I visited "Pan Risotta" in Ikebukuro. The shop is located on the 2nd floor of Tobu Department Store directly connected to JR Ikebukuro Station. "Pan Risotta" is a bakery managed by the major bread-making company "Yamazaki Baking". The company operates two bakery shops, "San Etoile" and "Hausbrawn", mainly across Japan. The one I visited this day is the only branch in Tobu Department Store. It is a takeout-only shop. I purchased the following breads on this day: 1. Turtle Melon Pan (280 yen) 2. Dark Cherry Brioche (320 yen) 3. Sawayama Jersey Cream Pan (250 yen) *Prices include tax. Turtle Melon Pan: The shell of the turtle is made with musk melon juice, while the rest is made with milk in the dough, shaped like a turtle. The shell is crispy but softer in texture compared to regular melon pan. The melon flavor is delicious, and the milk-flavored dough is soft and fluffy. It was a cute and tasty melon pan. Dark Cherry Brioche: Inside the brioche dough is custard cream, topped with dark cherries. The fresh and refreshing dark cherries paired well with the rich but elegant sweetness of the cream. The brioche dough was incredibly soft and fluffy. It was a very delicious bread where you can enjoy the flavors of the dough, cream, and dark cherries. Sawayama Jersey Cream Pan: The custard cream made with 100% Jersey milk from Sawayama Farm was generously filled inside. The smooth and rich cream was wrapped in a fluffy brioche dough. The fluffy texture of the dough and cream combined to create an outstandingly delicious taste. The sliced almonds on top provided a nice crunch and enhanced the flavor of the cream. As I enjoyed the cream, I was reminded of the scenery of cows leisurely spending time in the lush Sawayama Plateau. This was my first visit, and all the bread I purchased was delicious. I would like to try other breads next time. When I visit Ikebukuro again, I would like to revisit this bakery. Thank you for the meal.

The cute chick looks like something I want to take home. Chick bread for 350 yen, salt butter bread for 170 yen, donuts for 160 yen, churros for 200 yen. The chick is not only cute, but also has a little custard cream inside which adds a nice touch. It was delicious. The churros make you feel like going to the movies. I always end up buying the salt butter bread if they have it. I can't resist going into a bakery I've never been to before.

- Chocolat Amandi ¥260 tax included - Apple Cinnamon Roll ¥230 tax included - Crunchy Pork Curry Bun ¥270 tax included This bakery is located in Tobu Department Store B2, near Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line, rather than JR Yamanote Line Ikebukuro Station. It is a bakery affiliated with the Yamazaki Bread brand. They offer a wide variety of bread, some of which are exactly the same as those found in other Yamazaki Bread stores. It's convenient for me as it is located right by the station exit, making it easy to grab a few items quickly. The clientele mainly consists of older housewives, which speaks to the bakery's reliability. I purchased the Chocolat Amandi, a croissant-like bread, the Apple Cinnamon Roll, and a curry bun coated with cornflakes on the surface. The bread was soft and easy to eat, quite different from the high-end bread typically found in department store basements. The prices are reasonable for a department store setting, and the taste matches the price point. It seems like this bakery intentionally offers a more approachable option compared to the upscale bakeries in department store basements in Ikebukuro. It's a great place to visit depending on your needs. Thank you for the meal.

This is a bakery located inside Tobu in Ikebukuro. I visited around 6:30 pm on Sunday and found that there were fewer types of bread left at that time. I bought a salted butter bread (170 yen) and also tried their wine bread (400 yen). The salted butter bread had a nice salty flavor and was delicious. I forgot to take a picture of the wine bread, but I shared it with 4 people. It had a slightly pink hue, maybe from red wine? I couldn't taste the wine flavor, but it was a delicious bread with a hint of sweetness.

