Bakery Lamp [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Bakery Lamp 
Address: 68 Honmachi, Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture
Website: facebook 
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

I think that whenever there's mention of a "hideaway" place, a sort of secret spot in some back alley or up/down a pair of nondescript stairs, it's usually a cafe or a restaurant. Maybe a quirky boutique. It's almost impossible for that to be a bakery and yet this time around, Bakery Lamp is indeed a "hideaway" bakery, located just behind the main boulevard leading up to Himeji castle in a lovely narrow alleyway that gives you the impression that you've just stepped into a bakery's back kitchen. Inside, the bakery is just as narrow as the passageway leading to it with workers running back and forth with cookie sheets and people (many with burgers) manoeuvring around hodgepodge tables filled with round plates of rustic baked goods and the old building's supportive pillars. A bit like being invited to a big impromptu buffet at a quirky friend's house. It is indeed a special place.

Somewhat in keeping with the eclectic, perhaps even eccentric atmosphere, the baked goods are more rustic, artisan-style.Upon further examination, however, I found that most items were of the savoury variety, including lots of cheese buns, breads and bagels. Though there were also croissants, red bean buns, and breads with fruit and nuts, the selection was more bready, and not necessarily sweet.

Still, I did end up picking out one item: ever since my inaugural one in Kyoto, I'd been on a bit of a melon bun roll and I just couldn't resist the earl grey melon bun here (151 yen). Not quite as perfectly round and perfectly covered as other bakeries, though there was definitely something charming about that in and of itself, Bakery Lamp's version was dotted with tea leaves throughout. The dough was airy, a bit stiff with a nice crunchy topping. Good texture, very good taste. Out of all the three bakeries I visited, Bakery Lamp has to be my bakery pick for Himeji.

Rating: ***

The Cake Smith

Bakery: The Cake Smith 
Address: 2352 Bloor St W, Toronto ON 
Website: http://www.thecakesmithinc.com
Style: Cakes, Eastern European, Ukrainian
Price: $$-$$$ 

Slightly more upscale and cake-centric than its nearby Bloor West bakery competition, I first poked my head inside The Cake Smith about a year ago and thought that, with its selection of classic Ukrainian/Eastern European-style cakes, it would make a great option for when I needed a good cake. After all, with the exception of a few pastries and cookies, The Cake Smith well, sold cake and nothing but. An admirable undertaking, indeed.

Fast forward a bit. Whether it was just my impression or the selection was more varied and exciting in the beginning, I made my eventual return, intent on buying a whole cake. To my disappointment, I found that the choices were very limited and one-dimensional, with many of the cakes being of the standard buttercream variety. At the very least, that was what I was told by the worker, since none of the cakes were labelled and when inquiring if a certain cake corresponded to the same as the cake slice (judging by the outside decorations), I was told that they were all the same on the inside and it was just the outside that was different, except that some were chocolate and others vanilla cake dough. Oh, there was a Red Velvet as well. I asked if there was a large honey cake. Nope. My plans were thwarted. Why were there different types of cake slices, but not cakes?  And why were the cakes decorated differently if they were "all the same on the inside"? I was confused and disappointed!

Really set on that honey cake, I just went ahead and grabbed a slice ($4.50). After all, I love honey cake and I wouldn't let the opportunity to try a new one pass me by. This one had a series of lovely layers of almost crepe-thin spiced cake dough with almost equal parts cream. You could smell and taste the honey with each bite and the crumble with crushed walnuts was a nice and flavourful touch. Yup, despite all the frustration with getting a whole cake, this was a honey cake worth trying.

Rating: ***

Green [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Green 
Address: 908, Kinosakicho Yushima, Toyooka-shi, Hyogo-ken 
Website: n/a 
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

I thought that walking around the small hot springs tourist town of Kinosakionsen would be enough to find any bakeries. After all, one would assume it would be located along the main shopping street along the canal or at least along the street leading down to the train station. Yes, there was a cheese tart stand, but it took only one cheese tart for me to know I'm never having another one again, and other pastry shops typical of those that line temple or castle streets, the ones with pre-packed gift boxes filled with cookies, crackers, mochi.

