San Diego Reader April 20, 2017 41


Steep tea


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Leaves and all Holy Matcha, 3118 University Avenue, Hillcrest. I’m an every day, any time of day coffee drinker, and as long as I am physically able to lift a cup of joe to my lips, that will be the case. Still, while I may not exactly be on the lookout for a coffee replacement, when I heard about the opening of Holy Matcha in North Park, curiosity drove me to give the green tea drink a chance. Matcha differs from


typical green tea in that the leaves have been ground into a powder. So rather than being brewed by steeping tea leaves in wate r, matcha powder gets stirred into water to make a drinkable solution, like Kool-Aid. Okay, not exactly


like Kool-Aid. The ceremonial Japanese method of making matcha involves a vig- orous whisking of the powder in a ceramic cup to create an airy, frothy drink. And since it includes the green tea, leaves and all, the caffeine levels are on par with coffee. Holy Matcha owner


there are several different grades of it, based on the leaves used to make it, whether stems were removed, etc. Premium is one of the higher grades of matcha available, and higher still is the ceremonial grade. Used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, it’s more finely ground and culled from younger tea leaves, producing a thicker, sweeter tea.


FEAST! The ceremonial drink goes for


7 bucks at Holy Matcha — a little steep, even by my snooty specialty


coffee standards. But knowing matcha would be competing against my fondness for pricey beans, I wanted to give the drink a fair shake. It was served in a


Grind those leaves up, give the powder a vigorous whisking, and voilà — you have matcha.


Somehow the pink-and-green motif sort of works


Geraldine Ridaura has a natural intolerance to coffee, so she’s never been able to enjoy it. But matcha suits her just fine, so she’s delved into to the history and process. She’s put together a stylish shop, outfitted with an abundance of pink paint and furnishings to contrast the green bever- age and leafy plants. It’s light fare and a variety of matcha drinks, each made using a traditional bamboo whisk, called a chasen. Surprisingly, the premium matcha is the


cheapest on the drink menu, at $4.50. Matcha tends to involve high-quality tea leaves, but


traditional ceramic tea bowl, or chawan — pink, of course — along with a green tea Pocky Stick. While it did taste of green tea, my first take on the bright green drink was that it’s much grassier than what I’m accustomed to sipping at sushi res- taurants. However, as I continued to drink, my palate acclimated to the greener flavors and a much deeper, more compell in g umami shone through. Between the smooth texture, mellow sweet- ness, and caffeine, by the time I made it to the bottom of that cha- wan, I could see myself getting hooked.


The cheaper, premium drink tasted simi-


lar, though slightly more bitter and not quite as smooth. I’d suggest ordering this grade as intended, mixed with lemonade ($5) or as a non- dairy latte with almond milk ($5.50). I came back to try an iced version of the latte, lightly sweetened with agave syrup. I’d recommend that for matcha first-timers wishing to ease into the unfamiliar, as a welcome alternative to the ubiquitous iced mocha latte.


by Ian Anderson


Homer Cakes Werewolf, 627 Fourth Avenue, Downtown San Diego. To me, a good breakfast is like a good blues CD: Talented art- ists work on an estab- lished formula, whether it be three chords or eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Done well, it’s simplic- ity with style. Brunch may be more like jazz: The basics are there, but there is more improvisa- tion and innovation. The breakfast as music


analogy may be awkward, but give me a break: I’m still coming down from the bloody mary I had at Werewolf, a Gaslamp-area bar that manages the feat of seeming like a true neighborhood bar in an area that, at times, feels like a theme park’s vision of what an urban downtown might look like. As for that bloody mary ($14), it leaned


on the pleasantly salty side with pickled olives and veggies. Served in a skull-shaped mug, it had “perfect-way-to-end-morning- walk-of-shame” written all over it. Werewolf is a place that looks like it’s


been in Gaslamp forever, but because it’s on Fourth and not Fifth or Sixth, it’s more of a local’s place than a bar on those boulevards. Werewolf has a few good brunch dishes that are


Bloody Mary, in a skull-shaped mug for a reason My vegetarian wife got the chilaquiles ($11.95


surprising variations on classic breakfast dishes. First off were the Homer Cakes ($6.95): a stack of pancakes with a creamy donut glaze and sprinkles on top. Oh, and jelly between each cake. No syrup needed for these babies: They tasted like an old- fashioned donut on top while the cakes below have a slightly savory element to them. “The kids would love these,” my wife said. “I’m not sharing!” I blurted while shoving a bite


in my mouth. Yes, Werewolf is a bar, but there were young


kids in strollers inside, so we could theoretically bring our kids here another time and get them their own stack.


plus $2.95 more for braised beef) and was happy with her choice. Usually, chilaquiles are served as triangular chips, but Werewolf serves a single tostada shell and tops it with eggs, cheese, salsa, cotija, and corn salsa. To me, the star of the dish was the cotija cheese, alternately sweet and tangy, but my wife loved the corn. “Really fresh.” I chose to get the pork belly Benedict ($14.95),


the dish that inspired the jazz improvisation intro at the top. Rather than just top an English muf- fin with some Canadian bacon and poached eggs and hollandaise, this Benedict comes with three breaded potato cakes topped with juicy pork belly and poached eggs. No hollandaise, just a light maple


Homer Cakes: a stack of pancakes with jelly between each one, topped with glaze and sprinkles


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