As announced with much fanfare (and flying cakes) last month, Cronut creator and all-around dessert don Dominique Ansel is set to open a new bakery inside Ginza Mitsukoshi on March 29. While we'll still have to wait an entire month before being allowed to indulge in his latest extravagant, funky sweets, at least we managed to get our hands on the indomitable Frenchman's Ginza-exclusive menu the other day. And yes, it did cause plenty of salivating here at the office.
The new lineup has a decidedly Japanese twang, with sweets being inspired by ingredients such as mentaiko, square watermelons and black sugar. What's more, there's a strong traditional culture link too, namely in the shape of a kabuki-faced sweet bread named Mister Kabuki – a perfect design considering the proximity to the famous Kabukiza, we think. A hybrid of the classic melon pan and the equally ubiquitous cream pan, it's a Ginza-exclusive addition to Ansel's Mr Roboto series and comes with cream mixed with anko and custard.
Chef Ansel also seems to have taken a liking to mentaiko with his rice: hence the creation of the onigiri-shaped Mentaiko Focaccia. As usual, he's managed to come up with a twist on the ordinary.
The list also includes a delectable-looking creation based on the good old Daruma. This chocolate-coated lucky charm is filled with a sweet and sour strawberry jelly and a mousse made of sake lees and injected with a little lime zest. For an added texture sensation, the base is made from financier cake and white chocolate crunch.
We're not quite sure if it counts as a proper lucky charm if you eat it, but it'll surely bring some light to your day. And even if you can't make it to the new outpost, don't despair: DAB's Omotesando shop will be selling the Daruma too.
Furthermore, be sure to check out the predictably windmill-shaped Orange Hazelnut Windmill, New York crowd-pleaser Babka, the east-meets-west Taiyaki Pound cake, the extremely cute (and wonderfully literal) Hot Dog, and the Ginza rendition of the ever-popular DKA ('Dominique's Kouign Amann') – the Black Sugar DKA.
When asked whether there's a clear difference between this Ginza venture and his other stores, Dominique exclaimed 'Mais bien sur! Every store is unique, and that uniqueness starts with the menu. I like to think that our creativity knows no bounds, so we can keep on introducing new items at every shop.'
About half of the baked goodies for sale are set to be exclusive to the Ginza location, and there is even talk of having old-school gacha machines installed in store at a later date. No matter what age you are, you'll probably end up feeling like a kid in a toy store – or, in this case, in a rather decadent bakery.