My wife and I were watching TV the other night and the show was featuring this hot new bakery called Boulangerie Ken. It's actually not a new bakery, but it's delicious secret has finally gone mainstream.
As we watched the show and the various creations I told my wife I would visit the next day, this past Thursday, and buy some of the treats we saw like these.
Pistacio, berry & cream bagel.
Apple pie bagel.
I headed out the next day to a stop on the Tobu line called Shimo-akatsuka. It's about 30 minutes by train from Shinjuku in the north of Tokyo.
I arrived at about 2pm to a long line, the occasional smell of freshly baked bread and lots of looks. It's not often people see a full bearded cowboy hat wearing foreigner waiting in line at the local bakery.
I thought if I arrived after lunch there would be a new batch of pastries and breads ready for the afternoon crowd.
Unfortunately I was just a bit too late as I saw several young people ahead of me scoop up the last of the really fancy pastries. There was still quite a lot to choose from, just not the pastries we had seen on TV.
The baker uses ingredients that aren't as common at other bakeries like raisins, anchovies or squash. Each creation has a homemade feel to it both in appearance and flavor.
After a few minutes of browsing I had my selections made.
Clockwise from 12, custard cream, raspberry tart, hot dog, squash, garlic butter & anchovy. With that I checked out at about $14 and went outside for the taste test.
With the first bite of this hotdog I could tell it was different, better quality than the normal bakeries we frequent. I couldn't put my finger on it though. I just knew the bread tasted better.
Later that evening when I got home we snacked on all of the others.
Each one had a unique surprise for us. The raspberry tart had small pieces of white chocolate that had a caramel glaze making them deceivingly look like some sort of nut. It was a delicious surprise.
The custard creamy, bear claw looking pastry was just what you would expect, lightly flavored and delicious. It was the first to go.
My son & wife liked the squash, but not my daughter. The squash filling was almost pumpkin like.
Lastly was the butter, garlic & herbs, anchovy sandwich. Not being a big fan of anchovy I'll say that it was absolutely perfect to add it to this bread. The outside of the bread was tough like a pretzel, while soft & chewy on the inside.
It went great with the Belgian White beer we washed it down with.
Everything was as good as we expected, but the bigger, more lavish pastries escaped us, so I guess I will have to make another trip up there before the end of the year.
If you happen to want to visit Boulangerie Ken it's only two blocks from the Shimo-akatsuka station. The bakery is pretty small with only 4 people allowed in at a time. This is part of the reason there is a long line.
There are all kinds of breads, pastries, bagels and sandwiches. They range from about $2.50 - $8.00 for a loaf. Cash and card are accepted so bring a big wallet and empty stomach! They are open from 7am - 9pm. Here is their website if you are interested in learning more.
http://boulangerieken.itabashi-life.com/
I've posted this on pinmapple as well. You can see my over 100 pins for off the beaten path spots in Japan and the USA on pinmapple here: https://www.pinmapple.com/@rt395
Thanks for reading!