A Naogya favorite: Ogura toast

If you have spent some time in Nagoya or visited one of the branches of the Komeda Coffee chain, you've probably heard of 小倉トースト ogura tōsuto (Ogura toast).

A dish usually served in cafés in Nagoya and the surrounding Aichi prefecture, typically as part of their "morning set," Ogura toast is toasted bread, often thickly sliced, and topped with Ogura jam, which is made with large 大納言 Dainagon (azuki) red beans and sweetened 漉し餡 koshi'an smooth red bean paste. It is typically served hot and paired with butter or margarine. It can be served open-faced or as a sandwich.

Amanoya's Ogura Toast

When we recently visited the headquarters of the Michelin-listed 天のや Amanoya, a Japanese sweets café founded in Osaka in 1927 and relocated to the posh Azabu Juban neighborhood of Tokyo in 2012, we had two purpses. In addition to their heavenly egg sandwiches, renowned in Japanese showbiz as backstage snacks, we had one more item to try. During our research, we learned that their Ogura toast was second only to their egg sandwiches in reputation among their take-out offerings, some calling them "the best Ogura toast" north of Nagoya.

Since we had fond memories of the Ogura toast we enjoyed at Komeda Coffee, we were anxious to find out how good their version could be and if it lived up to the hype.

Unboxing

Just as we saw with their egg sandwiches, Amanoya beautifully and carefully packages their take-out offerings.

After removing the decorative wrapping paper featuring Amanoya's family crest, we were greeted by the outer box of the package. It was wrapped in a paper sleeve featuring Amanoya's logo, a stylized representation of the 天 kanji in their name, and the store's name on the side.

Whereas the inner box for the egg sandwiches was colored yellow-beige, this box had subtle color gradation in rosy brown hues, which more closely matched the color of red beans.

We were getting closer! Inside, there was a thin paper covering protecting the sandwiches with the store's name on it.

Finally, we could see the toasts inside the box. The beautifully toasted golden brown bread already looked promising, as did the Ogura jam filling inside.

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Tasting

According to Amanoya's website, their homemade Ogura jam uses only the most prized 丹波 Tanba Dainagon azuki beans to achieve a very flavorful jam, as well as real butter on their toast.

These toasts looked so inviting, we were dying to try them!

On closer inspection, we could appreciate the way the jam was made of a blend of Dainagon beans and smooth bean paste.

So, how did they taste?

We thought the Ogura jam would be very sweet but we were pleasantly surprised at how restrained the sweetness was. This really lets the natural flavor of the beans come out. As we had imagined, the texture provided an interesting mix of smooth and chunky. Just like salt and caramel work wonderfully together, the Ogura jam combined with the rich and lightly salted butter was delightful. As for the toast, it was perfectly grilled on the outside and soft on the inside.

They're definitely more filling than the egg sandwiches, but they're delicious and great for a light meal or as a pick-me-up when you want something to tide you through a hard day's work.

We highly recommend Amanoya's Ogura toast. And if you have time, stop by the cafe in Azabujuban to try their okonomiyaki, zenzai and other delicious offerings.

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Information

Ogura Toast

Price: 1,000 JPY, 4 pieces. Only available for takeout by reservation.

Amanoya 天のや

• Address: 3-1-9 Azabujuban, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-0045, Japan
• Access: 1 min. from #1 Exit of Azabujuban Sta., Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line
• Air conditoning, reservations essential, cash only
• Lunch hours: Noon to 4:00 p.m. / Dinner hours: 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (last order time may vary) Closed on Tuesdays (and other exceptional holidays)
• Tel: 03-5484-8117
• Website (Japanese) | Global (English)