Donq [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Donq
Address: JR Kyoto Station 2F, Higashishiokoji Takakuracho 8-3, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto
Website: https://www.donq.co.jp
Style: Japanese
Price: $-$$

Having unsuccessfully found any more bakeries upon my rather hectic and disastrous departure from Osaka (90 minute train delays?!), I remembered that there had been a bakery in the Kintetsu area of Kyoto Station upon my leaving the city more than a week earlier. So from one end of the station to the other I went with suitcase in tow, only to come to the end of my journey and discover that bakery with Donq! I say it in such a way, because whether or not it's actually true, Donq was the quintessential commercial/franchise bakery. On my trip, it was the one I had encountered most often and one that I, in truth, shied away from. It's like the bakery equivalent of McDonald's. At least, to my purist ideals. :D

Nonetheless, I had needlessly gone through the crowds and up and down a maddening series of escalators, so I thought I might as well get something from it. Donq is aiming to be French patisserie and bakery, though very little of what they do sell resembles the crusty bread, flaky pastries and rustic touches that you might encounter even at other "French" bakeries in town (there are good ones). This particular station outlet is also quite small compared to other locations, with the space being shared with the croissant stall. As with many train station shops, it's crowded and busy and items cater more to passengers wanting a quick bite to eat (a large array of sandwiches and savoury breads) than a quality sweet treat. Oh well.

I picked out the cinnamon twist (151 yen). Despite all my cynicism going in, this was actually not bad at all. Perhaps it's a far cry from artisan, but an effort has still been made to make it look nice and taste pretty good. The knotted dough was a bit flaky and had good texture; there was a nice amount of cinnamon inside and the cinnamon sugar also added some flavour and interest, though I'm still not that big a fan of the texture of that powdered sugar on top (which I had encountered elsewhere as well). So... okay, okay, it's not exactly the McDonald's of bakeries after all and there's nothing wrong with having a good, inexpensive bakery to pop into when you're on the go.

Rating: ***