和樂西點麵包 [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: 和樂西點麵包 (Hele Bakery - West Point)
Address: No. 207, Qixian 3rd Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung
Website: facebook
Style: Chinese
Price: $-$$ 

This unpretentious corner bakery looks like it's been here for quite some time. Add to that all the clutter and junk strewn around the inside and well, it kind of feels like the bakery is operating out of their back storeroom. XD This setup could work either way. I mean, sometimes you can get unexpectedly yummy baked goods from the most unlikely, unsightly places. In this case, Hele Bakery is actually a local bakery "chain" with about half a dozen locations scattered throughout Kaohsiung. Are they all as rundown as this one? Not sure; I don't quite remember seeing any more, but with its taped up prices and mismatched labels, it feels like an independent bakery. All my jabs aside, with all individual items under $30 (some even under $20!), the bakery is cheap and well-stocked, the baked goods are uncomplicated and it appears that they're baking fresh bread throughout the day.

Not wanting to settle for the same old bun varieties I'd been having elsewhere, I gave the black sesame peanut bun ($28) a try. It kind of looked like my beloved poppy seed and I thought I could pretend for a moment that it was. .___.;; The black sesame was rich and nutty and was wound generously round the dough in several layers, creating a moist, hefty bun. In my opinion, the major downside was what I initially assumed to be crumble on top of the bun; this was actually chopped peanuts. A lot of peanuts, mind you. The black sesame is already so decadent and there is that oily element to it so the addition of the peanuts made it excessive. I also think the texture of the peanuts didn't suit the smoothness of the bun. I definitely felt like I'd overindulged after finishing this...

Rating: **1/2