The 20-year-old chain has 50 outlets in its native Japan. Warabimochi Kamakura, a shop specialising in warabi mochi is opening its first outlet in Singapore, a takeaway kiosk at the new mall One Holland Village. The company recently expanded its overseas presence by opening branches in Hong Kong and Canada too.
Warabi mochi gets its name from warabi, the Japanese word for bracken, a type of fern with roots that can be made into bracken starch. The starch is then used to make muah chee-like warabi mochi that is light and cooling, with a delicately silky, jelly-like texture that’s not as chewy or sticky as regular mochi. It is usually enjoyed with a dusting of kinako (soybean) or matcha powder.
Other than traditional warabi mochi, which comes in chunky pieces, Warabimochi Kamakura is known for its photogenic dessert drinks loaded with — naturally — warabi mochi, which are cut into tiny pieces so they can be slurped up with a bubble tea straw. For the purists, traditional warabi mochi is also sold at the shop. It’s made fresh daily with bracken starch, and apparently boasts a “house secret blend” of ingredients that make for “a silkier mouthfeel”.
It is then served the old-school way, dusted with kinako powder that “has been roasted at a higher temperature and for longer time, resulting in a deeper and richer flavour”, and Okinawan brown sugar kuromitsu syrup.
