A little bit of York is turning Japanese. We visit the Ippuku Tea House to find out more...

IF your knowledge of Japanese food is limited to sushi, soy sauce and pickled ginger, then get ready to broaden your horizons.

Ippuku Tea House in Blake Street in York is a sensory shrine to all things from the land of the rising sun.

From the earthy scent of its matcha tea to the salty tang of its miso soup and the visual delights of the giant red parasol in its secret garden, this venture is one of a kind in the city.

It opened 11 months ago in the former Bullivant's tea shop and is run by husband and wife team Frankie and Tatsu Ozaki. Frankie is from Saltburn and Tatsu hails from Osaka, Japan. Frankie has had a long connection with the far east because two of her brothers married Japanese women and she has visited the country many times.

The idea with Ippuku, insist the couple, was to bring a taste of modern Japan to York.

"We offer an authentic Japanese experience – but to how Japan is now," says Tatsu. "It's a way to have an experience of Japan, but not the stereotypical one."

So don't expect to see any geishas, or samurai swords for that matter.

"It's more like the sort of cafe you might find in modern Japan, rather than us trying to recreate a Japanese theatrical experience," says Frankie.

So what's in store for those who cross the threshold? Well plenty of the exotic.

Frankie and her team in the kitchen prepared a trio of platters for us to try: all artfully presented in pretty china bowls and delivered on small, wooden trays. There's some dishes I've tried before (thanks to Wagamama!), including miso soup, gyozo dumplings, and a chicken teriyaki donburi, but there are some novel ones too: including some innovations straight from the Ippuku kitchen, including the sushi sandwich and a Japanese and vegan version of grilled cheese. In these culinary firsts, the common denominator is the use of rice rather than bread. In the first dish, generous slabs of sushi are held together by a tuna and cucumber filling. In the latter, the rice is miso-glazed, filled with sweet potato and vegan cheese then baked and finished off in a skillet. Both are filling, and delicious.

Chickpea teriyaki is recommended too: four little patties of chickpeas which are served on skewers with a sweet and sticky glaze.

Many of the dishes are vegetarian and at least half the menu is vegan. Much of it is gluten free too – which suits Frankie because she has coeliac disease and has to avoid gluten. Tatso is lactose intolerant and so vegan dishes are ideal.

It means people with a range of food intolerances can normally find lots to eat from the menu, say the couple.

Open daily, the menu caters for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks, Japanese-inspired cakes and drinks.

Not surprisingly, tea looms large on the menu, which offers a selection of green tea as well as matcha drinks, made from a green tea powder which uses the whole leaf. As a result, the flavour is stronger. Matcha can be made as an iced drink, or as a latte (with oat milk to add some sweetness) and also as a hot chocolate. A range of decaffeinated drinks, coffee and soft drinks are available too. Ippuku is licensed to serve alcohol with food.

Ippuku also hosts regular events, including an origami class on Wednesdays from 11.30am-12.30pm (£5, which includes a drink); tea-tasting for 90 minutes on Sunday mornings at 10.15am (£10 which includes cake and a drink) and a language group on Mondays from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, where people speak English for one hour, Japanese for the second.

The couple are planning a big birthday bash next month to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening.

They have many regulars and are proud to be turning new customers on to the pleasures of Japanese food and drink.

Ippuku is the Japanese term for taking a break. Tatsu says it is translated literally as a dose of medicine. He said: "Tea was brought to Japan as medicine, then it became a recreational drink."

Today, drinking green tea is both a recreational pursuit and one that is good for your health. Frankie says: "Green tea is great for digestion and is packed full of anti oxidants and vitamin C."

The couple also sell a range of teas, under their own brand name, as well as a small selection of Japanese food items and gifts.

Frankie encourages the curious to come in and try something a bit different. "There is nothing to fear here! Come in, sit down, have a new experience. You are allowed to be adventurous. Everything is delicious."