[Report] Members-only parfait bar “Remake easy Ikebukuro” opens. Enjoy limited edition macaron parfaits in a theater-themed hideaway for adults

Remake easy Ikebukuro , a members-only parfait bar that offers exquisite parfaits and pairing cocktails, opened in May 2024.

Since opening its first store in Shibuya in September 2020, "Remake easy" has expanded its stores nationwide, including Nagoya, Sapporo, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Osaka (opening June 1st). Although it is a high-end store with a monthly membership fee of around 5,000 yen for a parfait and paired cocktail set, the memberships that are released irregularly sell out in just a few minutes. It is so popular that almost all seats are filled by reservations every day, mainly among women aged 25 to 35.

During this interview, we had the chance to try the Pistachio and Raspberry Macaron Parfait, a dish exclusive to the Ikebukuro store, and spoke to Remake easy CEO and producer, Ooki Hayashi, about the attention to detail that goes into making the parfait.

"Remake easy" is a secret bar where you can enjoy exquisite night parfaits.

"Remake easy" offers adults a blissful time with parfaits and paired cocktails that are carefully designed to bring out the best in their flavor. It is a unique bar-style parfait specialty store that is completely members-only and has a private address .

In recent years, the number of restaurants specializing in "night parfaits," which are enjoyed at the end of a meal, has increased, but this restaurant has gained popularity not only for the quality of its parfaits, but also for its image as a "hideaway that only we know about," and has become a hot topic through word of mouth, especially on social media. While there is high demand for dates and girls' nights out, there are also many guests who visit alone.

There are various types of memberships required to use the stores, including a black membership that is free for life, a gold membership that allows you to use all stores, a silver membership that allows you to use only certain stores, and a one-time trial visit. All memberships are allowed to bring up to three guests.

Among them, the Black Membership, Gold Membership, and One-time Visit Pass are valuable and can only be obtained as a reward for the crowdfunding campaign that is carried out every time a new store opens. The Silver Membership, which is released irregularly through social media, also often sells out within minutes, so it can be said that the hurdle to entering the store is high.

This is a frustrating business model for guests who would like to visit the store, but the decision to narrow its scope in today's rapidly changing sweets trends is said to be a way to ensure that this does not end up as a passing fad.

The parfaits and menu are supervised by Hayashi Kyoki, CEO and producer of "Remake easy."

After graduating from culinary school, he trained in the Alsace region of France, where master chef Pierre Hermé was born, and after returning to Japan in 2018, he became the youngest person to win a prize at a domestic Western-style pastry competition. He is an up-and-coming pastry chef who has demonstrated his skills at French pastry specialty shops in Tokyo and has a long track record at a young age. He is currently active as a pastry chef entrepreneur, developing products in the field of "food tech," which uses the latest technology to solve food problems, and proposing sustainable business models for patisserie.

By the way, the origin of the word parfait is the French word "parfait," which means "perfect."

Parfait is the name of a dessert that originated in France, but according to Hayashi, it is almost completely different from the parfaits that are popular in Japan today; it is a frozen dessert like an ice cream cake served on a flat plate. Influenced by the American sundae, which is a sweet served in a glass, parfaits that came to Japan developed independently as parfaits along with coffee shop culture, and cornflakes and cheap whipped cream began to be widely used to increase the volume.

Mr. Hayashi was skeptical of the dissociation between the origin and substance of the parfait, and decided to remake the parfait into something "perfect," hence the name "Remake." The name "Remake Easy" is a play on the word "speakeasy," a bar that was a place where people could hide, drink, and enjoy conversation during the Prohibition era in the United States.

"Remake easy Ikebukuro" – an elegant space reminiscent of a theater

The Ikebukuro store recently opened in a corner of a multi-tenant building close to JR Ikebukuro Station. There were no obvious signs or other landmarks, so we opened the door with some trepidation, but we found ourselves faced with a hallway covered with a stage curtain, which was meant to evoke Ikebukuro's image as a city of arts and culture and theaters.

