Many Japanese people love bread.
People of all ages eat bread.
There’s a bakery in Kasaoka City that’s bustling with customers of all ages.
It’s “Bread & Cafe Assiette (Assette).”
What makes Assiette special is that it’s a bakery with an attached cafe.
It’s what’s known as a bakery cafe.
You can eat the bread you buy in the eat-in area, or enjoy cafe menu items such as breakfast.
The owner of Assiette also trained for many years at a bakery in Osaka before starting a bakery there.
From the shokupan and hard breads that have been made with care since the bakery opened, to sweet and savory breads, they make a wide variety.
Many customers visit every day in search of their carefully made bread.
Let’s take a look at Assiette, a popular bakery among the locals of Kasaoka!
The information provided was current when this article was published in September 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Assiette is a bakery with an attached cafe
Assiette is a bakery in the Oshima district in eastern Kasaoka City.
It’s in an area near Satosho Town, along a prefectural road.
▼There are eight parking spaces on the premises.
Assiette’s exterior has a refined, stylish look, almost like a cafe.
In fact, what makes Assiette distinctive is that a cafe is attached to the bread shop.
You can eat the bread you buy right there in the cafe area.
The cafe area also serves cafe menu items.
You can enjoy breakfast, light meals, desserts, and more.
▼The entrance is in the center facing the building, with the bread shop on the right.
▼The cafe area is on the left when facing the front.
The cafe has two tables for two and five tables for four.
Recommended and popular breads at Assiette
Assiette makes and sells a wide variety of breads.
Here are some picks recommended by the owner, Okahara Tsuyoshi!
Information current as of September 2020. Prices are before consumption tax. Takeout is subject to 8% consumption tax, while dine-in is subject to 10% consumption tax.
“Shokupan” has a flavor you won’t tire of, even if you eat it every day
Assiette offers several kinds of shokupan.
Since shokupan is eaten with meals, they say they make it with a flavor you won’t tire of, even if you eat it every day.
That’s why it has a mild sweetness.
“Kasaoka-grown Mochi Barley Shokupan” is a local favorite with chewy dough
Mr. Okahara’s top pick is the “Kasaoka-grown Mochi Barley Shokupan” (320 yen before tax).
As its name suggests, it contains mochi barley grown locally in Kasaoka.
I bought some and tried it at home.
The dough is chewy, with a subtle sweetness.
The shokupan had a moist, smooth texture.
The mochi barley mixed into the dough adds a springy, popping bite that gives it a nice accent.
“Domestic Wheat Shokupan” is made with plenty of milk
The shokupan made with domestic wheat comes in a mountain-shaped “Mountain Shokupan” and a square “Square Shokupan.”
▼Mountain Shokupan (250 yen before tax)
▼Square Shokupan (250 yen before tax)
The wheat used is from Hokkaido.
They use plenty of milk and add honey to the dough.
The key is the natural sweetness of the milk and the richness of the butter!
“Whole Wheat Off-Toast” is healthy, with no sugar or fat
“Whole Wheat Off-Toast” (240 yen before tax) is also a popular shokupan.
Made with 20% whole wheat flour, this health-conscious shokupan has reduced carbohydrates!
It’s also healthy because it contains no sugar or fats.
“Retro Baguette (French bread)” gets depth of flavor from homemade natural yeast
Since its founding, Assiette has focused on hearty breads.
▼In particular, we recommend the “Retro Baguette” (240 yen before tax), also known as French bread.
It is said to be made faithfully using a method that has been passed down in France for generations.
We use our own natural yeast in baguettes and other hearty breads!
This gives them a subtle tang and a deep, complex flavor, as well as a crisp, crunchy texture.
▼The firm crust is wonderfully fragrant.
▼The inside was very soft and chewy.
Toasting makes it even more fragrant and crisps up the bread, giving it a light, satisfying texture.
Apparently, the French bread is also popular with older customers.
That surprised me, given its firm texture.
The most popular “Brioche Cream Bun” stands out for its heft, with twice as much cream as dough
Assiette also offers a wide selection of sweet breads.
The one that stands out is the most popular item, the “Brioche Cream Bun” (150 yen before tax).
Brioche is a bread that originated in France.
It is especially fragrant because it is made with plenty of eggs, butter, and yogurt.
