firmersbay
Visited on a regular Thursday around 11:30 am. Located about a 5-minute walk east from Gotanda Station along Yatsuyama Street. This bakery is located within the Arietta Hotel, established in 2004. It has been selected as one of the top 100 restaurants on Tabelog four times in the last five years, making it the highest-rated bakery in Shinagawa Ward. In 2017, it came under the management of Maison Ichi, which has its main store in Daikanyama, but the bakery's recipes remain unchanged and are still made by Maison Ichi's artisans. Conversely, Maison Ichi's bread section is also available here. The bakery's motto is "bread that you can enjoy every day without getting tired" and "bread that makes your body happy and impressed." They use homemade natural yeast, domestic wheat, and organic ingredients in their bread. The cozy shop has a small variety of bread. I purchased the Emile Mini for 270 yen, the Pudding-like Shokupan for 518 yen, the Gentle Baguette for 378 yen, the Baguette Half for 180 yen, and the Bouche for 240 yen. The Emile Mini is the most popular bread here, made from a blend of wheat and whole wheat flour, mixed with acacia-based honey and pine nuts. It is heavier than it looks, with a dense texture inside. The aroma of wheat is rich, and the pine nuts add a nice crunch. The Pudding-like Shokupan, released in August 2019, has become popular. The dough is fermented for a long time at low temperatures and uses plenty of fresh cream. It is incredibly soft to the touch, and even the crust is fluffy. It melts in your mouth, with a noticeable sweetness and cream flavor. It is recommended to enjoy it fresh on the first day to savor the texture and sweetness of the wheat, and then toast it on the second day for a crispy texture. The Gentle Baguette was developed for those who don't like the hardness of traditional baguettes. Like the Pudding-like Shokupan, it is fermented for a long time at low temperatures and uses plenty of fresh cream. It looks like a baguette but is extremely soft and cannot stand upright. Both the crumb and crust are fluffy. When lightly toasted, it has a soft interior and a crispy exterior. The taste and texture are almost the same as the Pudding-like Shokupan, but this is more like a high-end shokupan in the shape of a baguette. The Baguette Half has a slightly firm crust but is not too hard to eat, with a thin and crisp texture. It has a rich wheat flavor and a light texture compared to a regular baguette. The Bouche has a fluffy bread base with a crispy cookie outer layer. It reminds me of a bread I used to eat often called UFO (or sometimes known as hat bread) from my childhood. It's smaller than what I used to have, but it's exactly like the UFO I remember. It's sweet, and for those who enjoy fluffy bread, it's a must-try.