Just Opened: Kamakura Warabi-Mochi, Regent Place

Heads up mochi fans and Japanophiles! The popular Japanese mochi brand Kamakura Warabi-mochi has opened a store in Sydney serving up this unique style of mochi. Find out what else is on offer and what the mochi is like.

It's around 2pm on a Sunday afternoon when Mr NQN drops Monica and I off in the city. We walk to Regent Place where somewhere within the building lies the newest Japanese mochi store Kamakura Warabi-Mochi that opened on the 3rd of January 2025. This brand has been making warabimochi since 1991 in Japan.

Warabimochi is a type of mochi made from burdock root. It has a thick stretchy jelly-like texture and is clear compared to the cloudy colour of mochi made from glutinous rice flour. Warabimochi is typically served with a dusting or kinako or soybean flour and a dark kuromitsu sugar syrup. I was addicted to warabimochi when I lived in Japan and am so excited to see it available here.

The origins of warabimochi go back to ancient times - apparently Emperor Daigo had a fondness for this treat. Warabi flour was once rare and costly so warabimochi was a delicacy reserved for the upper echelons of society. The dessert began to take on its modern form during the Kamakura period, influenced by the rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony and Chinese dim sum traditions.

We find the Kamakura Warabimochi store on the ground floor on the left hand side as you walk in through the front (near or at where Aqua S used to be). The store is small with a few tables and a long queue. Red umbrella style lights are inspired by Kyoto's traditional Japanese umbrellas and are made in the Kyowa store in Kyoto for them.

The warabimochi menu isn't huge. Basically there are three types: kinako, black sesame and matcha and you just have to decide on size from a small cup with 2 pieces of warabi mochi ($5.80-$7.50) to a plain cardboard presentation box with 5 pieces 215g/0.5lb $10.80-$12.80) or 10 pieces. If you're wanting something a bit fancier there is also a 10 piece Pauwlonia wood presentation box (430g/0.95lb from $23.80-$25.80) which is good for gifts. The rest of the menu is made up of drinks with warabi mochi at the base of them.

Premium Japanese strawberry Asakawa-en Matcha latte with warabi mochi $10.50 and Kuki black sesame milk with warabimochi $10.50

Monica and I both hone in on the same two drinks. First is the premium Japanese strawberry Asakawa-en matcha latte with warabimochi that is delicious with sweet strawberry sauce on the base, milk and matcha with some warabimochi at the bottom. You are advised to mix it all up and honestly with the strawberry at the bottom the mochi wasn't as discernible as it was with our other drink. The Kuki black sesame milk with warabimochi is less sweet and a bit more savoury than the strawberry with what seems to be more mochi at the bottom to suck up. This too really benefits from a good mixing up. Oh and just a note, there is only one type of milk available which is full cream.

Onto the mochi! We ordered three types in the plain packaging which is still nice packaging. However sometimes the cardboard box does leak when you add syrup so this is ideal for eating in (if you manage to nab one of the three tables which we did luckily). Oh and make sure you order the house made Okinawan Kuromitsu or dark molasses saucel it doesn't come with it and is $2 extra but really ties the whole taste together.

We try the kinako warabimochi which is lovely and classic and reminds me of being in Japan. The kinako tastes a bit like peanut powder. I had read that they roast their soybean powder for longer and at higher temperatures to bring out the flavour. The mochi is stretchy and cut into chunks although the fork given can make picking it up a bit of a challenge but that's part of the fun.

Next we try the matcha warabimochi made with Asakawaen matcha powder which Monica likes the best. Again the mochi has a stretchy jellied texture complemented by the herbaceous matcha powder.

Lastly we try the black sesame warabimochi. As soon as I try a bite of this I know that this is my favourite. The syrup and the black sesame is a killer combination and I end up eating half the box of these deliciously nutty mochi.

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried warabimochi? Which topping would be your choice: kinako, matcha or black sesame?

This meal was independently paid for.

Kamakura Warabi-Mochi (Regent Place)

Shop 28/501 George Street, Level 10 Regent Place, Sydney NSW 2000

Sunday to Wednesday 11:30am-9:30pm

Thursday to Saturday 11:30am-10pm