Mont Thabor Hokkaido Milk Bread: I found the picture I took of the Hokkaido Milk Bread from Mont Thabor, a neighborhood bakery in Azabu Juban in Tokyo. One characteristic I've noticed of most bakeries in Tokyo that aren't chains like Starbucks is that they don't normally have any seating, with the idea that customers purchase items to eat at home. Unlike America, where it is normal for people to eat or drink while walking, in Japan, this is considered rude, so even if you purchase say a soft drink at a convenience store, ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended desserts bread bakery azabujuban japanese montthabor hokkaido milk 3.5
Mystic Muffin Banana Bread: Upon entering Mystic Muffin, I was greeted by the friendly owner Elias, who quickly handed me a warm loaf of banana bread. His salesmanship worked, and I ordered a slice which cost about $2 CAD. The banana bread is not a banana nut bread, with no trace of nuts as far as I could tell. It had chocolate chips mixed into the batter. The cake was extremely moist and delicious, and the banana chocolate mix was wholly satisfying without being heavy or overly sweet. You could eat it with anythi... (read more) 5.0/5.0
exceptional baked desserts mysticmuffin banana bread 5.0
Nezu No Pan Mugwort Bread with Red Beans: My friend purchased two different mini loafs from Nezu bakery Nezu No Pan, whose bread has a texture unlike any I've had before. The outside of the loaf is a normal thin crust, but the inside is stretch and chewy, a bit like mochi but definitely lighter (for example, you can easily break off a piece). This bread has a vivid green color and slightly bitter herbal flavor from mugwort, a plant used to flavor some Asian desserts (the only other time I had it was also in Japan, and it was used ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese nezu tokyo bakery nezunopan megwort bread red beans 4.5
Nezu No Pan Lemon Poppy Seed Bread: The other flavored bread that I received from the bakery Nezu No Pan, located close to Nezu Station in Tokyo, is a lemon poppy seed loaf. It's pleasantly acidic, with a lemon flavor that's both sweet and sharp but not overly so, as the flavor is mellowed out by the pillowy, chewy bread. The texture somehow combines the best of mochi-like chewiness with the moist, soft consistency of freshly baked bread. A standout combination – the flavor alone is definitely one of the best lemon breads I... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional tokyo nezu bread bakery baked nezunopan lemon poppy seed 4.5
Nezu No Pan Black Sesame Raisin Bread: I loved the bread I was gifted from this bakery in Nezu so much that I wanted to see all the flavors they had to offer. I bought two more mini-loaves to try. The first was sliced black sesame raisin bread, with a thin crust and chewy stretch interior mixing a healthy amount of black sesame and plump raisins. I really liked the savory taste of the black sesame, but I found the raisins to be overpoweringly sweet – about half the quantity would have been better balanced in my eyes. The quali... (read more) 3.0/5.0
bread tokyo nezu nezunopan black sesame raisin 3.0
Nezu No Pan Apple Ginger Bread: A warming mix of apple and ginger that reminds me of autumn back home. The ginger is pleasantly spicy and candied, and the bread is spongy and moist. Eating these mini loaves maes me feel like a giant, as they're about the size of bread you might see in a kitchen playset for kids. I liked this flavor but I would rate it as third behind the mugwort and lemon poppy bread I had tried previously, probably because the apple and ginger flavor combination is not quite as unique. 3.5/5.0
recommended tokyo bread nezu nezunopan apple ginger 3.5