Hyperlocal Tokyo

I went to the Kaminarimon store, but it was closed. There was a new store nearby called Shinnaka, so I bought 5 to take home. When I got home and ate them, they were just ordinary melon bread. I had bought them from the Kaminarimon store 3 times before and eaten them without warming them up. They were fluffy and had a nice crispy exterior, and they were just so delicious. This time, I was disappointed. There was no fluffiness or crispness at all, and the price had gone up to 300 yen. I feel like I lost out. I will never buy from the Shinnaka store again.

I bought a melon pan and reheated it the next day in the microwave for 30 seconds, followed by 2 minutes in the toaster. The melon pan had a subtle buttery aroma and was pleasantly sweet, making it easy to eat. It looked quite large, but I devoured it in no time. The bread dough was fluffy, not dense, moist, or crispy. The cookie crust was thin and melded into the bread, resulting in less of a crunchy texture but likely a lower calorie count. Since I didn't have it freshly baked, my assessment might not be entirely accurate. However, considering it's from a melon pan specialty shop and my personal preference, I gave it 3 stars. That said, it's significantly tastier than commercially available melon pan.

This shop seems to sell pre-baked pastries, not freshly baked ones, for souvenirs. I bought some to take away and ate them the next morning. The bag included instructions on how to reheat them. Following the instructions, I toasted the surface, which resulted in a crispy, light texture. I ate two for breakfast, and because they were light, I devoured them easily. Definitely better toasted and crispy! 😊

There was a line of about 2-3 people on a Saturday afternoon in December 2023. It was my fault for not researching enough, but this location is takeout only and they only serve cold, soft melon bread. The freshly fried melon bread is at the Kaminarimon store, across Nakamise-dori. It seems they had a sign up, but I missed it. They also have a no standing rule. Of course, it's for reheating at home.

It's located next to Nakamise-dori. It's a takeout-only store. The melon pan is soft, but not to the point of being overly praised... It's not better than a regular melon pan, but not worse either. In short, it's just an average melon pan. The main store nearby sells melon pan with cream and freshly baked ones. As many people have written, it tastes delicious when toasted.