At the end of the carpeted corridor, lights from the stage (inside the store) leak out, and as you walk, the sound of jazz music playing louder and louder. This design was apparently intended to give customers the excitement of being invited into a theater.

Once you leave the corridor, you'll find a warm and elegant space with dim lighting. It truly lives up to the image of a "speakeasy," with the atmosphere of a secret social gathering place for adults, isolated from the outside world.

The restaurant is small, with six counter seats, two high tables that seat two, and one sofa that seats four, for a total of 14 seats. However, the large antique-style mirrors decorating the walls give the restaurant depth, making it feel much larger than it actually is.

The back of the counter, reminiscent of a folding screen, is a striking feature, but the interior is strikingly decorated in bronze, the concept color of "Remake easy."

"To continue providing delicious food into the future, sustainability is essential for many things, including the working conditions of our farmers and pastry chefs, as well as the food itself. For this reason, we work with the vision of 'delicious forever' in mind, in order to create sustainable parfaits that pursue the happiness of everyone. As a symbol of this, we have incorporated copper, the oldest processed metal used by humans and a metal that is still in use around the world, into the interior," says Hayashi.

All "Remake easy" stores offer three types of parfaits : the signature "Strawberry Flower Garden Parfait," seasonal parfaits made with seasonal ingredients that change each month, and store-exclusive parfaits .

There are pairing cocktails for each drink, but if you don't like alcohol, you can change to non-alcoholic drinks. There are also standard menus such as beer, whiskey, and highballs, so you don't necessarily have to order a pairing. (However, you must order a drink.)

If you order a parfait at the counter, you can actually see the process being made right before your eyes. This performance is based on the desire to "allow customers to spend a special time enjoying conversation with the staff while excitedly watching the beautiful parfait being made."

You can get a close-up look at the batter and jelly that will be buried under the finished product, heightening your interest in the parfait you are about to eat. Seeing the delicate and careful work that is so detailed you might mistake it for an art piece, it makes you want to take the parfait seriously as well.

The signature dish at "Remake easy" is the "Strawberry Flower Garden Parfait," which has a mellow taste reminiscent of blooming flowers.

The "Strawberry Flower Garden Parfait," which is a regular item at all stores, is a representative dish of "Remake easy."

From the bottom up, it is layered with raspberry jelly, a crunchy cookie crumble, almond dough called pain de gènes, and plenty of seasonal strawberries, all topped with a layer of fragrant amaretto mousse. In the center is rich French vanilla ice cream, which is then surrounded by white chocolate mousse and then whole strawberries, creating a luxurious treat. Edible dianthus and pentas flowers and silver leaf add to the gorgeousness, creating an artistic parfait with an elegant contrast of red and white.

The crumble is particularly noteworthy; while the cereal in most parfaits melts and becomes soggy over time, the crumble at this shop is made from crushed cookies, coated with white chocolate and butter to create an oily layer on top. The oily layer repels water, so no matter how much juicy fruit you put on top or how much ice cream melts, you can enjoy the same crunchy texture right to the end.

Sustainable elements are incorporated throughout the shop; for example, the white chocolate mousse is made from pesticide-free cocoa sourced through fair trade practices, which means fair transactions with farms.

"Although cacao has a bitter image, it actually doesn't contain that many bitter components. The chemical bitterness is created when pesticides are roasted, so the idea that 'the more bitter the chocolate is, the tastier it is' is incorrect. Original cacao has a pronounced fruity flavor. The white chocolate mousse in this parfait smells like vanilla even though it doesn't contain any vanilla, but that's the original aroma of cacao." (Hayashi)

In addition, the "Remake easy" ice cream has become so popular that many members have requested that it be sold separately. The vanilla ice cream in this product is specially shipped in from France.

