We start Loyalty Card Scheme!

There were some requests an-an issues a loyalty cards.... so I made one here!

If you collect 5 stamps, you can have one drink free. (ex. Smoothies and Milkshakes)
If you carry on collecting 15 stamps, you can have one meal.

How to collect the stamps?
Well, You can collect up to 2 stamps on one visit. 

If you purchase a lunch or Wagashi (Japanese Sweets) worth more than £5.00 in cash, we will give you a stamp.
There is a law change for the cash card payment. We are no longer allowed to charge the commission charge...
However, I set the menu prices according to "cash only" trade. Therefore I needed to fix the pricing in the new menu. Anyway, it was a bit odd to ask for charging whenever someone uses card for the payment. 
On the other hand, it is not right to charge the cost from the customer who is paying by cash. So I came up with this loyalty card to return it.

Therefore, we limit to give the stamp for the customer for paying by cash.

If you bring a lunch box for us to fill up, we give you a stamp.
Please bring a clean, heatproof and leak-proof container. We will fill up your lunch into the lunch box whichever on order, so need to be clean. (We cannot be responsible contamination from the container.)
The container needs to be bigger than 700ml for a Katsu curry, more than 800ml for a Large Katsu curry.
If you have this container in a deep place of your cupboard, please wash and bring it!

Recently, There are so many heartbreaking news about plastics are heard.
an-an makes Wagashi, whose design is based on beauty of nature, we have been making efforts to reduce waste.
We would like to encourage people to eat in cafe to use proper plates and chopsticks, which are not disposable.
For takeaway sweets, not only paper box, paper bags and paper cups are biodegradable, but cellophane to wrap the individual sweets are also made from biodegradable material, cellulose. We give away wooden spoons and forks.

The last problem is... the container for curry and lunches.
If curry sauce leaks... That's a disaster!
Then one of my customer brought an empty Tiffin lunch box and told me to fill this up with his order.

I thought this is the way an-an should go!

I will store these lunch box at an-an for you to purchase, but till then, please bring your own container. This stamp is our appreciations to you preventing an-an to use plastic containers.

Such a small shop, so what we can do is still very small, however, this is a big step towards a lifestyle change, I believe.

We may be not working well to deal with this new scheme. We appreciate your patience. Anyway, this starts from 27th November.

November sweets and events Part 2

November Sweets

Inoko Mochi ￡1.50/each
Sooth Adzuki bean paste inside of Mochi, mixed with chunky Adzuki bean paste. Finished with the aromatic roasted soy flour, which is organic and roasted in-house. This available till mid-November. This contains Soy bean.

Kuri Daifuku Mochi ￡1.50/each
Candied soft chestnuts with smooth adzuki bean paste in Mochi.

Kuri Manju (baked chestnuts cake) ￡1.80/each
chestnuts and white bean paste in a rich buttery pasty. This contains Wheat, gluten, eggs and milk.

Kintsuba square　1.50/each
Please choose Chunky Adzuki Bean Paste or Pumpkin paste in Mochi like textured skin. Available from 15th... This contains Wheat and gluten.

Dorayaki (smooth or chunky adzuki beans or Green tea) £1.50/each
This contains Egg, Wheat and honey.

Daifuku Mochi 
smooth or chunky adzuki bean paste £1.00/each

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November Events

Two big events already done on the 1st and 4th...
I have a bit of "burnt out" feeling.

So, the next event is...

We are planing to have Thursdays' OkonomiYaki night...
Well, I am sorry to say one on 16th is not happening any more as I am having a bit of fix on my right hand side, and I cannot flip over the OkonomiYaki very well...
It's getting cold, so come and have the hottest OkonomiYaki on Thursdays at an-an💛
You don't need any advance booking for the Take Away, but please make reservation for Eat In... You can leave a text message.

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From 20th November, we start taking order for the "New Year's Dinner Osechi box for one"

If you miss Japanese Osechi box, but you think it will be too much to make all by yourself. In the end, family won't appreciate the special meals in the box...

That was what I was feeling all the time.
This small Osechi box is for two meals (New Year's breakfast and supper for one person, or New Year's breakfast for two people).

Serving suggestion. This box is not coming with this meal.

The contents are same as usual. 
(salmon should be bigger than last year, though!)
£20.00 per box.

This is only for the customer who can pick up between 12 noon to 5 o'clock in the evening of the 31st December.
On the day, you can buy Mochi, Toshi-kochi noodles eat in/Take away. (Vegan option available.)

Please send the order by text message. 
Mention your name and £20 Osechi. It will help me a lot if you could mention what time on the 31st December you can come to pick up.

Order telephone number is 07923　900344.
30 boxes limit. the order is accepted till 15th December.

