Usagiya Dorayaki: I first learned of the Japanese snack Dorayaki from Doraemon, a cartoon for kids about a robot cat whose favorite snack is the red-bean filled pancake. Since watching Doraemon as a child, I've enjoyed eating Dorayaki in the states mostly from the refrigerated aisle of grocery stores, where the packets always contain silica gel to maintain freshness. I was excited to try freshly made ones at Usagiya, a famous confectionary shop in Ueno specializing in this dessert. For a little under two dollars, you can get a fresh, warm pancake. The Dorayaki from Usagiya is spongy, with more air pockets than others I've had; the red bean paste much sweeter than I expected (especially after the very lightly sweetened paste at Naniwaya, the original Taiyaki shop). To be honest, I was a little disappointed because I feel like the store-bought ones get you 80% of the way there in terms of flavor and consistency; comparatively, the Taiyaki I've had perviously, even fresh, were about 40% as good as the one you can get at Naniwaya. Anyhow, you never know until you try it! 3.0/5.0

japanese ueno desserts redbean usagiya dorayaki 3.0