"European dairy cows are red-haired breeds that are close to the original breed, and their milk has an overwhelmingly deeper flavor than Japan's Holsteins. Also, Japanese law requires that the milk must be heated after milking and before it is made into ice cream, during which time the fresh flavor of the milk is diluted. To counter this, milk powder is added to give it richness, but this inevitably makes the taste heavy on the palate. France has been making cheese for over 3,000 years, and has a deep knowledge of milk, so their standards and laws are not as strict. For these reasons, I felt that in order to realize the perfect parfait, we needed French vanilla ice cream, something that Japanese vanilla ice cream just couldn't match." (Hayashi)

The amaretto liqueur that is mixed into the mousse to add flavor is also used in the pairing cocktail , Amaretto Ginger .

Amaretto is a liqueur that smells like almonds, but its raw material is the apricot kernel, which is a component of the apricot seed. Apricot kernels are rich in coumarin, an aromatic component naturally found in fruits of the rose family, so if you leave the scent of amaretto in your nose while eating other fruits of the rose family, such as strawberries or raspberries in a parfait, the synergistic effect will spread a mellow fragrance like flowers blooming in your mouth.

There is a good reason why each parfait has a different glass shape and uses a uniquely shaped custom-made spoon measuring approximately 5cm in length and 2cm in width. All of Remake easy's parfaits are designed to taste every bite, with the shape of the glass and spoon and the presentation calculated down to the millimeter and gram. They even consider how you will eat it right down to the last bite, what kind of aftertaste will linger, and the temperature differences between the ingredients, and their uncompromising attitude is truly impressive.

The "Pistachio and Raspberry Macaron Parfait" topped with macarons, the origins of pastry chefs, is only available at the Ikebukuro store!

For this interview, we tried the Pistachio and Raspberry Macaron Parfait, a limited edition menu item that can only be eaten at the Ikebukuro store . By the way, the image above was actually taken at the store, but the counter seats are equipped with spotlight-like lighting, and the glasses are placed in a position where the shadow falls directly below. This was done in response to the demand for posting on social media, and the visual perfection is so high that you will hesitate to eat it.

Hayashi explains that this parfait was inspired by Pierre Hermé , known as the Picasso of the patisserie world, and his specialty , "Ispahan." Incidentally, "Ispahan" is a vividly colored cake made by mixing almond macarons with raspberries, lychees, and roses.

"Pierre Hermé's achievement is said to have been the creation of an era of colorful and fashionable sweets. Before he came on the scene, cakes were all white or brown in color, such as mille-feuille, cream puffs, tarts, and apple pies. He preached that we should be inspired by vibrant colors and enjoy the taste, and that sweets are a fashion, and thanks to his work, sweets that were once white have become completely colorful today. We have unraveled that pop image and artistry and prepared it in the form of a pistachio and raspberry macaron parfait." (Hayashi)

Speaking of macarons, Hayashi says that the trigger for him to become a pastry chef was when he served his homemade macarons to a friend in elementary school, who was very pleased with them. Around the same time, he discovered Pierre Hermé, and his goal became to gain experience in the Alsace region just like him. For Hayashi, macarons are the starting point of his life as a pastry chef.

From the bottom up, it is layered with pistachio blancmange (a kind of milk pudding), a crumble coated with white chocolate and pistachio paste, pistachio financiers, and amaretto mousse. It is then topped with raspberry jelly, fresh raspberry and lychee, wrapped in white chocolate mousse, and topped with rich homemade pistachio ice cream. The two types of macarons are sandwiched with pistachio and raspberry butter cream, respectively.

"Recently, macarons with white chocolate ganache or fillings have become popular. However, macarons are originally made to enjoy the aroma of almonds and the richness of buttercream, so this time we are offering them in a classic style," says Hayashi.

To finish, it is topped with a rose-scented sauce made with raspberries and lychees. The combination of pink and light green makes this a very cute dish.

