Ikedaya

Bakery items look great, but taste is so-so.

Ikedaya is a cute little bakery located in Urasa, a town in Minamiuonuma, Niigata. We drove past there recently and vowed to pop in one day, because who doesn't love a patisserie, right? Everything here at Ikedaya looks the part. The cakes are beautifully presented, and the royal icing cookies that I included a picture of below are just incredible - the level of detail is out of this world. But like anywhere, the true test comes down to the taste. We got one of the royal icing cookies (they were too cute to resist) and a piece of their chocolate chip chiffon cake. The cookie, despite being amazing in terms of looks, was so hard that it was almost inedible - the icing and the cookie were close to rock solid consistency! As for the chiffon cake, it wasn't light and airy like a lot of other chiffon cakes I've tried - if anything it was a little dry. Not sure if they were just having an off day - I might have to check back another time and re-try!