Marumigi Bakery [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Marumigi Moon Bakery (円麦ムーンベーカリー)
Address: Restaurant Plaza 1F, 5 Chome-1, Minami 4 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Website: https://marumugi.wixsite.com/marumugi
Style: Japanese
Price: $$

With its unusual opening hours (starting from 4pm), it's easy to miss this tiny bakery, especially when it's closed; after all, with its single round window facing the street and access from the inside of the hotel, it's already a "unique" bakery. Stepping inside, the total lack of selection and single counter (why trays and tongs are provided is a bit beyond me when there's nothing you can really grab on your own) of baked goodies makes it even more off-kilter. This very limited selection - made even more limited after 8pm - consists mostly of rustic bread and a few savoury buns. Despite being open for another four hours or so, at 8 it was already cleaned out and only two sweet options were available: the red bean bun and cream bun. Do they usually have more? Their website and online photos show some French baked goods, but none of these were on hand when I went... funny how that always happens. -___-

Going with the cream bun (194 bun), I was beginning to doubt upon looking at it if it had any cream at all. For one, it was as tiny as the bakery itself and it seemed to weigh nothing - not really worth the price, if you ask me. From the outside, there was nothing except maybe for those three slivers of almonds that gave it the impression of being a sweet bun. However, biting into it, this cream bun was actually very tasty. The dough was soft, only slightly sweet with a really good custard cream filling, and just the right amount too. Yeah, it was still too small - especially when it was pretty good - and the selection is pretty dismal, but that's not a bad cream bun!

Rating: ***