ADDRESS:
665 Paularino Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(in the food cart of Mitsuwa Marketplace)
(714) 557-6699
WOW I DIDN'T REALIZE I TOOK SUCH A TERRIBLE PHOTO. THE GLARE THAT IS COVERING THE MENU READS "HOJI-CHA" AND UNDER THAT IS SOMETHING "ICE". HONESTLY I FORGOT WHAT IT SAYS BUT IT IS ALL THREE ICE CREAM FLAVORS IN ONE, SERVED IN A WAFFLE BOWL (WHICH IS WHAT I ORDERED)
I went here with my friend Pete a few months ago but I discovered this place around late February when the famous Marion Crepes was serving their delicious Japanese style crepes for a limited time at Mitsuwa Market with my boyfriend.
This place immediately caught my eye when I walked through the food court. Why? Because I have never seen it before and I'm pretty familiar with the restaurants in Mitsuwa. Also, another reason why it caught my attention was because of it's menu. MATCHA LOVE. WOW. I LOVE MATCHA! And also, I saw the company brand name ITO EN.
ITO EN. WHAT IS ITO EN. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF THAT THE COMPANY NAME SOUNDED TOO FAMILIAR!
I finally remembered that it is basically the number 1 green tea distributer company in Japan and you can see it's bottled green tea drinks sold everywhere, in every conbini (convenience store) and in every vending machine. This drink is popular and even I was addicted for awhile as well as it's many other products! I LOVE ITO EN. So, I love this MATCHA LOVE store!! (Okay.. I sound a bit too excited but that's because I really am!)
Having studied abroad in Japan for half a year, I found anything green tea in Japan to be far superior to the ones offered in California. The ice cream and the beverages are by far much better in Japan with a richer green tea / matcha flavor. After being accustomed to the strong matcha flavors in Japan, nothing in California was able to satisfy me. However, when I discovered this store, happiness exploded within me. Seriously, this place has the best matcha ice cream in Orange County (yes, I dare say the entire County of Orange). The matcha soft serve is very reminiscent of the matcha ice cream that became a part of my daily diet (literally daily) in Japan.
Okay, so enough of my rambling on about my "matcha love" for this store.
Overall:
- You need to get your butt down here and try it! They offer free samples of their ice cream
- They sell it in blended iced drink form with boba too!
- They also sell a lot of the different Ito En beverages here in their little fridge
- They offer Matcha, Sesame, and Hoji-Cha (roasted green tea) soft serve ice cream.
- All three flavors are super rich in flavor and taste. Some people might not like it because it can be overwhelming but for me, I love it!
- if you can't choose between the 3, you can have it all by choosing the waffle bowl option with all three flavors!
- They also offer coffee!
- They sell matcha tea sets too if you're interested!
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