However, there is a bakery in Kinosakionsen, but it's located on a predominantly industrial road featuring car mechanics and a gas station. It's definitely not the most picturesque of walks in an otherwise picturesque town, and perhaps the spacious bakery is just paradoxical. Green is, after all, a pretty bakery. There's plenty of room for cakes behind the display cases and two walls dedicated to sweet and savoury baked goods along with some seating, but there's this distinct feeling that it's seen better days. For one, absolutely no staff was to be seen upon entering and only when I had been waiting at the counter to pay did someone poke their head and then yell for someone to come to the cash, which they did almost reluctantly.

Anyways, a few cakes were located behind the counter, most looking like variations on cream cake with fruit on top, and the trays of baked goods didn't have much selection. Lots of empty room and lots of repeated items (hot dog buns, namely) stuffed here and there to give the illusion of it being less empty than it really was.

With some deliberation, and feeling a bit at a loss as to what to take, I almost reluctantly grabbed a simple cram bun (129 yen) and, despite everything mentioned above, I did end up enjoying it. Actually, it was really good. Fluffy dough with a bit of egg wash atop a not very aesthetically-pleasing gash of exploding custard stuffed with just the right amount of delicious cream. I came out of the bakery feeling very skeptical, but I was satisfied with what I ended up sampling.

Rating: ***

Embe Bakery

Bakery: Embe Bakery 
Address: 174 Fulford-Ganges Rd, Ganges BC
Website: http://www.embebakery.com/
Style: Canadian
Price: $$

I had entered new and undiscovered bakery territory in the form of Salt Spring Island. It was truly a thrilling experience: three bakeries in one semi-compact place -- yay!

Coming from the Fulford Harbour ferry and driving towards the main town of Ganges, you can't miss Embe Bakery. Perched atop a hill overlooking the town, with its big block letter sign, it really is the first thing you see when you enter and what a warm, fuzzy idea that is! Inside, the long space is filled with well-stocked display cases and shelves that start with the more savoury and then trickle down into the sweet corner: pies, squares, muffins, pastries and Salt Spring Island's best, and probably tastiest, selection of doughnuts! Many were already empty or on their way, which is a promising sign; after all, they did look good.

Of course, I thought in my best interest to uh, not have a doughnut every single day of my trip, so I passed up on the glazed treats and settled instead on one of their many unique varieties of muffins: the raspberry streusel muffin ($1.90; available in regular and jumbo size). As a rule, I'm not the biggest fan of muffins. The dense dough, the overall lack of flavour except on top, the difficulty in photographing them. Embe Bakery seems to take muffins to a whole new level; really, with its moist, spongy dough dotted throughout with tart bursts of raspberry and a generous heap of streusel topping right in the middle, the raspberry streusel was more a coffee cake in muffin form than an actual muffin. Unlike most muffins, it had plenty of flavourful fruit right down to the bottom. So good -- my favourite bakery from Salt Spring!

Rating: ***1/2  

Janchenko's Bakery

Bakery: Janchenko's Bakery 
Address: 2394 Bloor St W, Toronto ON 
Website: facebook
Style: Ukrainian, Eastern European 
Price: $$ 

As specified in the corresponding post, a bit more than a year ago, the long-standing Bloor West institution, Anna's Bakery quietly closed its doors after a great many years. As devastating as it is whenever any bakery closes, let alone one that's been there forever, there was a silver lining in this case: it was almost immediately taken over by another bakery. That's right. It didn't turn into yet another Tim Hortons or a restaurant. It's been kept as a bakery and that bakery is Janchenko Bakery.

The window decals and interior may have been entirely revamped, but examining the goods from both outside and inside, I had a curious sense of deja vu. From the big doughy turnovers to the strawberry tarts and poppy seed rolls, it felt a bit like Anna was haunting the new bakery. ;) Perhaps the bakery kept on some of the previous bakers? Perhaps this was more a management change than necessarily a new bakery? Of course, not everything is identical, but many of it is, so it's a bit of a head-scratcher that overall Anna's had average online reviews, at best, while the new kid on the block is doing exceptionally well for itself according to public opinion.

