Fragrance [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Fragrance (滿庭芳烘焙專賣店)
Address: No. 100 1-2A, Guolian 1st Road, Hualien
Website: n/a
Style: Chinese
Price: $$ 

While this local bakery's main location is in town, their very convenient offshoot within the train station itself is a perfect stop for those passing through Hualien. I'm always frustrated on finding that high-traffic spots such as train stations and malls are a monopoly for big bakery chains, so it was nice to see a small bakery take over some prime retail. Fragrance is in every sense a typical train station bakery: plenty of selection that includes a little bit of everything (including a few less frequent French treats like macarons, cannele and croissants) combined with good prices. Upon closer examination, they had less sweet baked goods than I expected - don't get fooled by their array of bagels!

I went with their cinnamon bun ($30). Sometimes simple is best, but I found this bun lacking in that certain something that makes a baked good well, good - both in terms of appearance and taste. The dough was a little more airy and hard than the soft, foamy bread you'll find at most bakeries, which was a nice change; however, it was also quite dry. And it simply needed some fun: a little glaze, a drizzle of icing, anything! Not bad, but nothing remarkable either. In a sense, a typical train station bakery, after all.

Rating: **1/2