◎Shop name: Pan Risotta◎ ★ ★ ★ (5 stars is the highest rating)◎ NPS (customer recommendation score) 6 points◎ One word: High cost-performance, bakery near the station◎ Overall satisfaction (mentaiko France, chewy donuts are delicious)◎ Accepted payment methods: Merpay ×, PayPay ○, other electronic payments ○.◎ Order ◎ Product range. ¥160〜¥300.◎ Product quality 83 points, service 80 points, cleanliness 80 points.◎ Overall rating is 82 points. (All rated out of 100 points)◎ Location of the shop: Thank you for the meal at Tobu Ikebukuro underground.#TokyoGourmet #Japan

East Department Store was my first time visiting, so I was curious about what kind of shops were in the so-called basement floor. I came across a bakery called Pan Risotta that I had never heard of before, so I decided to explore the store. Inside, I found a unique Neapolitan sandwich called "Neapolitan Coppe" that I had never seen elsewhere, along with a Potato Salad Coppe next to it, so I picked them up without hesitation. A little further down, I also found a Pastrami Ham sandwich, so I added that to my tray as well. At the register, they packed the Pastrami sandwich and Potato Salad Coppe with ice packs. I brought them home and enjoyed them slowly. The Neapolitan had a perfect balance of acidity and richness that complemented the bread well. The Potato Salad had chunky fillings and the mayonnaise used matched the bread perfectly. The Pastrami sandwich was also delicious and went well with a cold beer.

The day before the bicycle race, I was looking for food during the race in Ikebukuro for about half a day. Since I would be at the race venue, I needed to prepare breakfast and lunch. I decided to buy some bread, but I was short on time, so I thought I would just get it at a department store. However, I found a bakery that I had never been to before, so I decided to make a purchase! The bread was all delicious. The prices were also very reasonable. The main prices were in the 100-200 yen range, which was surprising for a department store in Ikebukuro. I bought Naruto sweet potato salt bread (250), a forgotten bread (220), a special red bean bun (230), DONUTS DO (160), and a salt croissant (210).

Visited "Pan Risotto" located in the underground of Ikebukuro Station. It is in Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro B2. Arrived around 12 PM on Sunday and the store was not too crowded. Was able to pay quickly. Bought a Wiener Roll for 300 yen. The fluffy bread filled with juicy and flavorful sausage, mayonnaise, and ketchup sauce is a classic combination! It was delicious. Enjoyed it until the last bite.

I left work a little early, so I stopped by a bakery on my way home. It's located in Tobu Department Store B2, directly connected to Ikebukuro Station. Although it's not one of the top 100 bakeries, it has received decent reviews, so I've been curious about it for a while. I arrived around 7 pm and the store was crowded with business people on their way home from work. Some items were already sold out, which made me a bit anxious. I couldn't find the highly rated sandwich bread, so I ended up buying the "Oni Bread" for my child, and the "Cinnamon Apple Roll" and "Honey Apple and Walnut Bread" to share with my wife. Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the bread display shelf hidden behind a pillar. I wish they had placed it in a more prominent location. Anyway, the next morning, I tried the bread. The Cinnamon Apple Roll, when reheated in the microwave, had a nice cinnamon flavor and a burst of sweetness, but it didn't exceed my expectations. The Honey Apple and Walnut Bread, on the other hand, had a moist and chewy texture with generous chunks of honey apple and walnuts, and the taste was flawless. My son had the Oni Bread all to himself, and when I asked him for his opinion, he said, "Custard explosion!" I have no idea what he meant. Later, I found out that this bakery is run by Yamapan. It seems like there are many brands under their name, like Vido and San Etoile. I enjoyed the food and will come back next time to buy sandwich bread.

- Chocolate Bread: I chose it based on its appearance, but the cute face of the panda is adorable. Each expression is different, so I carefully choose one. The white part on top is not chocolate, but plenty of chocolate cream inside the bread. It is sweet but with a bitter chocolate taste, very smooth and creamy. I love this cream, perfect for a delicious snack. - Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese Focaccia: The bread dough is soft and moist, similar to pizza bread. The ingredients are plentiful. The acidity of the tomatoes with basil is a nice touch. The balance between the bread ratio and the sauce is perfect. Cheese lovers will love this pizza bread. It is recommended to reheat and eat. - Fried Bread: This classic fried bread is sweet with plenty of flour. Does it remind you of school lunches? I feel like I always wanted seconds and ate it first (I've always been a big eater). It's more dense than fluffy. Ah, it's nostalgic as I quickly devour it. - Silky Honey Half: With the trend of raw bread, these fluffy breads have really increased. You can eat them as they are, and they are extremely delicious. It contains honey, fresh cream, and butter, so the fine fluffy bread is sweet enough. I can keep tearing and eating it forever. Nowadays, in my mind, it's not chips while watching movies at home! Eating torn raw bread while watching is my new favorite thing.

