Matcha is the ground powder of green tea that is grown and processed specially. In Song Dynasty, people in ancient China made powdered tea from the tea leaves and whipped the tea powder and hot water to make beverages. However, the product of "matcha" did not become very popular in China. It was the Japanese people who started the modern matcha food. Monk Eisai brought the method of powdered tea to Japan in 1191. Nowadays, matcha has been used as a flavor in some dishes, including mochi, cake, ice cream, latte, soba noodles and so on. Among the young people in most of the Asian countries, it is trendy to be obsessed with matcha products.
Tombo, which means dragonfly in Japanese, is the first authentic Japanese matcha bar in London. Located in South Kensington, one of the greatest areas in Central London, Tombo helps people experience and know the art of matcha and Japanese cuisine. ​
Figure 1 (right) - The cook controlled the sweetness in matcha ice cream very well. £4.25
Figure 2 (below) - The texture of the ice cream is smooth.
Tombo offers a variety of matcha food. Not only the desserts, but also some of the drinks are made by matcha. As the official website of Tombo mentioned, it is London's first Matcha Café offering a range from Matcha cakes & sundaes to lattes & the classic Matcha Tea Ceremony Set. The matcha latte is one of the most popular drinks in the restaurant. Also, if you are looking for special afternoon tea, Tombo's Japanese version is a good choice.
For those who want to try other Japanese cuisine, there are plenty of them in Tombo. It has bento boxes, sushis, ramen and bowls. The katsu curries are so popular that sometimes they will have no katsu left for the dinner time.
Figure 3 (left) - Salmon Sashimi Don £14.65
Figure 4 (right) - Beef Don Rice Bowl £13.95
Figure 5 (above) - Maki Sushi Roll
However, the food in Tombo is a little bit pricy for students if they are interested in all of the Japanese dishes, the matcha desserts and drinks. If you want to try many different dishes and don't mind sharing with others, sharing is more valuable than ordering individually. Because the restaurant does not take any reservations, it's better to get there early and wait for tables when it's not very crowded.
