The other day my friend Akiko took me to the top floor of Isetan in Shinjuku to have tea at Chaya Macrobi, a cute little macrobiotic cafe. I only have a few pictures, but suffice to say everything was adorable, everything was delicious, and (almost) everything they sold seemed to be vegan. Their cakes were all made without eggs, dairy, etc, and they even had a little cooler of itty bitty ice creams also made without animal products.

I had the chocolate pistachio cake, and Akiko had the tofu cake. I tried a bite of hers, expecting something like the tofu cheesecake we American vegans know and love.

Before I tried it I asked her what it tasted like.

“Tofu,” she said.

“Not like cheesecake?” I asked.

“Hmm… no.”

I took a bite.

“Well?” she asked.

“Tofu,” I said.

It was a little firmer than “tofu cheesecake” consistency, almost springy. And it definitely tasted like mildly sweetened tofu. I was happy with my chocolate pistachio cake, which had a nice, rich chocolate flavor, a crumbly crust, and also wasn’t too sweet. The sweetest desserts I’ve had in Japan are either drinks (such as my beloved adzuki bean drink, which is all over vending machines in Kyoto and in at least one vending machine in Ginza) or the glorified sugar cubes one has with powdered green tea.

Alas, like most macrobi places, Chaya Macrobi was also expensive. You get quality and cute presentation for what you pay for (see my 500 yen pistachio chocolate cake), but definitely a rare treat rather than an everyday snack. The ice cream ran about 300 yen for a teeny single serving cup that, coming from the Land of Supersize that is America, my brain could not accept as an adequate serving of dessert.

I’ll probably get some though. I’m glad I know where to find it if I get a craving.