I feel like I have been visiting Ikebukuro more often during the past 2-3 years, especially during the year-end and New Year holidays. Before the pandemic, it was a tradition for me to watch the Tokyo Daishoten horse race at Oi Racecourse at the end of the year, and I was also aiming to achieve the area master status in Kanagawa prefecture on Tabelog, so my activities were mainly focused on the Kawasaki and Yokohama areas around Oi and Kamata during the year-end and New Year holidays. However, due to the high barriers for watching horse races at Oi Racecourse during the pandemic and achieving the area master status in Kanagawa, the situation has changed. Ikebukuro has become the perfect alternative for me. When looking at the passenger numbers at the stations on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, Shinjuku is by far the busiest, followed by Ikebukuro. Tokyo is in third place, followed by Shinagawa in fourth and Shibuya in fifth. It was surprising to see that Shibuya was not as high in the rankings as I expected, considering its popularity as a shopping district. However, Ikebukuro has an image of being a comfortable city for middle-aged and older generations, unlike Shinjuku and Shibuya, which are more known as youth-oriented areas (especially Shibuya). Therefore, I find myself more inclined to visit Ikebukuro than Shinjuku or Shibuya. On this day, which marked the first Tabelog activity of 2023, I enjoyed a luxurious lunch at Yakiniku Champion Ikebukuro Tobu Store on the 14th floor of Tobu Department Store. After lunch, I decided to go bakery-hopping, but since it was January 2nd and many shops were still closed for the New Year holidays, I opted to visit the bakery inside Tobu Department Store on the 2nd basement floor. This bakery is operated by Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd., a giant in the bread industry. When it comes to Yamazaki Baking's bakery operations, many people would first think of VIE DE FRANCE, which is operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary, VIE DE FRANCE has 240 stores nationwide (including sister brands such as DELIFRANCE). In contrast, Yamazaki Baking's directly operated bakery brands, SAN ETTOILE and HEART BROWN, have a total of 110 stores nationwide, with SAN ETTOILE and HEART BROWN being the main brands. In terms of store numbers, the subsidiary surpasses the parent company, with only one store for the "PAN RISOTTA" brand. Similarly, there is only one store each for the "SAN BURETTA" (Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture) and "ALSACE LOREN" (Ueno, Tokyo) brands. This store has a Tabelog rating of over 3.5 points, an unusually high score for a corporate chain under Yamazaki Baking (for reference, VIE DE FRANCE has a maximum score of 3.36 points, with 90% of the scores in the 3.0 range). This suggests that they have skillfully navigated through Tabelog's chain store evaluation system. This day, I visited the store around 11:50 a.m., right after the New Year's sales had started. The underground food market was crowded, but the store was not as packed, making it easy to take photos and make purchases. The bread here feels slightly more luxurious compared to VIE DE FRANCE. Being a department store basement location and using unique brands, they seem to pay attention to their product lineup. The prices also reflect this, as they are not as budget-friendly as typical chain bakeries.

This is a popular bakery located in the basement of Tobu Department Store. They have a variety of coppe breads, and I bought the Herb Wiener one. When I held it, I was surprised by how light and fluffy it was, not what I expected. The potato bread was more like a soft French bread, dense and very delicious.

