Fruits Parfait at Kajitsuen (果実園 リーベル/東京駅) - Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman Episode 4

If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Fruits Parfait at Kajitsuen Libre (果実園 リーベル) i.e. the fruity peach ice cream that appeared on episode 4 of the show ...

... except not really. We went to Kajitsuen Tokyo Station (果実園 東京駅). And we had Strawberry and Musk Melon parfaits instead of Peach 🤷🏻


Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.

We did try to go to the actual Libre (リーベル) outlet in Shinjuku, but we sort of forgot that it was a Sunday afternoon, and lo and behold a 29 table, 76 person waiting list greeted us at arrival ...


... so we hopped back on the train to try our luck at the Tokyo Station (東京駅) outlet instead. The queue here is way more manageable, and we thankfully were seated after about 20 minutes of waiting.


🍦 At Kajitsuen, the Parfaits really have their fruits firmly entrenched as the stars of the show. Peaches are only in season in the summer, unfortunately, so we settle for the winter specialties of Amaou Strawberry Parfait and Musk Melon Parfait (¥3900 for both). As you might notice in the photographs below, the parfaits are really almost all fruit, with the ice cream and whipped cream seemingly there only to serve as putty to hold the fruits in place.

The Amaou Strawberry parfait was divine (Amaou is a type/brand of Strawberry from Fukuoka which is known for being sweet, large, and delicious), each bite of strawberry being moist, juicy, and sweet (with just a hint of tartness). The melon on the other hand was just so-so, having none of the overwhelming juice, sweetness, nor hint of musk that you normally expect from Musk Melon.


👥 Crowd: As we mentioned above, the Libre (リーベル) outlet in Shinjuku has a really long queue on weekends, so either turn up early (close to opening time), or visit any of the other outlets most convenient to you. I mean, the fruits should be all sourced from the same central kitchen/supplier, so each parfait should be the same at any of the locations, no?

🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then the Libre (リーベル) outlet is a few minutes walk from the Shinjuku station, across the main street from Shinjuku Lumine 1 (not Lumine est, which is the opposite direction!), whereas the Tokyo Station (東京駅) outlet is somewhere in the Kitchen Street.


Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations not accepted.