Azuki to Kouri. “Red Beans and Ice.” Whichever language you prefer, the name of Tokyo’s newest, hottest dessert counter evokes one of Japan’s classic summertime treats.
Azuki beans have been eaten in Japan in sweetened form since ancient times. Meanwhile, ice has been used in desserts for almost as long, most famously to make kakigōri, the shaved ice that is a national staple in the enervating heat and humidity of mid-summer.
In the hands of pastry chef Miho Horio, however, these humble ingredients are the building blocks of a dynamic menu that is as attuned to the changing seasons as traditional Kyoto cuisine. Azuki to Kouri, her chic-gray, seven-seat restaurant, which opened in January, is already proof of this.