eat and drink

Vegan Discoveries Lesson 010-Premarche Gelataria

(Class bell rings) Welcome back class and this time we have the AC blasting because it is SUPER HOT out here folks! Even though Kyoto feels like you are inside of an onsen, this does not stop the adventures of Vegan Discoveries. This week`s adventure is going to be a bit different from the rest. Due to the steamy hot weather, I went out searching for vegan ice cream! Yes you read right, VEGAN ICE CREAM. So, without further ado let`s dive into this gem I stumbled upon in the depths of Kyoto`s belly. It was a normal summer day in Kyoto Japan, the sun was blazing, the cicadas were buzzing, and I was sweating profusely without much movement. A friend of mine recommended to me that I should check out this Gelateria close to Omiya station. He said the ice cream was pretty good, but this was totally an understatement! I have tried a few different vegan ice cream while I have been staying in Japan, and they all were good, but Premarche Gelateria definitely takes the cake! After walking a couple minutes from the station, I finally reached the store, and I didn`t know what to expect, but I was sure in for a treat.

I saw this sign before I entered the store and I noticed they ranked number 3 in the world for their homemade gelato recipes. You know when you go to many stores they always say they have the best of this or that, but Premarche definitely shows and proves.

I entered the air-conditioned store and as relief from being out in the hot sun came over my face, my mouth dropped at all the awesome products they had within the ice cream store. Check it out!


A variety of different grains, sauces, and juices.

Soups, ice cream for kids, almond milk and, raw nut bars.

Milks, teas, and juices OH MY!

It took me about 10 minutes to get myself together and order what I really came here for.

They have an easy to read English menu board where they display the options that are available to you. I wanted to savor the moment so I decided to get two one flavor cups to see if Premarche was the real deal or not!


They have a bountiful number of flavors to choose from so in order for their customers to get their money`s worth, they offer free tasting for 100 yen per spoon full. For me, I just went with what sounded good to me in that moment, plus what they said was popular among the people.


They also offer tea and coffee for those in need.


Now getting to what you`ve all been waiting for!


THE ICE CREAM!


Can you guess which two I chose?


First choice:

Okinawa organic brown sugar and organic kinako(roasted soy flour)


Second choice

and one of the most popular:

Finest Sicilian Pistachio


Did you guess right? If so, you might be a mind reader, because there were so many great flavors to choose from it was very difficult for me to decide.

Once you choose the flavors you want, you order at the ticket machine.


This experience so far is cool isn`t it? The best has yet to come!


Don`t worry the ticket machine also has an English menu so your experience will run smoothly!

NOW LET`S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!!!!!


Delivered to me first was my number one selection,

OKINAWA ORGANIC BROWN SUGAR and ORGANIC KINAKO


She`s a beauty isn`t she!

They were running a promotion where you get an extra spoon full of your flavor of choice. I chose “The Ninja” flavor. I am not sure how the size looks in the picture, but one cup of the gelato is definitely filling. Combined with the Japanese summer, two cups will make you forget about any troubles or stresses you had during that day.

When my friend said the ice cream was pretty good, he down played this gelato so bad! It was the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my life! I couldn`t believe something like this existed so close to me and how I am now able to get it whenever I want now! I wanted to share this amazingness with the whole world! (I had to keep my composure while eating this, even though in my mind I was jumping all over the place screaming like a little kid.)

Once I finished this flavor, I was super excited to try the next one. And from this point it just kept getting better and better.


Next up was the people`s favorite, Finest Sicilian Pistachio. The name itself sounds like you are going to get a taste of first class! Recently I have been eating a lot of pistachios so when I was able to try this flavor, my expectations were automatically set really high. I was wondering would they be able to surprise me with a taste I wasn`t ready for? And when I took the first bite, OH MY GOD, it was heaven in my mouth! Again, looking normal on the outside, my body on the inside was going off like the New Year`s celebration at New York in Times Square. Every part of my body was ecstatic and thanking me for the experience of that ice cream.


And just like that, the evidence was gone out of sight like nothing happened.


LESSON WRAP UP

This week`s adventure to Premarche Gelateria was really a treat that was unexpected. Not only was the gelato super delicious, all of the flavors are homemade, no processed ingredients, and they are all organic! If you fell in love with the ice cream, they also have a restaurant with vegan options as well as a health food store within a few minutes away from one another. Due to the Corona virus situation, many customers were not there when I went, but when I was talking to the chef who makes all the ice cream, she stated that normally they usually have a line out the door waiting for the ice cream! I was unable to talk to the man who came up with the recipes for the gelato, but I was able to find out his first-born daughter had an allergy to certain foods. From that point he decided to do research on food and health. He wanted to create food which was good for your health as well as enjoyable to eat. I am definitely looking forward to meeting Nobuo Nakagawa in person because he changed my life with this ice cream. We will be back to explore the Premarche restaurant and see what they have to offer. Will it match up to the Premarche Gelateria? Come to class next week as we go on another adventure in Vegan Discoveries!

(Class bell rings)


About the locations in this article

Premarche Gelateria
Address
308 Ontomo-cho Nakagyoku, Kyoto 604-8331 Japan
Booking / Inquiries

Writer

Vegan Discoveries in Kyoto
Zane Fletcher Johnson

Looking for delicious foods that are made up of no animal products?
You have come to the right place! I am here to help you on your journey while you are here in Japan. I am here to tell you being plant-based in this beautiful country is possible! I, Zane Johnson will be your “sensei”, (Which means teacher in Japanese) who will guide you to the most delicious plant-based spots Kyoto has to offer.
Just to give you some background information on what I can bring to the table, I have been plant based for over a year now, but I have been on and off the plant-based diet for over 7 years! I look forward to seeing you guys in class!
Without further due, class is in SESSION!

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