Regardless of that, I like to try things out on my own, and not wanting to stick to the familiar goodies, I went with some of the newer arrivals, namely one of the many individually priced cake slices (having so much priced by slice and not by weight is a plus in my books). There were a few promising choices, but I finally decided on the walnut cherry macaroon square ($4.50, taxes included). With all those descriptors, it's hard to say anything after that! It wasn't as elaborate as the other tortes available, but what in lacked in cake appeal, it made up in a flavourful blend of tastes and textures. Crunchy and chewy courtesy of a walnut-infused macaroon topping, soft cake bottom and a bit of slightly sour cherry filling right in between. Probably the best item I've had at new and old bakery alike.

Seeing that the doughnuts appeared the same as always, I went for the new addition: mini raspberry ponchiki ($9.80/lb). Curiously priced by weight, it added up to $1.90 for two mini doughnuts, almost the same price as two full-sized ones. Hoping there was something more to it, I bit in and instantly recognized the doughy, almost bread-like jelly doughnuts that used to be sold at Anna's and ones which I wasn't particularly a fan of. The difference lay simply in the thicker icing on top and that, being smaller, you had more fried, golden brown exterior with each bite, which was an improvement, but not enough to sway me over.

Rating: **1/2

Patisserie Genmyoan [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Cafe et Patisserie Genmyoan 
Address: 483-11 Monju, Miyazu-shi, Kyoto Prefecture
Website: facebook
Style: Japanese, European 
Price: $$$

Another unexpected bakery, this time in the heart of Amanohashidate! Unlike many bakeries I went to that attempted a sort of Old World charm, Genmyoan's bright, airy space and minimalist wood accents comes across as chicer, with a sort of Japanese sophistication to it. Gone are hot dog buns in plastic bags and in their place, you find elegant, paper-thin shortbread in a variety of occidental and oriental flavours and gift boxes filled with cookies and sweets. Up at the counter, there's a small display case of about half a dozen of cakes and baked goods, definitely more European-inspired than the items on the shelves. I recall there being some sort of scone, along with the apple cake and cheesecake I was debating between.

Finally, wanting to give the former a try, I went with the apple/almond cake (480 yen). Whether deliberate or not -- I wasn't able to decipher what it was labelled as in-store -- this reminded me of a Dutch-style apple cake; no, it was a Dutch-style apple cake, with the dense, yet soft dough, sliced, slightly chewy apples, maybe a few raisins, and sprinkling of powdered sugar. Really, I don't even know why I called it an almond cake in my initial notes; an apple cake this definitely was and, in that, it was pretty well-done and quite tasty; my one thing was that, especially the top, it tasted like it had been in the fridge for a while.

Rating: **1/2

Yonni's Doughnuts

Bakery: Yonni's Doughnuts (@ Discovery Coffee) 
Address: 281 Menzies St, Victoria BC 
Website: https://discoverycoffee.com
Style: Doughnuts, Canadian 
Price: $$-$$$

The humble doughnut seemed to have eluded me on my trip to Victoria and this happened to be precisely what I had missed the previous time. Empire Donuts was closed prematurely; they had sold out. Yonni's just had to be reviewed based solely on their cute doughnut man mascot, but it also didn't manage to deliver the goods. And so, like a great many Cake Tours, luck was not on my side.

Still, I did review Yonni's or rather, Discovery Coffee which is a sort of joint venture given the fact that Yonni's, with no retail outlet of its own, are only available at Discovery Coffee and even their website states that Yonni's Doughnuts are baked at their Discovery Bakery in James Bay. Which just so happens was the location I went to! While not an extensive bakery by any means, they do have more than the average coffee shop in terms of baked goods and their counter has room and labels for about 6, maybe more, varieties of doughnuts. I say "room and labels" because, although they weren't exactly sold out of doughnuts, they had sold out of everything except two varieties: the old fashioned cake and the gluten-free cake one...