After finishing work, I went to the bakery and although some items were sold out, there were still enough options to choose from. I purchased four items: - Curry bread with half-cooked egg @280 yen: A pretty spicy bread. The half-cooked egg in the center is delicious, but it feels like it's lacking a bit with only half an egg. There are also quite a few hollow spaces in the bread. - Rice flour mentaiko bread @290 yen: A chewy bread with mentaiko mayo on top, which was tasty but tasted just as I had imagined. - Juwacro (pizza) @70 yen: A mini croissant with a little pizza sauce on top. There are different types of Juwacro, and although the croissant was delicious, there was hardly any pizza flavor. - Crunchy caramel melon bread @250 (on sale for 150 yen): A new item on special that day. There weren't many sweet options left, but I really wanted something sweet, so I chose this discounted item. I thought it might be too sweet, but it was just right and delicious. I especially liked the crispy biscuit dough on the outside.

I reheated and ate it the day after I bought it. It had a soft texture rather than a crispy one. The taste of butter was slightly heavy, but it was quite delicious!

【Garlic Mountain Jersey Cream Pan】 230 yen Made with milk blended with custard cream using 100% Jersey milk from the Garlic Mountain Ranch, wrapped in a soft brioche dough and baked. There may be individual differences, but the cream was a bit less than expected, leaving a slightly unsatisfying feeling. 【Yellow Peach Brioche】 290 yen A cup-shaped brioche dough filled with plenty of custard cream, topped with yellow peach compote and herbs. The custard is sweet, but the airy texture of the brioche seems to lighten the heaviness. 【Mentaiko Rice Flour Bread】 290 yen Not the commonly seen Mentaiko French bread, but a very soft rice flour dough that can be torn by hand. Surprisingly, it goes well with the mentaiko.

Popular bakery located in the basement of Tobu Department Store. Purchased the top two favorites: Jersey Cream Pan and Salted Butter Pan. The cream pan had a fluffy and chewy texture with plenty of cream filling, very delicious. The salted butter pan is simple, so it pairs well with soup, dishes, or cheese.

As I was walking through the Tobu Department Store basement in Ikebukuro, I came across three adorable chick-shaped cream-filled melon breads for 340 yen each. I couldn't resist and bought one. The breads at Pan Risotta are all delicious, so I also got a Dark Cherry Brioche for 290 yen and a croissant, among other items, to take home. The melon bread in the shape of a chick was so cute and tasty with cream inside. The Dark Cherry Brioche is also a favorite of mine and never disappoints. Delicious bread with a great visual can really make you feel happy.

✳️ Pan Rizotta @ Ikebukuro Another visit to this place. Silky Honey ★ A small-sized luxury bread. The crust is soft but fragrant! The dough is soft and fluffy. It's perfect for eating as is. It had a smooth texture like silk. Egg Coppe ★ A large size! Plenty of coarse eggs inside! There's quite a bit of mayonnaise in it too. The coppe was soft and fluffy.

There is a delicious bakery in the depachika (basement floor of a department store) in Ikebukuro. Whenever I go to Ikebukuro, I sometimes buy bread and bring it back. The "Silk Honey" bread is delicious, with a soft and fluffy texture. My favorite, which I forgot to take a picture of, is the "Honey Apple Campagne." I thought it would be a hard bread, but it is actually soft and chewy. I enjoy it without any toppings. I like it so much that I keep going back for more.

I was wandering around the underground shopping area of Tobu Ikebukuro, and came across this bakery. I decided to stop by to buy some bread for dinner. One thing that caught my eye was a type of bread called "Silk Honey" which seemed to be a raw bread. Despite the trend for raw bread seeming to have passed, I decided to put one in my basket and continue exploring the store. The bakery had a typical appearance, with a variety of breads on offer. It was hard to find anything particularly unique. I ended up choosing a cream coronet, a curry bread, and a melon bread shaped like a turtle. After paying, I took them home to try. First, I tried the raw bread. When I cut into it and took a bite, the bread was soft and sweet, just as expected. However, the texture was not as fluffy as I had hoped. I decided to toast it, and the crust became crispy and the texture improved. I found that the crust was more delicious than the bread itself, and cutting the bread into larger pieces enhanced the raw bread experience. After experiencing the raw bread, I moved on to the other breads. The coronet, curry bread, and melon bread were all quite ordinary and did not leave a strong impression. It was disappointing how unremarkable they were. "It's hard to review when you can't find any distinctive features," I thought, as I struggled to find something to say about these pastries.