McDonald’s Japan releases a pancake pie for new retro kissaten coffeeshop series

Classic Japanese desserts get a Kissa Mac makeover for a limited time.

Recent years have seen a revival in all things retro, and in Japan that means kissaten culture has been back in the spotlight. Kissaten — Japanese-style coffee shops that sprang up in Japan around the turn of the 20th century — are characterised by their dark wood interiors and Western-style menus serving drinks, light meals, and sweet snacks, and they remain popular with people today.

▼ An example of a kissaten in Tokyo.

Image © SoraNews24

The distinct old-school vibe of a kissaten has such a unique appeal that even Starbucks has put their own twist on it, and last year, McDonald’s joined suit by releasing its own range, dubbed “Kissa Mac“. It proved to be so popular that the chain is bringing it back to the menu for a limited period, this time with a new dessert and packaging to help transport you back in time to the heyday of the kissaten.

The first item making a return is the Coffee Jelly Parfait (priced from 440 yen [US$2.85]), which is served up in a cup with a new retro floral design that pops against the creamy dessert. The parfait contains a bittersweet coffee sauce, sweet condensed milk sauce, and smooth coffee jelly, with soft-serve ice cream and crispy corn flakes providing textural accents to the mix.

The Cream Soda (priced from 340 yen) is also making a return, bursting with the carbonation of Fanta melon and the mellowness of soft serve ice cream. Usually on the menu as “McFloat Melon”, this ice cream float will be sold under the name “Cream Soda” during the Kissa Mac campaign period.

The brand new item in the lineup is the Maple Butter Pancake Pie (200 yen), a sweet treat inspired by coffee shop pancakes. This pie contains three kinds of fillings: fluffy cake batter, gooey maple sauce, and salted butter sauce made with Lorraine rock salt and fermented butter. The cake batter expands as it’s fried, and the combination of mildly sweet maple sauce and sticky salted butter sauce creates “a new sensation that makes you feel like you’re eating a pancake even though it’s a pie”.

▼ Each pie contains 1.5% maple syrup for extra flavour.

As is often the case with new releases at McDonald’s, this series is accompanied by a commercial, and this one has all the aura of a moody kissaten. Boy band member Sota Nakajima returns for this commercial, after starring in the ad for last year’s Kissa Mac, where he was seen waiting for someone at a kissaten. This year’s ad plays out like a sequel to last year’s, with fellow boy band member Yusei Yagi sliding into the booth, revealing himself to be the “someone” Nakajima was waiting for.

The commercial will begin airing on national television from 23 April, a day ahead of the 24 April release date for the new items. The Kissa Mac lineup will be on menus around Japan from 24 April until late May.

Source, images: Press release unless otherwise stated
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