Shinshindo [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Shinshindo
Address: 22 日本生命四条大宮ビル 1F Shijōōmiyacho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Website: http://www.shinshindo.jp/en/
Style: Japanese 
Price: $$ 

Like a few bakeries I've already reviewed, Shinshindo is a Kyoto-only bakery with around 10 locations throughout the city centre in a variety of shapes and forms. The one I went to, right in front of the Randen streetcar terminal at Shijo-Omiya station, is more a booth than an actual bakery, with sweet and savoury baked goods and breads presented in a display case that you walk up to and order from. Perhaps the selection is smaller than normal Shinshindo bakery outlets, especially given there's not that much choice, but there was still a few sweet items, some veering more towards French viennoiseries and others more typically Westernized-Japanese. And it was so nice to see an English description under almost every item. I'll admit I'm not one fond of catering specifically to tourists, but after attempts at deciphering baked good labels, it was pleasant, for a change.

Having spent the greater part of the very rainy morning trying to find a nearby Finnish bakery and failing, I was feeling both exasperated and relieved to stumble upon Shinshindo. Spotting the cinnamon doughnut (151 yen), I knew I'd earned it. Of course, it also happened to be the most attractive and appetizing treat there, at least under 200 yen. ^^ Hey, Cake Touring adds up after a while... Besides, the cinnamon doughnut, braided round like a knot, is quite pretty. More than that, it tastes so good with its cinnamon sugar coating and its soft, moist dough folded with delicately flavoured cinnamon mass. Fresh, flavourful and delicious! Mmm... after all that rain, this is exactly what I needed!

Rating: ***1/2