with sparkling wine, making it a unique spot for refined dessert and wine experiences.
The chic, resort-inspired interior adds to the charm of Marine Café.
Due to its location near the sea, Yokota, the owner of Marine Cafe, aims to create a place where customers can enjoy a resort-like atmosphere and relax, experiencing an escape from everyday life. Inside the cafe, a custom-made marine table designed by her husband, who runs a design company, and crafted by a furniture artisan, is installed. The Mediterranean-inspired tiles, carefully designed after three years of trial, have become popular, and many customers request this table to enjoy their elegant moments.
A new-style parfait using Shizuoka Amela tomatoes.
At Marine Cafe, you should definitely try the parfait made with Shizuoka's high-sugar concentrated Amela tomatoes. This surprising parfait defies the common expectation that parfaits are all about fruit, offering a delightful twist.
The lightly sweetened fresh cream in the parfait perfectly complements the tomatoes, creating an unexpectedly harmonious flavor. The tomatoes are carefully prepared as compote, balancing freshness and juiciness, which results in a delicious combination that enhances the entire dessert.
The Amela tomato parfait features layers of compote, fresh cream, cream cheese gelato, tomato gelato, mascarpone cream, and tomato jelly. Each layer is handcrafted, ensuring a perfect balance of flavors. As you enjoy the parfait, savor the combination of tastes with each bite, working your way through the layers vertically to experience the harmonious flavors.
The plate includes cheese and handmade herb crackers as add-ons to the parfait. The cheese, a basil-infused Gouda from the Netherlands, provides a delightful contrast to the parfait's sweetness. This savory pairing enhances the overall experience, allowing you to enjoy the parfait's intricate flavors to the last bite, with tomato and basil beautifully complementing each other.
A parfait with plenty of fresh strawberries! Sweet Strawberry Parfait.
In addition to the tomato parfait, there's also a fruit parfait available. The one we're showcasing today is a luxurious parfait made with plenty of strawberries from Shizuoka. From top to bottom, it's layered with fresh strawberries, sponge cake, strawberry gelato, whipped cream, milk gelato, fresh strawberries again, mascarpone cream, strawberry mousse, and strawberry confiture.
The balance of sweetness and tanginess in the strawberries, paired with the refreshing taste of whipped cream, is absolutely perfect! As you work your way from the top to the bottom, you'll experience a rich mix of flavors, from the mascarpone cream to the strawberry confiture, filling your mouth with a blissful, delicious experience.
The cheese served with the strawberry parfait is Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy. Specifically, it's made from milk within 100 days of calving, known as "Milleziamato", a highly nutritious variety. Its deep richness and full flavor would pair wonderfully with wine!
Be sure to enjoy this meticulously crafted parfait, a specialty of Yokota-san, who has experience working at both cheese and parfait shops. Once the strawberry season ends, they plan to offer citrus-flavored parfaits, so stay tuned!
We asked the owner! Here's what's coming up for Marine Café.
The owner, Yokota-san, is originally from Tokushima Prefecture. She mentioned that the coastal town of Mochimune, with its relaxed vibe, reminds her of her hometown, and she's fallen in love with the peaceful atmosphere here. She hopes that when visitors come, they not only enjoy Marine Café, but also embrace the natural beauty of Mochimune. In the future, they plan to offer not only parfaits but also lunch menus, so it'll be exciting to see what dishes they'll introduce. Just like the cheese served with the parfait, I hope Marine Café will continue to highlight the charm of Mochimune and become a wonderful part of the area.
Text/Photos: Yore-chan
Shizuoka Gourmet Information:
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