It's not just a pretty colour: matcha is so on trend it's cropping up everywhere, from verdant green lattes to pastel hued macarons. Now for the truly obsessed, a new cafe in the heart of Covent Garden has turned it into their hero ingredient.
Pan de Vie aims to combine the best of European baking and patisserie techniques with flavours from the Far East - in a cafe and shop arranged over two floors. There will be plenty of green tea themed treats on offer, from a white chocolate tart to a low sugar aduki bean mousse - along with a range of patisserie, including a light, golden Japanese cheesecake, black sesame mousse cake, mararons and madeleines.
They'll be offering savoury food too, with a concept they're calling "lunch in a loaf". This is basically a Japanese style stuffed bun, which comes with a range of fillings like beef curry, chicken teriyaki, and a speciality "matcha custard charcoal bun" which we have to admit we're intrigued by.
The decor is described as "oriental fusion" - think a mashup of Asian pagodas and the Arc de Triomphe - and the colour scheme, featuring turquoise banquettes studded with bright pink buttons, certainly sounds vibrant. Hong Kong born entrepreneur Paul Cheung, who's behind Pan de Vie, has big ambitions too: he plans to roll out a whole series of similar stores across London.
Pan de Vie is now open at 5 New Row, London WC2N 1LH. Keep up with their news on Twitter @PanDeVie
