香祺上海烤饅頭 [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: 香祺上海烤饅頭 (Xiangqi Shanghai Baked Bun)

Address: No. 186, Zhongzheng 3rd Road, Xinxing District, Kaohsiung

Website: facebook

Style: Chinese

Price: $ 

This little stall located next to exit 4 of Formosa Boulevard MRT station isn't really what you think of when you hear the word bakery. It's just a single lady selling about half a dozen varieties of "baked buns" outside, some sweet, some savoury - and others somewhere in between; however, this was, for me, probably the most memorable and tasty Cake Tour stop for the city of Kaohsiung. 

Priced at $7 each (the more you buy, the more you save), they're cheap and the different flavours are written in English. There was, at the time of purchase, original, cocoa, milk cream, peanut, green onion and... something else? At any rate, I remembered all the sweet varieties. Rather, in keeping with the more traditional Chinese product being sold, nothing was overly sweet. It was only in that fantastic caramelized bottom - easily the highlight of the bun - where you got this amazing pooling of sugar. 

I took original, cocoa and that quirky milk cream/seaweed version. The latter was, put simply, bizarre. You've heard of sweet and salty, salty and creamy is a good combination, but semi-sweet creamy and salty with aquatic undertones? It was a questionable pairing. The cocoa was probably the most sweet of the bunch; however, despite being visibly coated, the cocoa itself had no taste. Not sure how that was possible. The unexpected winner? Original. Hands down, the best of the bunch. The original was amazing: soft tear-apart inside, subtly flavoured dough - and that sticky sugary bottom. So good! The only spot in Kaohsiung that I was seriously considering a return trip to! 

Rating: ***1/2

Shinn Bin Bakery [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: Shinn Bin Bakery (信賓蛋糕)

Address: No. 124, Shengli Road, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung

Website: n/a

Style: Chinese

Price: $-$$

Located a few steps away from Lotus Pond's famed Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, there's Shinn Bin bakery, an old-fashioned, rather cluttered bakery with a little of just about everything and boasting an indoor/outdoor retail space. At least, I think the booth right out front selling cream puffs and various fried foods belongs to them? At any rate, typical of this kind of bakery, the prices are very good, the baked goods are fresh and plentiful, albeit with that mass-produced, identical look to them. However, it's always hard to escape that in a Chinese bakery. I stuck to the inside this tine, where they've got gift boxes, savoury bread and cake slices - it was another one of those dilemmas as to what to pick out and what I couldn't exactly stand to look at anymore (sorry, I was on a bit of a pineapple bun and milk cream bun hiatus at this point... XD). 

A lighter option is the castella cake ($25). They also sell cake slices that also appear to be made from the same dough, so I don't know what the difference was. This was fresh and fluffy, though I was frustrated that the top - which is the best part - got glued to the plastic, resulting in an awful picture and a lack of texture variety. It also lacked that spongy density and more pronounced eggy taste of a real good Taiwanese castella. However, despite lacking that extra depth, it was a good example of a classic sponge cake, just as Shinn Bin itself was a good example of a classic bakery.

Rating: ***

Royal Bay Bakery

Bakery: Royal Bay Bakery
Address: 3337 Metchosin Rd, Victoria, BC
Website: http://www.royalbaybakery.com
Style: Canadian
Price: $$

Tucked away on a plaza on the way to Metchosin/East Sooke is a bakery that may not be the first one you think of in terms of bakeries in Victoria. That, however, should really be based solely on its location and not its delicious array of baked goods. It's rather unclearly stated, but they also advertise that they're "organic". Whether it's that they use organic flour or some products are organic, it's always nice to see.

What else is nice to see? A nice selection of delectable baked goods that cover all the classics, from Copenhagen squares (which also looked worth taking, but one can't buy out the whole bakery) to what appears to be a big hit: cinnamon knots. And then there are the doughnuts.

Coming in a couple classic glazed ring varieties, the ones that really lured me in were the fritters. Both the bear claw and apple fritter had a crispy brown exterior with some great glaze coverage. Texture was perfect both inside and out, though in my opinion they were good enough without the drizzle of chocolate, especially on the fritter. I don't really associate chocolate with apple fritters.... Nonetheless, probably one of the best apple fritters on Vancouver Island, on this and previous visits. And yeah, it is probably worth that wait in line. :P

Rating: ***1/2

中華蛋糕麵包 [Mimi's World Tour]

Bakery: 中華蛋糕麵包 (Chinese Cake & Bread)
Address: No. 334, Chongde Rd, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung
Website: facebook
Style: Chinese
Price: $-$$

Located directly across the street from Master Fang, this feels like the battle of the bakeries intersection! In one corner: with nearly a dozen retail locations throughout Kaohsiung and known for its Russian bread and ample array of cakes and gift boxes - Master Fang. In the other corner: with a second bakery also in the Lotus Pond neighbourhood, a homey bakery with a good selection of bread and baked goods - Zhonghua Cake & Bread. Who will reign supreme?

Well, in my opinion, it was a tough one for little Zhonghua, especially since Master Fang was actually one of my favourite bakeries in the city and had such a wide assortment. I did, however, like the cram-packed, more rustic vibe of this bakery better; it definitely felt less... commercial. You got the impression that there were baked goods everywhere, even as you made your way to the cash -  there's so much stuff that it's hard for more than two customers to be inside at one time! This bakery also happens to be cheaper, with individual buns usually costing under $30. 

I grabbed the cinnamon bun ($25). First and foremost, I was impressed by the fact that it actually looked pretty authentically Western. Cinnamon buns aren't super common in Chinese bakeries, but you do encounter them here and there; however, I'm not a fan of the boring dough and that sugary stuff that's usually present. Here, I liked the drizzle of icing and the fresh, fluffy sweet dough. It was stuffed with bits of walnut, which were appreciated, and tons of raisins - which were not. XD Honestly, there were more raisins in this thing than cinnamon....

Rating: **1/2