cafe zaiya @ kinokuniya

new york, ny

website

m and i were braving the icebox that was manhattan last week in order to finish up our christmas shopping at bryant park's holiday market. at some point, however, m's toes froze and we decided to seek shelter. fortunately i remembered that kinokuniya (the japanese book and stationary store) recently moved from rockefeller to bryant park. i also remembered that jenny introduced me to cafe zaiya located on the second floor of the bookstore.

it wasn't very crowded, so m and i were able to sit down with our snacks. i had chamomile tea, which was served in a very cool clear tea-pot with an attached cup. i also ordered a strawberry shortcake, which was very tasty. i love asian-style cakes which use whipped cream (instead of frosting) layered between dense sponge cake and fruit. very light and not too sweet. just perfect.