It only makes sense that Hong Kong's first and most popular location of Via Tokyo, also happens to…read morebe it's last remaining one. There was a time when soft serve became all the rage, and Via Tokyo was there through it all. While I miss the TST location (#1), this Causeway Bay version has a bit of seating and all the Japanese-inspired vibes one can ask for. Like most HK shops, the seating is tight and limited. There are wall-facing counter spots, along with a handful of tables for small groups. The wait is likely during the hot weather days (#2), but the turnover is quick since ice cream is consumed and melts quickly. The staff is young and friendly, doing their best to keep the ice cream coming while helping folks navigate the seating. Cones and cups range for roughly $40-45. The Hokkaido milk is my absolute favorite, smooth and creamy, and reminiscent of some of the ones I've had from Japan. Houjicha and matcha are the more popular items here, which take up a majority of the orders and is especially pretty when made into a bowl with fruits and other sweets. The moment of food photography won't last long, as the ice cream will begin to melt in less than a minute. HK dessert options are always revered. Thus, so is Via Tokyo and I hope they manage to stick around as long as possible. They take Alipay, Octopus, and of course, cash. ____________ (#1) Forever immortalized: https://www.yelp.com/biz/via-tokyo-香港-2?hrid=jtpxWsnvwDSZgQu9s6kF5g (#2) Which is often.

Via Tokyo has great matcha! They don't have much seating inside so expect to wait for a bit…read moreoutside. Don't think takeout is an option. Small interior. Matcha ice cream is rich and creamy! Would highly recommend. Matcha roll didn't have as much flavor as ice cream but still decent. Very efficiently run and quick to receive ice cream after you order. Note that you do need to go up to the counter and order, they won't come to you to take your order but will bring your food out.

After eating at a Michelin Star restaurant in Ocean Terminal mall, had a sweet tooth. So stopped…read moreinto I Cremeria. What a great decision! Tried a vanilla and green tea ice cream cone. It was SO good! Never thought about green tea ice cream, but when in China... The parlor was really upscale and nice. But there were a lot of people coming and going, so knew it must be good ice cream! Decent size place to get people in and out as well. The staff was really helpful, let you try different flavors and were very friendly. Easy check out as well. No seating inside the parlor, so you would need to find a bench if you didn't want to walk and eat the ice cream....if it lasts that long. Ha! Great choice...definitely try it out if in the area!

The sparknotes version of I Cremeria:…read more - You (and I) came here for the gold leaf! - The Harbour City location is a PAIN IN THE BUTT to find. You're better off just asking an employee/service representation standing by the maps because you will go crazy attempting to navigate this mall on your own! - The cremadoro (hokkaido milk) cone was a bit too milky for my liking; skip. - The matcha cone was a bit better and the flavor was a bit more prominent, but then again...I've had better matcha ones elsewhere. - It's pricey!... but I'm sure you wouldn't mind because #1, you came here for the gold leaf and they give you a whole piece per order! - Space is limited to sit-down so you're better off grabbing to go.

I was today-years-old when I learned there are multiple Matsuyas in Hong Kong. While the dessert…read morebusiness is known for their Japanese sweets, they also serve western-style desserts like tiramisu, brownie sundae, and panna cotta. I decided to have the best of both worlds and ordered both a tiramisu and green tea warabimimochi. The tiramisu looked so fluffy and beautiful. The warabimimochi, on the other hand, wasn't as aesthetically pleasing, and I didn't like how bitter the matcha tasted. My friend got the souffle, but it was undercooked, so they made another one for her. Aside from desserts, the cozy shop also sells Japanese tea and other cold drinks. The menus are in both Chinese and English. The items are appropriately priced. I'd suggest calling in advance to see if they have availability since the restaurant can only hold approximately 16 patrons at once.

delicious japanese matcha with top dessert matcha lava cake and ice cream with mochi. also…read moreimpressive soufflé

Came here on recommendation of my cousin. We ordered the hot and cold matcha soba noodles. I was…read moreexpecting to taste the matcha flavor, but alas, it didn't happen. The broth for the hot noodles tasted great though : light, not overly seasoned, tasted like the kind of broth you'd make at home. My husband said the cold soba was nothing special. We then finished our meal off with the matcha jelly (flown in daily from Kyoto!), which was really good, definitely full of matcha flavor and went well with the ice cream and red bean paste. My husband gave the matcha ice cream two thumbs up. 90 min dining limit and everyone must order one item. No free wifi. HSBC credit card holders get a discount.

