This May saw the release of the first official Apothecary Diaries cookbook, compiling 23 recipes from the series. For those looking to “try before they buy,” a dedicated Apothecary Diaries cafe featuring the book’s dishes was hosted in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Specifically in the café space of a Matsumoto Kiyoshi, one of Japan’s leading pharmacy chains.
While walk-ins were accepted, a (paid) reservation came with an adorable mini poster of the café’s main visual which adorned the entrance and the walls. The visual in question is also, notably, the cookbook’s cover.
The cafe menus
The menu was organized in four categories: seiro (steamer basket sets inspired by moments in the series), mushipan (sweet steamed bread), teas representing Jinshi or Maomao, and the “story” dishes, which were recreations of real meals or drinks features in the series. A side menu section offered standard coffee, tea and juice orders.
Additionally, the seiro steamer basket sets had three “themes” — warmth, purity, and peaceful, in a neat evocation of Maomao and her medicinal approach to food. Patrons could choose from baobing (Chinese thin pancakes), muli-grain rice, or mantou (bao buns). Each came with a stamped quote in reference to the flavor selected.
What I ate!
Set on the “story” menu portion, my beverage of choice the iced Two-Layer Mystery Latte. The mystery turning out to be a matcha and taro flavor rosemary sprig.
Shortly after the “Friendship Ice Cream” arrived — or, more accurately, the deconstructed ingredients for it. Made with a recipe developed based on the real technique used by Maomao. You are provided with instructions on how to beat the sweet custard into ice cream, served over an ice bath.
Together with the experience of creating it yourself, the jellied fruit toppings made for a refreshing, satisfying finish. Reinforcing the ease of creating these dishes at home.
Merchandise
Finally, a relatively modest merch area stood by the entrance of the Apothecary Diaries cafe. Offering some pieces exclusive to the café, but also gave visitors the opportunity to pick up copies of the light novels and the manga.
The level of attention-to-detail in the setting aside, the Chinese-inspired menu immediately set it apart from other collab cafes in how it provided a more uniquely tailored experience to The Apothecary Diaries, as well as just a refreshing deviation from the standard collab café foods.
