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» Why use chocolate or nuts when you can top your ice cream with gold like these Japanese cafes?

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Why use chocolate or nuts when you can top your ice cream with gold like these Japanese cafes?

Casey Baseel May 3, 2016
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Taking a page from traditional artisans, these treats shine like gold near the Sea of Japan.

Despite being called Golden Week, the string of holidays Japan is currently in the middle of doesn’t have any connection to precious metals. Instead, the individual holidays include Greenery Day and Children’s Day, and we have to admit that nature and kids both seem more fitting of a day of respect and celebration than gold.

However, while trees and children are both unusable as ice cream toppings, it’s actually is possible to coat ice cream in gold, which is what two restaurants in Japan are doing right now.

Japan is often mistakenly thought to be a nation that doesn’t really like sweets, but to see the truth you need look no farther than the fact that ice cream is sold just about everywhere here. Recently, a brand known as Cremia has been winning over fans with its extremely rich vanilla ice cream. Usually priced at 500 yen (US$4.70) for a cone, Cremia is more expensive than ordinary varieties of soft serve. To make it even more indulgent, though, the Ginza no Ginger cafe in the city of Kanazawa and the Budo no Ki restaurant in Toyama Prefecture are also offering it coated in gold leaf, which they’re calling the Kagayaki Cremia (“Shining Cremia”) and is available only during Golden Week.

There’s more to this dazzling display than just a linguistic tie-in with “Golden Week.” Both restaurants are located in the Hokuriku region, located along the Sea of Japan and historically home to the country’s most talented goldsmiths.

It’s not shockingly uncommon to see gold flecks or dust added to classy sake or desserts in Japan, but the Kagayaki Cremia goes several steps farther by wrapping the ice cream in a solid sheet of gold leaf. The unbroken layer of gold is elegantly delicate, following the contours of the soft cream underneath.

Because it’s so thin, the gold leaf doesn’t feel like it’s cracking or tearing as you bite into it. Instead, the sensation feels closer to it melting in your mouth as it mixes with the delicious ice cream.

We should point out, though, that gold doesn’t really have any flavor, so as far as your taste buds are concerned it won’t be all that different from eating a normal, non-golden (but still mouth-watering) Cremia. However, there’s no denying that the Kagayaki Cremia’s appearance and texture definitely make for an enjoyable and memorable experience. At 1,000 yen, we’re not sure whether we should call the Kagayaki Cremia an ultra-premium ice cream cone or a super-cheap piece of gold leaf artwork, but either way, we’ve never had anything like it before.

Restaurant information
Ginza no Ginger (Kanazawa Forus branch) / 銀座のジンジャー金沢フォーラス店
Address: Ishikawa-ken, Kanazawa-shi, Horikawa Shinmachi 3-1, Kanazawa Forus 1st floor
石川県金沢市堀川新町3-1 金沢フォーラス 1F
Open 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website

Budou no Ki (Aeon Mall Takaoka branch) / ぶどうのき（イオンモール高岡店）
Address: Toyama-ken, Takaoka-shi, Shimofusamae 383 Aeon Mall Takaoka 1st floor
富山県高岡市下伏間江３８３イオンモール高岡１階
Open 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website

Follow Casey on Twitter for more reasons to eat ice cream/references to the Slayers anime franchise.