I tried the macarons first, and was blown away by the irresistible nutty aroma typical of almond sweets, and above all, how light they were! I imagined they would have a heavy, rich flavor because they use buttercream, but…

"In Japan, recipes that make buttercream by putting it in the refrigerator are common, but buttercream cakes that were originally made in the days before refrigerators were loose and airy and were served at room temperature. For Remake easy, we went back to the basics and created a light texture and deep richness using a recipe we learned in France," says Hayashi.

As you eat it, you'll feel a story unfolding in terms of both flavor and texture. The harmony between the juicy acidity of the jelly and fresh fruit and the rich, enveloping, gentle sweetness of the mousse is irresistible. All the ingredients are prepared to a high standard, and every bite is a moving experience…

The most surprising thing was the pistachio ice cream, which I was instantly captivated by its richness, which cannot be summed up in one word: "rich." The ice cream is filled to the brim with pistachios, which Hayashi says is "effectively the richest pistachio ice cream in the world."

The original pairing cocktail is the "Legendary Ispahan" which uses the lychee liqueur "Kaife Lychee" as a base. Like the finishing sauce, it combines lychee and raspberry, and also contains the essence of the high-quality rose Sahime, which is harvested in Okuizumo, to create a more three-dimensional experience of the real rose scent.

"This is a menu that makes pistachios the main ingredient, but adding pistachios to a drink makes the aroma heavy and sticky. Therefore, we focused on the acidity and aroma of rose, lychee, and raspberry in the drink, and wanted the aroma and unique elegant, chemical taste of the pistachio to be enjoyed in sweets, mainly ice cream. The marriage of these two in the mouth brings out the quality of the ingredients even more, and we were able to express a mellow taste that could be called a remake of 'Ispahan'." (Hayashi)

When I drank it, the eye-opening rose aroma and refreshing acidity stood out, giving a more satisfying depth to the mouth, which was already dominated by the flavor of the parfait. While I was still savouring the aftertaste, I finished the parfait, which was quite a large serving, in no time. It was the first time I had ever felt such melancholy in the last bite.

A seasonal parfait idea is created by traveling two months into the future

The seasonal parfaits offered at each store change monthly and are made with plenty of seasonal ingredients. Once the month is over, you will never be able to eat them again.

Isn't it difficult to oversee a new parfait every month?
When asked how he comes up with ideas, Hayashi laughed and said, "Actually, I travel back in time two months into the future," before sharing an interesting story.

"Of course I think about concepts logically, but I also get inspiration from my own instinctive desires. For example, when I'm thinking about a parfait to serve two months from now, I set the average temperature and humidity of my workroom to that of two months from now. As I'm working there, various senses start to kick in, such as water evaporating from my body and vitamins being lost, and my brain starts to say things like, 'I want to eat grapefruit.' So I'll decide, 'Okay, so grapefruit will be the main ingredient for the July parfait.'

As I'm sure you all remember, eating what your body is craving tastes better. This is not information you can find by searching the Internet. Although it does make me feel unwell sometimes (laughs), it's quicker to instinctively pull out the search engine in my brain that stores information about my experiences in France and the sweets I've tried, based on temperature and humidity, rather than thinking about it too much, and our members are actually very satisfied with it, so I intend to continue this way for a while." (Hayashi)

Finally, when asked about their future plans, they said that they are preparing to open a store in Hakata, aiming to conquer the five major cities. As a further step, they are planning to open a new store in Gion, Kyoto, based on the concept of the wabi-sabi philosophy advocated by Sen no Rikyu, which is the opposite of the "perfect" parfait, and is the aesthetic of "imperfect". We will be keeping an eye on their developments.

"Remake easy Ikebukuro" offered us a dream-like parfait experience where attention to detail was apparent in every aspect. "In order to maintain our membership system, we need to keep updating the customer experience," said Hayashi, straightening his collar as he spoke, giving us a glimpse into the harsh world of the place, but we're sure they'll continue to fascinate us with their original sweets. If you're interested, be sure to get a membership and visit this adult hideaway.

■ Overview of "Remake easy Ikebukuro"

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