I have been meaning to go to Houbi Ichigo for a long time. Ever since the instagram reels started coming out, I've had it at the top of my list. Unfortunately for me, their opening hours were not particularly friendly to those who had to work a 9 to 5 job and half of Brisbane probably did have them at the top of their list too, so during weekends when I made two prior attempts to go, the queue was lined up outside onto the car park and allegedly the wait times were crazy. I only managed to go on a quiet Monday morning after taking a day off work, and even then there was a short queue to order.
The menu was fairly short with a large focus on drinks. Prices were steep, especially for the strawberry matcha drinks.
Food wise, there was a selection of mochi, shortcake and sushi burgers. These were also fairly pricey.
With a lunch appointment afterwards, I did not opt for a sushi burger. Wanting to try something unique, I had the matcha shortcake. It basically comprised of a thin slab of castella cake topped with matcha whipped cream and strawberries. I found the cream to cake ratio to be quite skewed and there was a lot more cream than I would have liked and not enough cake. Taste wise it was quite good with a distinct matcha bitterness without being overly sweet. The strawberries were also fresh and sweet.
Drinks wise, I had to go with the signature strawberry matcha bonbon. This was the medium size as I didn't want to fill up prior to lunch. Like the shortcake, there was way too much cream than I would have enjoyed, with roughly one third of the drink being cream. Another third was ice and the remaining third was strawberry milk, strawberry jam and matcha. For $13.80 it was definitely expensive and probably not worth the price, but I did really enjoy the taste though. The matcha was rich and bold, tempered by sweet tart strawberries, making it a fantastic combination. I especially like the fact that they were able to find sweet fresh strawberries to top off the drink, but for the price, this will be relegated to the treats list rather than a regular beverage for me.
Price Range: $15 - $25pp
Taste: 8/10
Value: 4/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 6/10
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