Truth be told, neither looked that appealing and I made the executive decision to skip the doughnut and go for the cinnamon bun ($3.75). I mean, it wasn't that difficult a decision; the cinnamon bun looked pretty good and I do like cinnamon buns. This was what I like to call a typical square-shaped, tightly-coiled with a clear glaze BC cinnamon bun. Warming it up a bit, it had just the right amount of ooey gooey factor. The dough was slightly denser, the cinnamon was just right, but the highlight had to be that sticky and sweet caramel top. A bit unexpected, but wholly appreciated... it's a shame that it didn't trickle down into the rest of the bun.

Hopefully next time Yonni's will have some doughnuts for me to try. Judging by first impressions, they should be good.

Rating: ***

Country Bakery

Bakery: Country Bakery 
Address: 3305 Smith Dr, Armstrong BC (inside Askews) 
Website: https://www.countrybakery.ca/
Style: Canadian, Dutch 
Price: $$ 

Well, it only took me two tries to realize that this bakery is inside Askews supermarket and not in the plaza, but all's well that ends well. And in this case, it ended really well. Quite deliciously, too.

Country Bakery is, without a doubt, the bakery in Armstrong, especially given the sheer amount of baked goods as well as the number of people flocking to this place. Perhaps being inside the supermarket helps, but regardless of that fact, I was surprised at the extensive selection, even on a late Saturday afternoon, of classic Canadian sweets in addition to quite a few Dutch and German pastries and other treats, all at reasonable prices. It's always fun going to a bakery where you're debating between more than one item.

At the same time, the poppy seed square ($2.25) was mine. It had to be. Freshly made with a generous black poppy seed mass and topped with a lattice of glazed dough, this was moist and flavourful, the price was amazing for the quality, and the proportions of poppy seed mass vs. dough were excellent. Maybe the glaze on top was a little too thick in places, but other than that... great stuff, indeed.

On a similar note, there was the Dutch almond roll ($3.25), a decadent confection featuring nuts, chocolate, marzipan and moist, sponge cake dough essentially rolled round each other. This was probably the best executed of the bunch: a sort of miniature torte with high-quality components and a variety of tastes and textures. Incredibly rich, yes, but tasty.

Last but not least, I grabbed a mini sour cream glazed doughnut ($0.75??). This was a fairly standard cake doughnut: the dough was soft and it had a nice coating of glaze all around. The thing that really made it work was that it was nice and fresh, just like doughnuts should be.

In the end, Country Bakery impressed and delighted and is a worthwhile North Okanagan stop.

Rating: ***1/2

Jizzo Parque [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Jizzo Parque
Address: 1987 Shinhama, Miyazu-shi, Kyoto Prefecture 
Website: n/a
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

This really is a miracle of a Cake Tour. I was staying in the town of Miyazu, because I couldn't get cheap enough accommodation in nearby Amanohashidate, fully knowing it had no bakery... to my utter dismay. It had been a pretty bad day (it seems that any day involving transportation through Osaka was a bad day), with a delayed bus/train from Koyasan forcing me to miss my connecting coach bus from Osaka. Because of this, I had to take the longer, more expensive way and got into town later than anticipated. The restaurant I had planned to go to was already closed and instead I went to an udon restaurant, which ended up being really good; from that udon restaurant, I thought I'd walk back on another street and I turned the corner... and bam! there was a bakery. And you wouldn't believe it: it was open. A bakery that closed at 8pm in small-town Japan. It truly was unthinkable. I thought I was hallucinating from tiredness. Then it hit me: I had a bakery from Miyazu!!! *tears of joy*

Ichiba Bakery Jizzo Parque does exist online, but is listed as a bagel shop, which is probably how I missed it during preliminary research. Yes, this tiny bakery does sell bagels, and it's possible it is their specialty, but they also sell various buns and breads. What they seem to lack in, in terms of selection, is sweets. Perhaps it's simply not their specialty, but how could such a cute, pink bakery not have more sweets? Granted, their mini display case at the counter had two or three cakes that were available in slices.

However, I'd been on a cinnamon spree lately and it didn't stop here: I just had to go with the cinnamon roll (210 yen). This one was simply garnished with a snowy layer of powdered sugar. Underneath, the dough was stiffer and the cinnamon mass drier than others I had encountered. The taste was pretty good; it wasn't too sticky or gooey, but at the same time, I found the overall texture too dry for my liking.

Rating: **1/2