Ginza is a chalet town. On a back street, there is a store with an impressive large blue flag. The sign in front of the entrance reads "Now Pre-Opening," and as I approached the store, I could smell the sweet aroma of chocolate. I passed by the store in March, looking sideways and thinking, "Wow, I didn't know such a store had just opened.
It was now summer, and I happened to be passing by the store and stopped by to check it out. What? Still pre-opening?
The mystery of the "pre-openings" is getting to me!
The name of the mysterious store that has remained "pre-open" forever is "Ginza Bakery. We had the pleasure of interviewing the bakery to find out the mystery behind its pre-opening!
GINBIS was founded in 1930 as a company that manufactured and sold Japanese and Western-style confectioneries. The company later specialized in the confectionery business and changed its name from "Ginza Bakery" to "GINBIS. The company changed its name from "Ginza Bakery" to "GINBIS" and took on its current form, focusing on biscuits.
The company's mission is to "contribute to dietary life with sincerity. The company positioned itself as a place not only to deliver good products to customers, but also to provide them "directly", and opened a café-style store under the name "Ginza Bakery", the former name of GINBIS, from a different company in Ginza 1-chome, where there was a restaurant at the time.
Cafe in Ginza, the place of memories
The shop is
stylish and not difficult to enter...
The aroma of chocolate that wafts through the air comes from the fondue tower placed in front of the store. The fondue tower is only there for the aroma. It is not inedible, but they do not sell it. It seems like a waste, but they plan to use it as a seasonal item with different colors and scents, such as cherry blossom color in spring.
Fondue tower in the store!
The first floor is a sales space with a counter, and the second floor is a cafe space with 14 seats. Located slightly inside from the main street, the brightly lit seats with a European atmosphere make for a relaxing time.
The second floor is a little bit hidden from the main street, so you can enjoy a relaxing time in the brightly lit European atmosphere.
The best sweets that are lost (?) I know how you feel, so I am sad to hear that. I understand that feeling, so to dispel the sadness, let me introduce you to the products!
Currently available are three types of baked goods: sponge cake cookie sandwiches, stick sesame, and American cookies, as well as coffee (iced/hot), iced lattes, and cappuccinos. These can be purchased at the counter and enjoyed in the café space.
All products are excellent!
The "sponge cake cookie sandwich" (300 yen) is the main menu item for eat-in customers. There are two types: plain and rum raisin.
It looks like a biscuit sandwich ice cream, but the cookie part is moist and crumbles in your mouth. The cream sandwiched between the biscuit and ice cream has a rich, milky flavor. However, it is not too sweet and has a clean and refreshing aftertaste. It was my first time to experience the texture of cookie and cream melting at the same time. It is recommended to eat it while it is cold because the cream becomes soft.
Incidentally, Gimbis used to make sponge cakes when it was first established. So it wasn't just cookies.
Cookies and cream melt together...!
The "Stick Sesame" (525 yen), available in three flavors: Sesame, Edamame, and Potato, is made with the same formula as the "Asparagus Biscuit" when it was first sold (1968) and reproduces the firmness of those days. The biscuits are made longer so that "even one stick is satisfying. The potato-based snacks are non-fried and baked in the same way as cookies, just like Gimbis.
Aiming to be a stylish "snack" that can be served at restaurants and other places, the flavor has been devised to go well with alcohol. They look beautiful and are sure to be a hit at home parties.
Perfectly salted and perfect as a snack.
The "American Cookies" (250 yen per cookie), made with a moderate sweetness to suit Japanese people, are available in 10 varieties selected from about 50 prototypes. Recommended is the fruit flavor "pineapple," which remained overwhelmingly popular. The refreshing sweetness of the dough and the sourness of pineapple are addictive. The lineup also includes other flavors such as "Cheese Butter" and "Raisin Oatmeal," whose aroma can be enjoyed.
The texture is moist, and the aroma of the mixed ingredients can be strongly felt. It is said that by letting the dough rest, the ingredients and the dough blend to create a unique texture and aroma.
Gentle taste that is pleasant at teatime
Once you try any of them, you will find yourself saying, "I want to try that one over there! Once you try them, you will be saying to yourself, "I want that one! In fact, there are many repeat customers, including a couple who buy the "stick sesame" every week. They will continue to improve their products to make them even more delicious.
Why not open a store? The store is stylish and the products taste so authentic that there are repeat customers. In addition, everyone knows the power of the Gimbis brand. With all these things in place, why is it still in a pre-opening state? It was because they were "too focused on taste.
The pre-opening was on February 23, 2013. The original plan was to officially open around April, but they
gave up because the main product they were developing was not finished to their satisfaction. This main product is said to be a "cookie" made to eat-in specifications, but even on the day of the interview, he was not allowed to show it to us because he was not satisfied with it.
When we asked him when this product would be completed and officially opened, he replied that he still had a lot of work to do....
When I asked him what he wanted to do, he replied, "We still have a lot of things we want to do..." He told me that he wanted to create souvenir set items, enhance the drinks in the café, create a menu for the café including drink sets, and so on... too many things (laughs). But as I listened to the manager, I was excited to be a part of it.
Anyway, the official opening is scheduled for the fall. Please let me know when you have a concrete date!
The manager said, "We want to increase opportunities for people to get to know the taste of our products, since it's a place with few pedestrians...
During our interview, there were customers who said they knew the restaurant in the past and others who just dropped by to chat with the staff in a relaxed atmosphere. The atmosphere was somewhat relaxed, with some customers who knew the former restaurant and others who stopped by to chat with the staff. I felt that because the restaurant was opened in the place where it was founded, I hope it will be a restaurant loved by the local Ginza community.
The staff's love for GINBIS and their strong commitment to the flavor of their food made me feel as if I were a member of the Ginza community. The Engeboku editorial staff supports this Ginza Bakery with all our might! The prices are not cheap, but the baked goods that you can't find anywhere else are recommended as souvenirs. Whether you know GINBIS or not, we hope you will visit this store.
Once you try it, you'll be addicted!
Located at 1-5-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, the store is open from 11:00 to 20:00 (until 18:00 on Sundays only) and closed irregularly.