Seasonal 11 Course Dessert in Kyoto : Cafe Ensoleillé Experience.
I turned 30 a few weeks ago, and like most years, I wanted to treat myself a little more than usual on my birthday. Since I’m still working part-time while waiting for my new visa, I was looking for something special, like a dessert course, that wouldn’t completely break the bank. I’ve visited quite a few patisseries in Kyoto, but most of them only offer the usual fare, nice cakes, and drinks, but nothing that felt truly unique for a birthday celebration. Some restaurants offer multi-course meals with dessert at the end, but I was really craving something that focused entirely on desserts. Unfortunately, dessert courses aren’t all that common in Kyoto.
I was about to give up when I suddenly remembered a friend mentioning a cute café, Ensoleillé, near her place that had amazing parfaits. I decided to look it up, and to my surprise, I discovered they offer an 11-course dessert experience during select periods each month. Even better, it just so happened to be available on my birthday!
The 11-course dessert costs ¥6,680 (tax included), and there’s a one-drink minimum when you dine, but honestly, I thought that was a pretty reasonable price, so I booked it right away. During the reservation process, there was an option to specify the purpose of your visit, and “birthday (self)” was one of the choices. Even though the booking was through a third-party platform, I was happy to see that included. They also allowed you to request a personalized message on a plate with a candle, which of course I opted for!
A few years ago, when I was working full-time, I celebrated with a 7-course meal and a special strawberry dessert course. But I made the mistake of having the strawberry course before the actual meal and I remember feeling absolutely stuffed and struggling to finish everything. This time, I knew better: if I was going to take on 11 dessert courses, I definitely needed to arrive on an empty stomach. That said, I was relieved to see that most of the courses were fruit-based, which made the whole experience feel much lighter and thankfully, I was right. I was able to enjoy every single dish without feeling uncomfortably full.
About Ensoleillé
Ensoleille first opened in 2019 as a small dessert shop in Shiga Prefecture, occasionally offering dessert courses in Kyoto on an irregular basis. In 2020, they decided to establish a permanent location in Kyoto. According to their website, their original dream was to open a shop surrounded by herb fields in Shiga, but they eventually chose a different path. Their Kyoto location specializes in seasonal sweets and desserts made with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs sourced directly from local farmers they collaborate with.
These days, Ensoleille also operates as a café. The second week of each month is dedicated to parfaits, while the remaining weeks focus on their signature dessert courses. They update their schedule monthly on Instagram, so you can easily check whether it’s parfait week or dessert course week before planning your visit.
Seasonal Dessert Course
To start you are shown the drink menu, there are alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available but I decided to go with the sparkling wine.
The dessert menu is printed on a small paper and rather than labeling each course, it mentions the ingredients used for each plate as well as the farms they sourced the ingredients from.
First Course
Parsnip & White Miso Creme Brulee
A nice light starter for the course. I didn’t realise miso could be made into brulee!
Second Course
Nanohana, Hassaku and Lemon Tart
Cute tart with a nice balanced citrusy taste with nanohana notes.
Third Course
Parfait made from true mirin, natsumikan (mandarin), and yellow beetroot – topped with candy.
Although it was a bit sour, together with the candy the overall taste was balanced. The mirin parfait base melted quickly as seen as I was taking photos.
Fourth Course
Kiyomi Orange, Carrot, and rape blossoms.
At first, we were given Ma Gao pepper from Taiwan to crush and smell the aroma.
Then we were advised to put the crushed pepper onto the carrot foam which covers the orange and rape blossom dish.
It was a very interesting blend of flavours, although a bit sour it all worked.
Fifth Course
Butterbur Bud and Nyoho Strawberry in a Meringue
This one was probably the more bitter dish as it had butterbur bud but when it was mixed with the strawberry the bitterness faded.
Sixth Course
Kanto-Style Sakura Mochi
Inside the dough was white miso, whipped cream, and strawberries. The ice cream (green) was actually made from cherry blossom leaves! The pink jelly contains cherry blossoms. Although cherry blossoms and their leaves can be salty, together with the strawberry and cream it had a good balanced taste and really tasted like sakura mochi!
Seventh Course
Kiyomi Orange, Hassaku, and Whey Granita
A nice, citrusy dish to refresh the palette.
Special Plate
As mentioned in the introduction you could request a message plate and candle! I went with “Suddenly 30” because although I knew I’d reach 30 in time, it still feels rather sudden. Suddenly 30 is also the Australianised title of the American movie “13 Going on 30”.
Eighth Course
Financier with Hararyokaku shichimi
I’ve never had a spicy financier before! Although it was spicy it was still fun to eat as the spiciness wasn’t overbearing overall.
Final Courses
Salted sable (cookie) with mandarin peel and fennel
Apricot ganache sandwich with hassaku peel
Hard gummy made from beetroot leaf, banana, kiyomi orange, and lemon.
A nice ending to the dessert course. I honestly think the gummy could become some sort of health superfood, healthy and tasty to eat!
Overall it was a great dessert course and I’m curious about their parfaits so I’ll try to visit again in the future!
I mentioned to the chef that it was hard to find dessert courses in Kyoto but she said recently it’s been increasing so I guess I should do better research.
