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There’s a saying in Seattle that if one wants to locate a Tully’s coffee shop, all that’s needed is to find a Starbucks and turn around. That’s because where there’s a Starbucks, there’s a Tully’s. In Japan, while both American chains aim to dominate this market and feed the demand for various American offerings – be it food, clothing, music – it’s not always true. But what’s true is that where there’s a train station, there’s for sure a Starbucks, Tully’s, or both within a minute walk.
Because I live close to a train station in central Tokyo, I naturally get many establishments to choose from including Tully’s. Comparing this to the only other huge American coffee chain in Japan Starbucks, their menus show great similarities. You have the café lattés, mochas, iced coffees, royal milk teas, matcha (green tea) lattés, and some specialty drinks such as soy based drinks. Unique to Tully’s is their heavily promoted Swirkle, which comes from the words swirl and circle. Why, I still do not understand. But these frozen drinks come in espresso, matcha, and royal milk tea flavours.
In regards to size-naming similarities, beverages come in fancy short, tall, and grande. Speaking of sizes, when you see S, M, L you naturally think of small, medium and large, correct? In Japan, don’t ever ask for anything in small, medium, or large. Retailers rarely react to the terminology. They simply recognize ‘S’, ‘M’, or ‘L’. It makes me wonder whether some even know what those letters stand for.
I stopped by the Tully’s near my house one evening to order an Espresso Shake and Ballpark Hot Dog with Avocado and Tomato. It’s the exact same combination as the advertisement. This ad was for Tully’s 14th Anniversary meaning items are for a limited time. A tall Espresso Shake is ¥540 and the hot dog is ¥360.
The hot dog came in a submarine-type bun rather than a conventional hot dog bun. The hot dog itself looks steamed or boiled, and is topped with a layer of avocado paste and tomato salsa. Both the meat and toppings seemed significantly smaller than the image – a rarity when referring to the resemblance of advertisements and the actual product in Japan. The hot dog was on the dry end possibly because of the lack of toppings. The avocado didn’t have a buttery avocado taste, either because it wasn’t real avocado, it was extremely diluted, or avocado tastes different in Japan. I haven’t figured out what reason yet. A rather disappointing bite as the bun was cold / untoasted and the hot dog was measly.
As for the Espresso Shake, it was a nice surprise. A burst of ice cold refreshment followed by an aromatic caffeine flavor finished with an icy crunch. One of the more flavourful coffee drinks I’ve tasted. Unlike Starbucks, this isn’t topped with whipped cream or other sugary coatings. Just a simple icy coffee drink where one can appreciate the flavours of the bean. I think I’ve found my summer drink. It’s been over 35°C in Tokyo since the end of June. Hope this Anniversary drink is here to stay. At least until the end of summer.
There you go. A coffee shop where the drinks appear phenomenal and the food reminds us why there are restaurants. But in reality, if coffee shops also served a few – doesn’t have to be many – sensational dishes, I can see a few patrons including myself frequenting these places. The atmosphere, for one, is a great place to chat with company, do some reading, or relax. I wouldn’t mind eating in such a place at all. Cheers!
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