Ogling Luxurious Wagashi at Minamoto Kitchoan

T. Palmer

​No longer the exclusive province of cities such as Tokyo, London, New York, and, um, San Jose, San Francisco is now home to the newest location of Minamoto Kitchoan (648 Market at New Montgomery). The Japanese confectioner (Wagashi-ya) makes seasonal wagashi, which are sweets and snacks for tea, and packages them in gorgeous box and paper creations that will tempt even the slightly crafty among us to save for potential art projects. While some of the selections are self-serve, everything is displayed under glass jewelry cases, a touch which elevates these treats to Tiffany status.

Accordingly, don't expect to get out of the door cheaply here, unless you have remarkable self-restraint. This SFoodie clearly did not possess as we filled up our basket with Fukuwatashisenbei (vanilla cream cookies; $2.50), Kohakukanume (plum wine jelly with green plum; $4), Shimizukage (mochi and red bean jelly; $2.80), Yuka (yuzu flavored bean jelly; $2.50), and the irresistible Hakuto (white peach jelly; ($11), encased in an adorable plastic white peach and basket which we refrigerated and then spooned out like a delicate pudding. The price was worth the transport to another land.