198 Ninth Avenue
(corner of 22nd Street)
Open 11am to 11 pm,
daily.
HARBS is an amazing experience—both TAKEOUT and EATING IN. A
staple in Japan for over thirty years, it has opened its first U.S. location in
Chelsea, New York City.
Pricing is expensive. An average price for a slice is $10,
and a whole cake goes for $100. The cakes though are gorgeous and delicious! And
they are baked daily. They offer such exotic offerings as Green Tea Mousse
Cake, Sakura Cake (Sakura-flavored mousse with Dainagon red beans), and a
Strawberry Chocolate Cake.
The store has a policy to not allow customers to
take photos of the cake display showcase. I was able to sneak a quick-pic of
their famed Mille Crepes Cake!
RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE
The restaurant is located in the back of the store and was
quite busy on a Sunday late afternoon. However, the restaurant has a policy to
not rush out their customers. They encourage customers to relax and escape from
the rush of the city life. So this is not a place if you want fast service. The
pace of service is purposely slow. The experience of HARBS is if a cake shop
were a spa.
Not only has HARBS brought over their cake recipes, they’ve also
furnished the restaurant with their signature wicker furniture!
We ordered the Green Tea Mousse cake, which is bittersweet
green tea sponge cake and mousse with Dainagon red beans covered with fresh-whipped
cream. If you love green tea, you’ll love this dessert. I really liked the
sponge cake/mousse combination as the sponge cake gave the mousse more
substance as opposed to a traditional mousse.
We also ordered a slice of the Mille Crepes Cake, which is
six layers of thin crepes filled with fresh fruits and mixed cream. The fuss
over this cake is justified. The fruits are comprised of thick slices of
bananas, strawberry, kiwi, and melon, and you can absolutely taste the
freshness. And the cream is light and airy. A must try, and it is hard to go
back to other fruit cakes after sampling this offering.
For drinks, we ordered tea that the restaurant promotes, as
“every tea is a perfect pair with our HARBS cakes.” They request that each
diner orders at least one pot of tea per person. Teas go for an average of $8 a
pot. And refills are free.
So, we ordered a pot of the Sakura Tea, which is their
seasonal tea. It Darjeeling tea blended with the leaves of Japanese sakura.
We also ordered a pot of the Yuzu Sencha Tea, which is green
tea topped with Japanese Yuzu citron.
When they bring the pot of the Sakura Tea, there’s a bud on
the bottom of the cup, which blossoms after you pour in the tea.
Each beautifully designed glass teapot also contains a
filter, which prevents the leaves from escaping into your cup. Brilliant!
Side Note:
The bathrooms have tricky air dryers. The dryers are an odd
triangle shape and it’s hard to figure out how and where to place your hands to
operate the dryer. There is an unhelpful illustration on the top of the dryer
that only causes additional confusion. The hot air seems to appear randomly and
magically.
Cons:
Pricing is steep.
No alcohol.
No dinner menu; they do offer sandwiches at lunch (and a $19
lunch special)
TAKEOUT EXPERIENCE
Ordered a Mille Crepes Cake to go, and the takeout
experience is as beautifully presented as the dining experience in the restaurant!
From the durable takeout bag.
Which is lined with a cooling metallic material.
To the thank-you note to the customer printed on the bottom
of the takeout bag.
To the origami-styled box.
To the complimentary ice packs, to add additional cooling
protection.
To the metallic cooling material to protect the cake itself.
To the beauty of the cake (which the photo does not do
justice AT ALL from my fear of having the crepes topple if I had removed the
metallic sheet covering), added all to the joy of eating a HARBS cake!
Final Thoughts
Go! For either takeout or eating in!
