The Bake [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: The Bake 
Address: 46-27 Namchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
Website: http://thebake.co.kr
Style: Korean 
Price: $-$$ 

When stumbling upon this bakery on the outskirts of Namdaemun Market, I assumed it was more or less an independent bakery. While they do only have what seems to be three other store locations, which isn't too bad, they also have about 10 Seoul metro offshoots. Suffice to say, I never spotted another The Bake besides this one.

That being said, The Bake was unique in that the layout of the store centred around the cash, with a couple of shelves of baked goods in the shape of an L along the front and side of the store. Given that the workers have direct, even shorter access between the cash register and the shelves of baked goods than you do, the whole need for trays and tongs seemed a bit unnecessary. The selection isn't very big - less when you realize that the area next to the cash has some repeats from the front section - and includes a few Western-style baked goods that I didn't spot elsewhere; they also seem to have a thing for chocolate chips, which were in quite a few items.

Another characteristic item for them was the extra long twist doughnut (1,500 won). I mean, sure, you spot these golden fried twist doughnuts in most bakeries and market stalls specializing in deep-fried foods, but... they're not extra long! Of course I couldn't resist. Removing it from the paper bag after purchase, I'll admit it looked more impressive in store. While possessing that lovely golden brown exterior with just a simple coating of granulated sugar, it lacked that slightly crispy outside and moist, slightly chewy dough that I really like. Good, nice and fresh, but not the best out there.

Rating: ***