Address: Rokkaku Dori 452-102, Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto
Website: facebook
Style: Japanese
Price: $$-$$$
Sporadically dotted along a landscape of more commercial bakery franchises throughout any big city in Japan are the more rustic independent bakeries. Walder, or Wälder, happens to be one of these tiny, hole-in-the-wall bakeries aspiring to German konditorei greatness. Except for whatever reason, this compact space right off the intersecting grid of shopping streets in downtown Kyoto seems to evoke Grimm's fairy tales more than any sort of German bakery... Inside, on the other hand, the baked goods tend towards being French-inspired with artisan baguettes, petits fours, galettes and danish-like tarts atop French pastry shells. Of course, you also have some of the more Japanese items like weird, square-shaped baked goods, red bean buns, and those extra thick loaves of bread. Prices are a bit higher than most bakeries.
I really should have tried one of the lovely looking danishes, but it being my third bakery that day, I wanted to go for something a bit cheaper, and I did want to see how this artisan, more European-style bakery compared to the competition: yes, I took the melon pan (172 yen).
This melon pan didn't have the flavour variations I had encountered elsewhere and featured a lovely lattice-shaped crust on top. This, however, left quite considerable gaps in between where you weren't able to appreciate that topping which is so essential to the melon pan with every bite. Still, I did like the top with its sort of streusel-like taste and consistency; the bun was on the airier side with a more understated flavour. Tasty, but couldn't manage to beat the other contenders in town.
Rating: ***
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