It's called Hiromi Cake la first traditional Japanese pastry in Rome, open from November in the Prati area. A deep blue / green on the walls, a logo that recalls a geisha serving sweets made in Japan, a few square meters in which only girls with almond eyes move. In the showcase, a riot of colorful desserts with a decidedly Japanese look and others with a more western look: the first ones are i mochi and dorayaki, which belong to the category of wagashi, or traditional sweets; all the others, in which French, American or Italian recipes are re-elaborated according to taste and with the mixture of Japanese elements, are called yogashi, in a word, contaminations. Macha tea, azuki beans, sake, glutinous rice are just some of the ingredients that distinguish them.

But who is Hiromi?
A Japanese woman, not very young, who one day gave a box of her traditional sweets to an Italian restaurateur, already patron of a couple of Japanese restaurants. An act of courtesy typical of the Rising Sun, but also a suggestion: why not put in the menu of the desserts from the true Japanese inspiration? This is how the Italian entrepreneur and his team fall in love with these sweets, putting them not only in paper, but thinking of building around Hiromi a real Japanese confectionery, like the ones that are already growing in other European countries, starting with France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Rome and the very touristy Prati area are obviously the right place and Hiromi has been persuaded to leave her teaching position in Japan (a very prestigious and well-paid role in her country) to get back into play as a pastry chef in Italy , where he arrives without even knowing how to speak the language. With her there are two other collaborators, Tomoko and Mitsuko, both Japanese, who help her in the daily preparation of the line.

A perfectly oiled mechanism, in which the three Japanese pastry chefs rigidly divided their tasks: Mitsuko takes care of mochi and dorayaki; Tomoko makes the millecrepe and cheesecake, very popular in Japan; Hiromi is the most creative part, which gave life to his personal line of yogashi sweets. Presented in portions (but you can also ask the cake version to order) are characterized by a perfect balance of flavors, compared to a reduced use of sugar compared to original recipes, and the inclusion of elements of Japanese culture that may seem difficult to integrate, but which are instead the strength of these creations.

Browse the gallery