Manju @ Houraku Manju, Sennichicho, Kagoshima

 

With my sweet tooth slightly aching and my stomach feeling a little peckish, an afternoon snack was in some need. Fortunately enough, during an exploration session in Tenmonkan, I found a confectionary stall that fits the bill. 

Classic feels 

Houraku Manju (蜂楽饅頭) is a stall that sells grilled taiko manju. For the uninitiated, taiko manju is a form of grilled cake that shapes like a drum and it is filled with various things, adzuki beans and white beans are common fillings. A common sight in festival and traditional coffee shops, this traditional treat is slowly dissipating. However, Hourakumanju seems to be going strong as there was a line in front of it when I was there. In fact, that is my usual litmus test. If people are waiting, it must be good right? 

Old school! 

The menu is relatively simple. For 100 yen you can pick either the adzuki bean paste or white bean paste. I took one of each which lead to a total of 200 yen. I mean, with that price, it is pretty much a steal. For eat in customers, the lady at the front will give a tab to record your order and you will pass it back to the staff once your order has arrived. Real old school if you asked me. 

Such an inviting view. 

Despite being warped back in time, the taste was still something modern people would enjoy. I had the white bean paste first. I assume it to be lima beans or mung beans, as I had something similar back home when it comes to classic Malaysian confections. 

Steamy!

The outer cake layer was crusty and light at the same time. Being a grilled cake, it was incredibly hot and was steaming when I took the first bite. it was incredibly sweet, but luckily the green tea that came with the treats was able to balance things out. 

Not chocolate, although it looks like it.

The red bean version was almost identical, save for a more robust flavour due to the difference of the beans. It had a more nutty and floral taste compared to the white bean paste. Still, both are equally enjoyable and I highly recommend both. Although the green tea was a great tag team partner, I would personally prefer some black coffee. But that is just my preference. 

You can't miss this corner. 

After some research, I realised the Houraku Manju has shops all over Kyushu and a few outlets in Fukuoka.  It is kind of fascinating to find out more about your close surroundings by going farther. Still this was a great find and a recommended establishment. If you would like to visit the particular shop that I have tried, then the address is as follows:

5-3 Sennichicho, Kagoshima, 892-0843