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Are you interested in Japanese style "end of year" party?
Please check the new menu some times in next week.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

November Sweets and Events Part I

It started really busy eventful week... It's been 10 days already!!!
Started with the Vegan Day and a big Wagashi Sale in Croydon Japanese School.
Yesterday was the "Ino Hi 亥の日". This is the day to eat Ino ko Mochi... Baby Boar Mochi.

In old Japanese calendar, 1st of October was the day start using a fire place for the tea ceremony in traditional tea hut. This sweets are served for this occasion at the 10 O'clock (called time of boar in old time) in the evening on the 1st of October.  The calendar was changed to the current practice, so the old 1st October moved to sometime in November. Therefore this sweet is still now eaten around this time of year. (That's my translation from what I read from Wiki in Japanese...)

This was my first challenge to make the Inoko Mochi for the Vegan afternoon tea on the other day. This was very popular! Adzuki bean paste, Mochi and Roasted Soy Bean flour... That's the best, I guess. Everyone's favorite. Moreover, the shape looks like a baby wild boar is cute🐗!

I will carry on making this sweets for a while. Please try!

Here is some feedback about the afternoon tea on 1st November.
It was no Japanese Afternoon Tea for a while, so some of you were waiting for it. Thankfully, the first two sessions were fully booked.

It was quite a challenge as I need to make every plates without anything made or related to animal nor fish. I checked and read so much about "Kaiseki Ryori" and "Shojin Ryori". Then I used Organic ingredients as much as possible.

I learnt so much, though....

At first, I served Soy milk and Pumpkin soup.
Then Rotus roots and Tofu cakes in sauce, and Chestnuts rice and Aubergine's Dengaku (sweet miso).







Aubergine and pumpkin is from Namayasai, Lewes's Organic Japanese farm. They are small, but really flavorful! I didn't need to put so much salt nor soy sauce.

The second plate is celebrating the "13th moon night". It's called chestnuts beauty moon.
We believe a rabbit live on the moon, and Dango represents the moon. Chestnuts steamed cake and pumpkin square filled up stomach a lot, I guess.

The third plate is with Nerikiri "Autumn Maple Leaf - Momiji" and "Inoko Mochi"
This Momiji is also my challenge this time.
You could see the shape improved so much even while I was making 20 of these while I was serving this sweets.

Thank you so much for those who came to the Japanese Afternoon tea. I am so happy as you smiled while you were eating my sweets. That's the best compliment for me!

If you missed this time, please try next one.... planned at the end of January in 2018... maybe...

Wow, It's time to go to the cafe!
I will do the next a bit later.

Half-term

Due to the half-term, Cafe an-an close at 2:30 till Friday, 27th. Sorry for the inconvenience. 
Okonomiyaki night won't be happen unless I receive any booking.

World Vegan Day

an-an wants to celebrate World Vegan Day on 1st November.

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It's the afternoon tea time! As I make a lot of traditional Japanese Vegan Sweets, I would like to introduce all about Wagashi (和菓子Traditional Japanese Sweets).

You can choose one your favorite Tea/Coffee or any other drink under £2.00 to go with your tea.

Then, a small Vegan Bento box (懐石Kaiseki) with many seasonal vegetable, followed by 4 of Seasonal sweets (季節菓子 Kisetsugashi) and 2 of special sweets (上生菓子Jo Namagashi) for tea ceremony. (extra £2.00 for Matcha Tea)

 　　　　　　　　　　　
　　　　　　　　　　　　

£12 per person.

Please choose the session below and make a booking.

Only 8 seats for each session available.

Morning Tea ；10:00 - 11:30

Afternoon Tea ; 16:30 - 18:00

High Tea ; 18:30 - 20:00

I look forward to seeing you on the day!

October sweets and events

It's already in the middle of October!
I thought I have just had a long holiday in Japan, but I feel I need to have another one very soon!!! 😆

After the autumn equinox, the day gets shorter and shorter...
So, it's the beginning of the long dark season in the UK.

No way! We have so many events to look forward to! So I am standing at the kitchen of an-an and cooking away comforting meals for you (almost) every day!

There are two news this month... well, one of it seems to be postponed to the next month, though...

At first, Cafe an-an had a training to serve Small Batch Coffee! Of course, it's official!

About these few weeks, I was practicing making coffee which I was trained to make with tasty Small Batch Coffee beans. Sometimes, I fell in caffeine over-dose, Sometimes had a bit of stomach clump...But I made it!

So, you may find it's funny to serve Small Batch Coffee at an-an, although there is the Small Batch Coffee Roaster around the corner?
Yes, we are at the short distance which we can smell when the coffee is roasted.
That's really handy to us.
We can get the freshest roast coffee from the roaster, anytime.
More over, our beans are from SBC, but we serve coffee from the beans different from one they serve at their cafe.
We get supply of coffee thought to go with Japanese sweets, Wagashi.
It taste less sourness and simple and deep. I like it with milk or soy milk.
I hope you find it interesting to find SBC in an-an style.

