Pompadour [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Pompadour 
Address: Minamimachi 1, Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture (in Sanyo Dept. Store) 
Website: https://www.pompadour.co.jp/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

Spending only one night in Himeji, I wanted to get in as many bakeries as possible. The only extra free time I had was in the evening, around 8pm to really look around the city and see if I could find something. Of course, as anyone will tell you, finding a bakery at 8pm is a pretty impossible task. Thinking my best bet was to explore the depths of the department stores and underground commercial passageways around Himeji station, I stumbled across the gourmet area of the Sanyo Department Store and while many stalls were in the process of closing and the few bakeries were pretty much sold out, I found that the largest of these bakeries, Pompadour, still had baked goods to choose from. Yes! Another bakery for Mimi!

Unfortunately for me, Pompadour happens to be a massive bakery chain with hundreds of locations throughout Japan, but I could tell that just from looking at their design and large selection. I say unfortunately, because I always like reviewing small, independent businesses, but if the opportunity presents itself, I suppose I can't turn it down. In addition to all the classic sweet buns you'll find in many bakeries on these shores, ranging from red bean doughnuts and cream buns to melon pan, Pompadour, perhaps in reference to its name, tries to infuse their selection with some flaky French pastries and more elaborate -- mostly aesthetically -- treats. Granted, not much was available in the evening, but think pains au chocolat, croissants, something that looked like tart slices.

Of course, as with many Japanese bakeries, Pompadour has seasonal specials and it happened to be strawberry season. Me, I could not resist this absolutely lovely Amaou strawberry bun just for its look. Isn't it so pretty? ^^ With its stem in dusted matcha and the seeds dabbed on with chocolate, it was almost a shame to actually eat it. Maybe it even looked better than it tasted, since the soft and somewhat airy texture reminded me of generic danish dough, though the delicate hint of strawberry, not too strong or artificially flavourful, was nice. Maybe something a bit more flaky or with real fruit inside would have been better, but pretty good. And awww, it is so very pretty and pink....

Rating: ***