One of the great foodie trends in Hong Kong is the matcha craze. Already slowly making its presence…read moreknown in the US, matcha and matcha flavored desserts are gaining popularity. It's already a huge thing in Hong Kong, with at least one matcha dessert store at every mall. When I found out that a well known matcha chain, Nakamura Tokichi, was opening up its first branch in HK, I made it a point to plan to visit and give it a try. Unsurprisingly, as with all well known restaurants in Hong Kong, there was a fairly long wait even on a Wednesday. I had to wait almost two hours to get a table for six people. When we were finally seated, we were presented with complimentary green tea and a menu filled with delicious goodies. I tried the green tea almost immediately, and already I was floored. Most green tea tastes fairly bland and generic, but this green tea was incredibly rich and flavorful. As to be expected from a matcha restaurant with as prestigious a reputation as Nakamura Tokichi. We shared several matcha and hojicha parfaits, a hojicha ice cream, and I got the kyo no fukiyose, which contained several different things including chiffon cake, matcha ice cream, red bean, whipped cream, and mochi. The parfaits were incredibly rich and elegant. Cereal was added to the red bean and ice cream, and the flavors all blended together perfectly. The chiffon cake was sweet yet light. The red bean was a real delight, not too sweet, and balanced out the sweetness of the hojicha and matcha ice cream incredibly well. In just one experience, I can see why Nakamura Tokichi is one of the most well known matcha restaurants in Hong Kong. It lives up to its own hype in many ways.

My favorite place for Hong Kong dessert! I come here probably a little too much, and any time…read morefriends and family visit Hong Kong, I always make an excuse to bring them here! Don't let the giant queue scare you, and yes there is almost always a queue. Despite that, it moves fairly fast. Its definitely not a place where you sit and chat with your friends. They expect you to sit down, order right away, eat it, and leave right away. But I guess many popular places are like that around Hong Kong.. Seating-wise its very cramp here. You'll be sitting basically elbow to elbow with strangers next and behind you. But that doesn't matter because their desserts are so wonderful! Some of my favorites are the tong yuen (glutinous rice balls) that come come with peanut sauce. The one that comes in the ginger soup is good too (for this dish, the balls have fillings inside, such as sesame or peanut sauce). Another good one is their sorbets, which are perfect for a hot day.

Heyyyy, do you like durian? Or even want to give it a shot despite the crazy smell it may emit or…read morethe odd taste it might exude? I believe one of the ways to try durian without having to be afraid of it is by tasting it through the various dessert dishes here at this cute little place. Having no idea that this place existed, I was pretty thankful to my new local friend who suggested this place. It's located in a small little street, similar to an alley way, and by the time you get near it, you'll definitely see a long line of people waiting to get in. The wait itself isn't that bad. Most people just come here to eat dessert and leave right after. Once seated, my friends and I spent some time browsing through the extensive dessert menu and settled on trying the durian with crystal seeds (one of the many popular dishes) and watermelon and lychee with crystal seeds. In summary, the watermelon and lychee were ok. The watermelon ended up being too watery for my taste and the lychee wasn't too memorable. Both tasted decent but definitely not a must try. For the durian, this was surprisingly good! I am normally not a durian fan (the stench gets to me sometime) but here, you couldn't really smell too much of the durian in the dish. The taste of durian was also soften quite a bit, making this dish a bit more doable for those who do not like durian. I found this dish to be pretty tasty and not too sweet and it was unique to eat it with the crystal seeds. Overall, this is a great spot to stop by for desserts. If you're not a fan of durian but can tolerate the smell of it wafting through the restaurant, this place is great to try other HK desserts at an affordable price.

I walked by this bakery one day and wondered what all the hubbub was. I had seen plenty of cheese…read moretarts and other cheesecake-like desserts in Japan and was curious by the popularity. The interior is rather minimalist but clean. The cheese tart was so warm and fresh that it actually was a bit of a detriment. As I was about to grasp said tart to consume, the crust crumbled very easily and warm cheese filling flowed right round the tart cup and partly onto the bar table I was standing at. What I got to eat was quite good, however. The filling is smooth and not too sweet while the crumbly crust provided some (I suppose) structure to the dessert. There isn't a strong cream cheese flavor but more of a neutral cream flavor. I was just rather disappointed that I looked like a slob as I was consuming the dispersed dessert that resembled me dropping it on the floor. Like the decor, the service is minimal. While staff is not grumpy, don't expect much of a reception here.

