3 sweet treats to try at Time Out Market Osaka

Pâtissier Seiichiro Nishizono has been at the forefront of Osaka’s sweets scene for over a decade now, using flowers, herbs, spices and other native ingredients to conjure up desserts that evoke Japan’s seasonal landscapes. He’s brought his best parfait game to Time Out Market, offering a three-pronged selection of these indulgent pieces of edible art.

While Nishizono’s Mont Blanc and Kyoto Wazuka Premium parfaits are both well worth a punt, we’d be remiss not to highlight his seasonal special (¥2,800). The spring offering available as of writing centres brand-name Kotoka strawberries from Nara, with slices of these perfectly plump red beauties having pride of place at the tuile-supported summit of a towering creation that also features sakura-flavoured whipped cream, lychee sorbet, vanilla jelly and custard cream.

In summer you’ll be able to look forward to a parfait built around peaches, while autumn will see chestnuts and figs take centre stage.

Julian♡Sucré♡Acid brings together three of Osaka’s most innovative sweets purveyors: Julian Ice Cream, leading bakery Le Sucré Coeur and pâtisserie Acid Racines. At the heart of it all is Julian’s owner and indomitable showman Masuhiro Yokota, who aims to leverage this unique collaboration to create reimagined – and elevated – versions of classic Japanese coffeeshop treats.

Yokota’s vision is encapsulated in the trio’s pudding à la Mode (¥1,200), in which the orthodox combination of firm custard pudding and bits of fresh fruits is discarded in favour of a pairing with Julian’s signature vanilla ice cream, raspberry jam and a piece of house-made waffle cone. The obligatory maraschino cherry is there, too – kind of: in this version, the pretty-looking but less than appetising garnish has been swapped out for a heart-shaped piece of pink chocolate.

When the original branch of Gion Tokuya opened along the glam Hanamikoji Street in Kyoto, the shop captivated the ancient capital’s sweets fiends with its traditionally inspired but imaginative wagashi – dainty sweets made to accompany tea – and kakigori, mountains of shaved ice with toppings such as tea or azuki beans.

In his first foray outside his home city, pastry chef Shogo Yamauchi brings his artisanal spirit and dedication to fine ingredients to Time Out Market. The undisputed star of his show is the Premium Matcha Uji Kintoki kakigori (¥1,480), a 100-percent house-made tour de force in which satisfyingly fluffy ice is married with rich matcha syrup made with high-grade tea from the verdant fields of Uji, Japan’s premier matcha-producing region.

Inspired by Australia’s coffee culture (the Mel is short for Melbourne), Masahiko Fumimoto’s coffee shop has been attracting incredibly long queues of coffee connoisseurs at its Shinmachi shop since 2012. Known for his obsessive eye for detail, Fumimoto and his team roast and prepare their beans slightly differently in every season, making adjustments to the recipes depending on the humidity.

Mel’s single-origin lattes made with Geisha beans – served hot or iced – are a bit of an investment at ¥1,580, but we’ve already seen their painstakingly calibrated balance of sweetness, bitterness and floral aromas leave many a coffee connoisseur speechless.