I’d had an all-night wine party with friends I hadn’t seen in ages, so there was no way I was getting up on time. I somehow managed to open my eyes around 11 and headed out for lunch.
Before lunch, my friend said there was a seriously good bakery in the neighborhood he wanted to show me, so we set off toward Koenji Station. But first, a look back at what we drank last night…
Hozan Ayamurasaki, the last bottle we opened, with a little still left in the morning
I learned that shochu can actually be this elegant. Sure, the pricey premium shochu out there beats this in aroma and flavor, but I picked this one up in Arita for 2,500 yen. It would have been worth it at twice the price.
The wreckage of the wine we drank
From left to right: Ortega TBA 2005, Pavillon Rouge 2007, Domaine de Chevalier 2004, and Brumont 2009.
The Ortega TBA was an absurdly cheap TBA at around 3,000 yen, so I didn’t expect much, but maybe thanks to the great vintage it was incredibly sweet and delicious for the price. Who knew a no-name producer could pull this off… Great vintage plus TBA really makes a difference.
As for the Pavillon Rouge, nothing more to say about it in flavor or in class. It hurt a bit since it’s a young vintage, but it was going to be drunk sooner or later anyway, so I boldly opened it for my friends. Even more than the Pavillon Rouge, though, the Domaine de Chevalier surprised me by showing what a wonderful, top-quality Graves wine looks like. I’ll remember it and buy some whenever I see it. The Brumont is an inexpensive white I picked up at a nearby supermarket. It’s no match for the wines we opened before it, but it’s clean and fresh. It probably would have been even better if we’d opened it in summer.
Finally, the bakery: National Depart
The sign just says “pan” (bread). No decoration at all. I looked into it a bit, and apparently the main shop is in Okayama and the branch is in Koenji. It struck me as odd to open a shop in such an out-of-the-way corner even in Tokyo, but judging by how widely it’s already known around here as a great bakery, the location doesn’t seem to have been a mistake. There are only two shops, but the bread seems to be sold all over. They say it’s also available at DEAN & DELUCA in Shinagawa, Shibuya, Yaesu, Roppongi Midtown and Nagoya. For details, check the official website http://depa.jp/..
What they sell are these extra-large loaves.
They’re enormous, but rather than selling them whole, they cut them into pieces about the size of a loaf of sandwich bread. I was surprised that they keep for a long time at room temperature. They say you can keep them for about a month in the freezer, too. Even though it’s bread, it would make a nice souvenir. By the way, Dominique Saibron’s bread, when I bought it in the evening and ate it the next morning, had already gone way downhill.
They put it in a bag like this.
I’d assumed it was just a small neighborhood bakery, but they seem to be doing things properly… anyway, as long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters.
What I bought was a 10-piece assorted pack.
They sell bags of just the end pieces as a clearance item for about 1,000 yen a bag, which lets you try each kind, so I bought one. My friend said it’s delicious if you spritz it lightly with water and toast it, but not so great eaten as is, so I didn’t actually eat it until I got home after the trip. And when I did, it was really good. Toasting it helps, sure, but the bread itself is just beautifully made. Chewy inside, slightly crusty outside, and fillings like nuts and cranberries give a little kick to what could otherwise be a monotonous bread. I thought I’d had all kinds of bread over the years, but this was a completely new concept of bread. Who on earth came up with bread like this… a total hit. My friend says he’d like to start a business with something like this too. Worrying about retirement already in your thirties… he’s one well-prepared friend.
I’ll save my thanks to the friend who introduced me to this place for Facebook… and now it’s about time to head out for lunch.