Alheim is a bakery chain based in Kansai. It was originally named Hokuo. The Konoike store also has a café space. Their specialty is the Quincy, a fluffy and chewy coppe bread.

▼Location▼ Located across the street from the southeast entrance of JR Koike Shinden Station. ▼About the Shop▼ Alfheim used to operate as a bakery chain under the name "HOKUO," receiving technical support from a Nordic company in Sapporo. In 2001, it became a subsidiary of Hawksley, which operates the bento chain Hokka Hokka Tei. In July 2016, it changed its name from "HOKUO" to "ALFHEIM." ▼Menu▼ They mainly sell soft bread such as sweet bread and cooked bread, and also offer drinks like coffee for dine-in customers. ▼Food Tried▼ ▽ Half-Melted Butter Croissant 170 yen ▽ (May 2022) A slightly larger-sized croissant with a crispy outer layer and a moist and soft inside. It has a strong butter flavor and is quite delicious. ▽ Creamy Soft-Boiled Egg Bread 213 yen ▽ (May 2022) A bread roll topped with egg salad and a soft-boiled egg. The bread is soft and the egg salad and soft-boiled egg flavors are well-balanced. It's a tasty and filling bread. ▼Impressions▼ This shop, originally founded in 1985 by a subsidiary of Nankai Electric Railway in the Osaka area, received technical support from the famous bakery chain Hokkaido-san in Sapporo. It operated as "HOKUO" until 2001 when it became a subsidiary of Hawksley, the operator of Hotto Motto. In July 2016, it rebranded as Alfheim. The Koike store is located just east of the southeast entrance of JR Koike Shinden Station. Though small, it offers a cozy dine-in space. I tried their take-out options and found the simple yet delicious flavors quite enjoyable. With the disappearance of Hokkaido-san in Sapporo, I hope Alfheim, formerly HOKUO, continues to thrive.

The reviewer finished work and got off at Konoike Shinden Station for the first time. They had originally planned to visit a ramen restaurant called Ichiren-ya because they were hungry, but surprisingly they weren't hungry at all. They had some time before their next appointment and their legs were tired from work, so they wanted to sit down. They found a bakery that had seating and decided to go in. They ordered a blend coffee for 270 yen and it was served to their table. The coffee was not too strong but not weak either, indicating that the coffee machine's performance was good. They finished the coffee and felt full even though they weren't hungry.

There used to be a bakery called HOKUO, but it seems to have disappeared so I looked into it. It turns out that they have become independent from the national chain Hokkaido and changed their name to Alheim in Osaka and Hyogo since 2016. Other stores seem to have also changed their name from HOKUO to Alheim. I bought some pastries as a snack. They weren't individually wrapped, but they weren't dry and tasted good. The bright store interior can also be used as a café. As a measure against the new coronavirus, they had installed film curtains from the entrance tong placement to the bread shelves. It may be a bit inconvenient for both the staff displaying the bread and the customers picking them up, but I hope they continue their normal business with perseverance. Let's all endure a little for everyone's sake!

(I scare away the deer) Kon!! I successfully composed it. For lunch, I headed to a restaurant right by Konoike Shinden Station, facing the intersection under the overpass. It has been renamed ALFHEIM from HOKUO. Despite being called "Nordic," the management style varies depending on the region, and the name change was made by the former Hokkaido Food Service in Osaka. There are signs inside the store saying "Eat-in is one drink per person" and "Leave the tray as it is after eating." ・Special selected beef curry bread set tax included 410 yen Special selected beef curry bread, iced tea ・Anko whip tax included 183 yen The special selected beef curry bread is a crispy fried bread filled with beef and vegetables. The flavorful curry sauce is not too spicy, making it a curry bread that even children can enjoy. The anko whip bread is made with soft French bread, offering a crunchy texture and a fragrant taste. It is generously filled with anko from Tokachi and whipped cream. A mini salad is also included. This set is both delicious and reasonably priced. Thank you for the meal.

▼Location▼ Located across the street from the southeast exit of JR Koike Shinden Station. ▼About the Shop▼ Alfheim HP started as a chain operating as "HOKUO" receiving technical support from a Nordic company in Sapporo, and was operated by a subsidiary of Nankai Electric Railway. In 2001, it came under the umbrella of Hawksley, which operates the bento chain Hokka Hokka Tei. In July 2016, it changed from "HOKUO" to "ALFHEIM." ▼Menu▼ They mainly sell soft bread such as sweet bread and prepared/cooked bread, and also offer drinks like coffee for dining in. ▼Food Tried▼ ▽Melon Croissant 194 yen▽ As the name suggests, it's a bread that combines melon bread and croissant. The texture is quite interesting, with a crispy exterior and a moist interior. It's quite delicious. ▽Rich Egg Custard Cream Bread 151 yen▽ As the name suggests, it's a cream bread. The bread has a nice golden-brown color, a good fluffy texture, and the cream inside is rich with a strong egg flavor. The combination of cream and bread is quite good, making it a tasty cream bread. ▼Impressions▼ This bakery received technical support from the famous bakery chain Hokkaido-san in Sapporo and started operating as "HOKUO" in the Osaka area under the subsidiary of Nankai Electric Railway in 1985. It became a subsidiary of Hawksley, which operates Hotto Motto in 2001, and restarted as the current Alfheim in July 2016. This Koike store is located just east of the southeast exit of JR Koike Shinden Station. It's a small shop with a little dining space. As a fan of Hokkaido, the former HOKUO shop, I felt a sense of nostalgia. I had a good impression of the two breads mentioned above, as they were surprisingly delicious. Hokkaido's HOKUO is now in a precarious situation, which is quite sad, but I hope they can revive and succeed.

Nordic bakery used to have normal prices, then suddenly turned into a bakery called Alheim~☆ But it turns out it's the same company, just a name change, and the prices are no longer all 100 yen each. The price tags list the price, allergens, and calories. They have three types of curry bread: beef curry bread (151 yen), beef tendon curry bread (151 yen), and baked curry bread (172 yen). The calorie difference between fried, baked, and beef curry bread is only about 20-30 kcal, not much of a difference. But the fried one is a bit more expensive, maybe because it takes more effort. I wanted beef, so I got the beef curry bread. But there was only a little beef inside and it was oily... I should have gotten the baked curry bread instead. I forgot the name of the sesame wiener mayonnaise bread, it's huge like a face. It's a satisfying bread, just that alone fills you up. Thank you for the meal♪

On this day, I met up with my colleague at Kounoike Shinden Station for a customer visit. We took the usual train and headed to this shop for the third time this month. I had bread and iced coffee while adjusting my schedule on my mobile phone. Last time, the staff asked if I wanted my bread warmed up, and I ate it as it was. This time, I chose a bacon Danish, so I asked for it to be heated. I thought they would lightly toast it in a toaster, but they microwaved it instead. The bread, which was supposed to be crispy, became soggy and oily. It was disappointing.

At the beginning of the week, I met up with a colleague and went straight to a restaurant. We took our usual commuting train to the meeting station and had breakfast while adjusting our schedules. This time, we ordered a set meal for ¥463, which included the option to have the bread warmed up for us.

On this day, I met up with a colleague at a nearby station and couldn't find any available cafes during morning hours, so I decided to have breakfast at Shin-Osaka station. However, the Starbucks there had a long line, so I took a chance and headed to Kounoike-shinden station for our meeting. I found a cozy cafe right after exiting the ticket gate, where I picked out a pastry and ordered a drink to enjoy in the seating area. I'll likely visit again next week.