Horiuchi Fruit Farm is a place I remember enjoying in Osaka a while back. I heard the main store was in Nara, so I went to check it out, and it turned out to be right in the middle of the shopping arcade. Nara isn’t very big, so for a short trip I’d say it’s actually more efficient than Kyoto.

Here’s the place

There’s plenty of space further inside.

Gifts and souvenirs

Quite a range of them.

Jams

Teas

A picture of the parfaits

Dried fruit

Postcards

The counter

Looks like they’re ripening pineapples

The kitchen

A fruit sandwich heading out to another table

Shot at 5x zoom..

Seasonal parfait

So they just cut a pineapple in half and build it in there.. This one tempted me too, but there was something I wanted even more.

Mango sandwich

The mango was ripened until it was almost creamy, and it went beautifully with the fresh cream. It really does take a fruit expert doing the ripening to get fruit at its very best.

Choco banana parfait

For the choco banana, the top of the banana is glazed like a creme brulee, the glass underneath is packed with very rich chocolate mixed with banana, and then more melted chocolate is poured over the top to finish it off. The chocolate-and-banana combination never misses.

Dekopon parfait

They were generous with the dekopon – a large, sweet Japanese citrus – so it was a refreshing one all the way through. The raspberry ice cream went well with it too.

Every single item was at a level you could call artistic, and unlike in Osaka I walked straight in with no wait and ate at my own pace. I was so envious of the people of Nara, who can just drop by a place like this. After eating every parfait I wanted here, I had no choice but to cancel my plan to hit a soba shop.

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