Chai-kobskii [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Chai-kobskii Piroshiki-ya
Address: 8 Chome-1-8-B1F Onoedōri, Chūō-ku, Kōbe (inside Sogo Kobe)
Website: https://www.fs-osakaya.co.jp/piroshiki.html
Style: Russian, Japanese
Price: $$  

If someone told me that there's a Russian pirozhki chain churning out freshly fried stuffed buns with classical music blasting through the speakers, I'll admit the first country that comes to mind isn't Japan. And yet there it is: Chai-kobskii. The Gothic font. Ballet dancers in folk dress. That blasting waltz, making even shouting your order difficult, and walls decorated with musical notes. The line of factory-efficient workers dressed as though they were the head chefs at a Michelin star restaurant. It's brilliant!

In truth, I'd already reached my bakery quota of the day, so I didn't need to stop here, and yet I so did. Despite being featured on my site, Chai-kobskii only offers two types of sweet pirozhki: sugar and red bean. The others are either plain or stuffed with a variety of savoury, meaty fillings.

I had the sugar (130 yen). The assembly line is constantly producing these, so freshness is pretty much guaranteed. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. This was so delicious -- what a great way (at least one of the sweet ways...) to wrap up my Japan trip!

Rating: ***1/2