Kyoto-Style Water Drop Mochi Found in the Heart of Vientiane — KYO Cafe & Meal Record

Vientiane is fiercest at two in the afternoon. Shade does nothing to help, and you can feel your shirt clinging to your back. That day, while walking through downtown, it became un…

វៀងចាន់ · KYO Cafe & Meal

Vientiane is fiercest at two in the afternoon. Shade does nothing to help, and you can feel your shirt clinging to your back. That day, while walking through downtown, it became unbearable, so I ducked into a building with air conditioning—and spotted the KYO Cafe & Meal sign. I hadn't expected to encounter a Japanese tea café in Laos. There was an exposed concrete structure with an open ceiling, a white curved sign hanging down, and beside it stood a large artificial cherry blossom tree. For Laos, it was definitely on the pricier side, but half of the customers sitting inside were local people in their twenties and thirties.

Mizushingen Mochi — Water Drop Mochi That Looks Like Glass Marbles

The order arrived on a wooden pear-shaped plate. On the left, something like green matcha shaved ice topped with red bean paste; in the center, transparent water drop mochi; on the right, a pile of soybean powder. Beside it were a small dish of black sugar syrup and bamboo fork and spoon. Underneath the plate was a wooden board with the shop's logo branded into it.

Up close, it really does look like a water droplet. The light reflects directly off the surface, making it seem like there's another world inside. It felt a bit wasteful to pierce it with a fork, but when you actually do, there's almost no resistance. With a slight pop, the shape collapses.

Honestly, there's no flavor to it at all. Because it's water. With this dessert, everything depends on how well you coat it with soybean powder and black sugar syrup. At first I only drizzled a little syrup and found it bland, so the second time I poured the entire dish of it—and that was right. The nuttiness of the soybean powder and the weighty sweetness of the black sugar settle on the cold glob of water, and only then does it become a dessert. It dissolves on your tongue quickly, which was actually nice for a body drenched in sweat after walking in. It has that distinctive Japanese dessert cleanliness—not oily, no lingering aftertaste. One thing to watch is timing. About thirty minutes after it's made, the form starts to sag, so don't hold onto it too long while taking pictures.

ដាក់ស្នើទម្រង់អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ឌីជីថល (LDIF)

Uji Matcha and Black Sesame Soft Serve

The iced matcha I ordered had '茶' stamped on the cup along with Premium Matcha from Uji, Kyoto. The cup was marked as plant-derived biodegradable plastic. Since it was straight without any milk, dark green matcha had settled to the bottom, and I had to stir it for a while with the straw to mix it. The first sip is bitter. There's almost no sugar in it, so if you're expecting something sweet, you might be shocked. I alternated it with the sweet water drop mochi, so it was balanced.

My companion ordered the jet-black soft serve ice cream. They lined the glass with transparent jelly cubes, placed the soft serve on top, then served a small glass of espresso on the side. You're meant to pour it in. The distinctive nuttiness of black sesame is intense, and when you pour the coffee in, it becomes affogato. The table next to us had the same thing, so it seems to be a popular menu item here.

Shop Condition and Location

Half the reason to come back to this place is the cleanliness. The wooden tables have no stickiness, and even the cutlery, which is also wooden, is maintained without any water stains. If you've spent time in Southeast Asia, you know that while there are plenty of cafés with strong air conditioning, few places maintain their tables and fixtures at this level. Staff in blue shirt uniforms constantly move between the counter and the dining area, keeping everything tidy. After walking the streets of Laos sweating and feeling your blood sugar crash, there's nowhere better than sitting in a cool, clean space and getting something sweet into your system.

The location is downtown Vientiane, marked on the map below. It's inside an indoor mall structure, so the sign isn't very visible from outside. If you're walking to find it, it's fastest to go into the building and use the white curved sign and cherry tree as your reference points.

Good to Know Before You Go

• The water drop mochi must be eaten as soon as it arrives. It doesn't hold its shape for long.
• Don't skimp on the soybean powder and black sugar syrup. Without it, it's just water.
• The matcha is nearly unsweetened. If you want something sweet, go for a latte.
• The prices are not low by local Laos restaurant standards. I recommend checking the exact prices and hours on site.
• There are peak times when tables turn over quickly. The seating near the cherry tree gets crowded with people taking photos.

I walked in drenched in sweat, swallowed one cold glob of water, and walked out. Thirty minutes that made the Vientiane afternoon bearable again.