King Bake Natural [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: King Bake Natural (キングベークナチュラル)
Address: 16-10 Hakodate Station Square 1F, Wakamatsucho, Hakodate, Hokkaido
Website: http://kingbake.co.jp/shop/
Style: Japanese
Price: $$ 

An offshoot of King Bake, a Hakodate-area bakery with a couple locations and offshoots around town, King Bake Natural appears to be no different from the other locations; identical products can be seen in all their bakery shots, so why natural? It's a mystery. Sharing its space with a confectionery selling local products in gift boxes (hence the awkward location shot), King Bake is a bit all over the place, with baked goods located here and there, sweet among the savoury.  The specialty was definitely simple pan with all the classic types along with quite a number of muffin varieties. With its close proximity to Hakodate station, it's a good place to stop before a train trip. Unlike the food stalls actually in the station, King Bake has the look and feel of train station baked goods, though it doesn't happen to be one of the big national bakery chains.

I had the fried hot dog bun with cinnamon (96 yen). Really, the description says it all; in store, the aroma of this plate of fried dough pervaded one corner of the bakery. I wasn't even planning on taking it, but the other products didn't look especially appetizing and that cinnamon and sugar.... Biting into it, I was a little disappointed that the dough was nothing special. It was airy and soft, exactly like a... why, yes, a hot dog bun. It really was a hot dog bun, just sweeter. It didn't really have any sort of fried element to it, the bun being too doughy. I liked the cinnamon and sugar, but one hour in a plastic bag had made it all melt away, ruining the effect a bit. The idea was there, but maybe hot dog buns should stick to their original purpose. ;)

Rating: **1/2