Wake up, everyone! It’s time to get ready for Trio Travel Time! Scarlett Rothstein, Cecile Van De Velde and May Gardner are not only writers for The Cypress but avid enjoyers of hidden gems in our Brookline and Boston area. In our reviews, we will shed some light on beloved underground businesses from cafes to shops. Remember, these are just our opinions, so we invite you all to go and travel yourselves!
For this premiere review, we stayed close, visiting Itadaki, Brookline Village’s own Japanese Cafe. Itadaki is a new addition to the neighboring square of the high school and here are our thoughts on its experience as a whole!
Overall Aesthetic: 8/10
As we entered the cafe on a rainy Saturday morning, we were greeted by bright lights and a friendly worker who welcomed us in. The walls were painted white, and the building was decorated with carefully placed hexagon-shaped plant holders. In the center of the cafe, the host waited for us to order at a blue and white counter. As we sat, we were able to take in the cute and cozy atmosphere, and I, Van de Velde, must say that the rain made the vibe even cozier. Since we arrived at the cafe pretty early, we were able to see the customers slowly come in for lunch. Everyone ordered different things, and when we looked around the room, we saw that smiles and conversations commonly filled the atmosphere.
Here are a few food items we carefully selected!
Iced Matcha Latte ($5): 9/10
As a self-proclaimed matcha connoisseur, I, Van de Velde, must admit that Itadaki’s matcha latte impressed me. It had a nice balance between milk and matcha, and it was sweet and not too watered down. This matcha, with its soothing taste, was much better than what can be found at most coffee shops. Gardner, a self-proclaimed matcha hater, surprisingly agreed with my take. She added that the taste was enjoyable, and said that she would buy it again.
Omurice ($14): 6/10
Not soon after we ordered, a steaming plate of Omurice arrived at our table. Itadaki’s Omurice consists of chicken fried rice topped with a fluffy egg omelet and ketchup. We watched the worker cut the omelet in half on the rice. Rothstein here! I was quite impressed as I had never had Omurice before, and I had only seen it on TikTok. After we dug our forks in, we had mixed opinions on the dish. We agreed as we went in for seconds, that the rice was the most appealing part of the meal. However, there was a mutual understanding that the ketchup did not mix greatly with any of the other ingredients. In our opinion, when tasting the assortment of rice, eggs and ketchup, none of them exactly went well together. Besides the ketchup, the eggs felt plain. I, Rothstein, felt that they were missing something–although I am not a fan of eggs in general. Overall, we felt the dish was worth the price, but we would probably not order it again.
Miso Ramen ($14): 8/10
We found this meal to be a wonderfully comforting contrast to the dreary weather outside. All three of us stole sips of the noodles and broth throughout our conversation. Each of us had previously been a fan of miso ramen and was pleasantly satisfied with another good example. It wasn’t a mindblowing or unique version of the dish, but it was certainly enjoyable. We each had a nice shared serving, and we felt it would have been filling enough to be somebody’s main meal. We thought the price was just right for the quality and quantity of food we received. If we three travelers were to return we would certainly place this ramen on the top of the ordering list again.
Matcha Crepe Cake ($5): 7/10
Right off the bat, the presentation of this generous slice of matcha crêpe cake delighted the three of us. The gentle baby green color of the cake made each of us smile. Gardner here! I picked up my fork for this desert with a long-awaited anticipation and excitement for trying a crêpe cake. However, we were slightly confused and disappointed. The amount of matcha cream completely overpowered the crêpes. We feel that it is only worth ordering if you have a great passion for the taste of matcha. That said, it was a cute and sweet treat to finish our meal, and it was certainly not a waste of the price. Although there may be better crêpe cakes out there for us to try, we are glad we gave it a whirl at Itadaki.
Overall: 7/10
This place was super cute, but we were sadly not thoroughly impressed by the food options. The prices were very reasonable for Brookline, and we felt satisfied after our meals, but the taste itself wasn’t at a very high level. If you are a fan of matcha, we recommend you stop by! Let us know if you have any comments about our takes or any suggestions of where we should go next!