The (dessert) hills of HK are alive, with the smell and taste of cheese tarts from the ultra…read morepopular Hanjuku Kobo (半熟工房). The cheese tart (芝士撻) really started at the Causeway Bay location (https://www.yelp.com/biz/71IB0MVMT_FI9yWG4r0UNg), which after many lines and cheese tarts sold prompted the second location to be in good ol Kowloon. TST will forever have outlets of popular fad businesses. Only I don't think cheese tarts are a fad and that I think they're here to stay. Most folks can't get enough of them, myself included, especially at this location along Cameron Road. During the day time, the hubbub is so much that this place is often a mess during peak rush hours. It's easy to see why: the tarts are cheesy, ultra savory, and come in various flavors (baked cheese, matcha green tea, chocolate, egg custard). The only thing they aren't is cheap, which at $22HKD is a good grip for a single tart. Tarts aren't the only game for baked goods at this location thankfully, an item that often gets overlooked are their individual baked cheese cakes and custom pastries. In terms of selection, they alone put this location over their sister spot in Causeway Bay. My favorite of the bunch are the Blueberry Cheesecakes (藍莓芝士蛋糕), which I caution for lactose in tolerant folks is not kind to your insides. I would suggest a Caramel Egg Pudding (焦糖雞蛋布甸) instead. Last I visited, it was cash or octopus card only. They're always well staffed (if not overstaffed) with lots of eager young ladies who are looking to offer freshly baked Japanese goods to the masses. For cheese tart fans anywhere, this is one of the better spots to slay your inner cheesy cravings.

A trendy spot for Japanese style shaved ice cream! Some perks of this spot is that they have free…read morewater and a clean bathroom. We tried the strawberry parfait shaved ice and enjoyed how they layered the syrup, panna cotta, and ice so that every bite was flavorful. While it looks huge in the photos, we were able to finish it off with two people fairly easily.

If you tried kakigori in Japan, do not expect the ones in HK to be the same. Shari Shari was on the…read moretop recommended for kakigori in HK. They have a couple of locations and I went to the one located in Central HK that was near my hotel. The shop was pretty small and was on the middle of an incline hill. The shop is pretty small and tight. There is only one person working in the front. The table we sat in was not clean. It was sticky and the employee did not bother to wipe it even when we were seated. We have to order through a QR code. There was a seasonal flavor which was strawberry sake at the time. I got the strawberry panna cotta kakigori. Strawberry panna cotta: The strawberry flavor was artificial. The inside of the kakigori was artificial strawberry cream and whipped cream. The shaved ice was icy and crunchy. It was not soft. It was made by regular tap water ice instead of the milk/cream ice that Japan would use. There was no panna cotta on the bottom. It was just more whipped cream that I think they were fooling us thinking we wouldn't notice. Overall, the kakigori was not cheap. It was about $20 USD. It was huge, the same size as you would get in Japan. I think the size is enough for 2 people to share. Another thing is that they include 10% service charge on the receipt. Barely any service but whatever, most restaurant in HK automatically include a 10% service charge. I recommend to try traditional HK dessert dishes instead of this fail imitation of kakigori.

TL;DR: Very mid kakigori. I do not recommend going here, and instead you should prioritize other…read moredessert shops in the area. 1/FOOD. The rotating kakigori flavor of the month was black sesame. It was loaded with thick black sesame cream atop and inside the mound of shaved ice. But the cream was very sweet (especially in Hong Kong where desserts tend to be not sweet enough). They also had shaved nuts on top the ice, but it wasn't made apparent in the menu listing. Very dangerous for those with allergies. 2/VALUE. So they did give a lot! However, they did charge a lot too... 150 HKD or $18 USD. 3/SERVICE + AMBIANCE. You'd think with high prices that the service would be good. It's not. The staff is rude. You have to order the item via your phone after scanning a QR code. You have to get your own water and napkin. Also, make sure you don't take a picture of their kitchen area. They don't allow that.

I'd been looking forward to coming back after two years and even brought my sister since I'd been…read moreraving about it. We ordered the strawberry yogurt, which my family loved last time. When it arrived, it looked off. It's more like cheap shaved ice with red syrup. I was busy catching up with my sister, so I didn't say anything, but I knew something wasn't right. Later, I checked my old posted pics and confirmed it wasn't the same dessert even though I ordered the same thing.This one tasted like ice with red dye syrup. Definitely not worth $130. I wouldn't even pay $40 for it. Really disappointed and won't be coming back.