The second news is ... all about redesigning menu!
I was going to issue the new menu on thee 1st October, but ... but.. but...
I am still working on it!!!
More Vegan menu
Okonomiyaki & Night Cafe menu added
and some information about starting the an-an royalty card scheme.
It will be A3 size Jumbo sized menu!!!
Just watch this space!!!

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October sweets

Otsukimi Dango　£1.00 each
Japanese Moon Festival last until 1st November, which is the 13th night moon.
It will be different from the completely round moon on 15th night moon on 4th October. It wouldn't be round. Japanese feels a little missing moon is really beautiful. The moon was shining in the sky beautifully on 4th October, so hopefully another clear sky on the night of 1st November.

Rabbit Maju　£1.50 each
This is another sweets from Moon Festival. Japanese believe a rabbit live on the moon. Steamed wheat cake with white bean paste inside. (this contains gluten.)

Kimi Shigure ￡1.50 eacg
This steamed custard cake like sponge crumble out in your mouth. (This contains eggs)

Daifuku Mochi (Smooth or Chunky)　￡1.00 each

Dorayaki（smooth・Chunky・Green tea）　£1.50 eacg
This contains Egg, Wheat, Gluten and Honey。

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Events in October
Thursday 19th Sorry No Okonomiyaki night as private function is planned.

Tuesday 31st It's Halloween! Planning to bake tarts and sweets with Pumpkin.
You might find something interesting in front of the shop... maybe.

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Japanese style afternoon tea is planed on the 1st November.
There will be another blog to announce with the detail of the afternoon.
Let's have fun and enjoy autumn festivals for now!

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September sweets and events

I am baaaaack！
Please come baaaack！

I spent really hot summer in Japan. Sorry that I left the cafe closed for three weeks in August.
Although I just came back a week ago, I already feeling the days in Japan didn't happen in real.
I always feel the life in Japan is a bit like in another world, as if the speed of time there is a bit different from one in the UK. After I come back, the feeling I have is like..."was it a dream?". Funny,isn't it?

There were so many things I found them bizerre in Japan this time, I am going to introduce them a bit by bit here.

Well, here is a photo of the cafe door. I bought this signage in Japan this time!
Have you noticed the door of an-an cafe opens to outside? In normal British way, doors open towards inside. So most of customers pushed the door to come in and thought "closed?" as door was not opening...
So now no one would confused. You need to pull to open the door!!!
Just a small thing happened to be "very Japanese" in cafe an-an.

Cafe an-an is business as usual... from Tuesday 5th September.

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September sweets

Strawberry Mochi　￡1.50 each
British Strawberry season is almost coming to the end...
If you want to eat tasty Strawberry Mochi, now is the last chance!

Kuzu Mochi　£2.00 per case
It's been cool, but still a bit of summer left. Before it's get really cold, let's have a Kuzu mochi revival.
It contains Soy.

Ohagi　￡1.50 each
Higan is coming in mid September.
Please chose from Chunky or Smooth Adzuki bean paste, or Roasted Soy flour and smooth Azuki bean paste. It contains Soy.

Dorayaki　￡1.50 each
Please chose from Chunky or Smooth Adzuki bean paste, or Matcha Green tea paste. It contains Eggs and Wheat flour.

Daifuku　£1.00 each
Please chose from Chunky or Smooth adzuki bean paste.

Sanshoku (Three colour) Dango　￡1.50 each
It will take 15 mins to be steamed after ordered. If you are eating in lunch, please order at the same time.

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September Events

Sunday 3rd September
Okonomi yaki Day was scheduled on this day. However, due to family affair, it needs to be cancelled. 
Monday 4th September is scheduled to close.
Next opening time is at 11:30 on Tuesday 5th September.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

We have Okonomi Yaki night Every Thursday!
Please book a table if you would like to use Tabletop Hotplate.
No need to book the counter seats or outside sittings.
Take away is also available. It may take time to prepare, so I recommend to order on phone in advance.

Every other Thursday, We have delivery from Namayasai, Japanese Organic farm. Their box scheme is really reasonable and full of seasonal vegetables. The owner is keen to introduce Japanese vegetable and the box includes information and recipes. please order the box scheme before Monday night.
Cafe also have some individual vegetable on the counter or table.
Please come and chat about Japanese cooking using those vegetables.

Saturday 23rd September an-an Japanese sweet has a table top sale at Japanese School in Croydon.
Public are allowed to enjoy the table top sales full of Japanese goods, some are commercial, some are homemade...from 10 to 12 am... (Please note; 40 mins from 10:45, only pupil time, so no public can enter)

Thank you for many requests about Japanese afternoon session.
Cafe an-an will have new member from this month, I should be able to make more time for Japanese sweets...
I will let you know as soon as the date announced.
Please watch this space!!!!

arigatou! [(_ _)]

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