When we visited, the Brioche Cream Buns were selling one after another, while more were being baked and replenished in the back.
The aroma of freshly baked bread soon filled the air.
Our Brioche Cream Bun is filled with homemade custard cream weighing about twice as much as the dough!
That heft is what makes it special!
Customers often say, as soon as they pick one up with the tongs, “It’s heavier than it looks!”
▼The yellowish dough and brown dough make a striking impression.
The white grains on top of the bread are sugar.
▼Just look at all that cream!
I never expected it to be filled with so much cream.
The cream is smooth and velvety, with a rich egg flavor.
It is pleasantly sweet without being too sugary.
The dough is light and soft, with a subtle sweetness and fragrance distinct from the cream.
Then there is the crunchy texture and sweetness of the granulated sugar sprinkled on top.
It adds a nice accent.
The dough for the Brioche Cream Bun is left to rest for two days, giving it a moist texture.
The “Curry Bread” filling is homemade and packed with beef tendon and soybeans!
They also offer “Curry Bread” (160 yen before tax), a classic savory bread.
Assiette was founded in Osaka, and its Curry Bread has been a longtime favorite since the shop’s Osaka days.
Curry Bread is the shop’s second most popular item, after the Brioche Cream Bun.
▼At first glance, the Curry Bread looks flat, but it is actually thick and has a satisfying heft.
▼The dough is fried to a golden brown and looks delicious.
The dough has a nicely balanced flavor that is not too rich.
The filling in the Curry Bread is homemade.
Everything is made in the shop, starting with simmering the onions!
▼The main ingredients in the filling are beef tendon, soybeans, and potatoes.
I love beef tendon, so I was delighted!
You can really taste the chewy beef tendon and its savory flavor, while the texture of the soybeans and the fluffy sweetness of the potatoes are highlights.
The filling is barely spicy, with a gentle sweet-and-savory flavor.
Even if you don’t like spicy food, you can enjoy this Curry Bread!
The appeal of “Tartine” is getting to enjoy a variety of toppings
Another item Okahara recommends is the “Tartine” (220 yen before tax).
It is the third most popular item, after the Brioche Cream Bun and Curry Bread.
Tartine is a French-style open sandwich made by placing toppings on a baguette (French bread) and baking it.
Assiette offers three or four kinds of tartine.
▼Lotus root and tuna tartine.
▼The crisp slices of lotus root are the highlight.
▼Vegetable and salmon tartine.
▼The generous amount of cheese is deliciously gooey.
▼Meat sauce, sausage, and tomato tartine.
▼It is topped with plenty of sliced sausage, so you can enjoy the sausage’s crisp bite and savory flavor.
▼It also has plenty of meat sauce, making it very filling.
Among the tartines, “Vegetables and Salmon” is the most popular, followed by “Lotus Root and Tuna.”
The tartine toppings may vary depending on the day.
“Crispy and Fluffy Melon Pan” gets its distinctive dough from almond flour
Assiette also makes classic melon pan.
“Crispy and Fluffy Melon Pan” (120 yen before tax) is its fourth most popular item.
▼A crispy surface.
Its crisp texture is accompanied by a sweet flavor that spreads through your mouth.
The secret to our melon pan is that we mix almond flour into the dough!
▼The inside is soft and fluffy.
“Crispy and Fluffy” is the perfect name for this melon pan.
The dough of the “Kasaoka-grown Mochi Barley Salt Bread” is wonderfully chewy
The “Mochi Barley Salt Butter Bread” (150 yen before tax), like the mochi barley loaf, is made with mochi barley grown in Kasaoka.
▼A cute, rounded loaf.
▼The dough has a moist, gentle flavor.
When warmed, the buttery flavor became even richer, and we enjoyed its soft, fluffy texture.
Other Breads
In addition to the breads introduced above, Assiette offers standard favorites such as anpan (smooth or chunky red bean paste) and chocolate cornet, as well as seasonal items.
▼Anpan (smooth red bean paste)
▼Chocolate cornet, Anpanman-shaped anpan (smooth red bean paste)
▼Seasonal item: bread made with figs, a Kasaoka specialty (fig and apricot chunky coupe)
Meal breads such as focaccia, fendu, and croissants are also popular.
▼Fendu
▼Croissant
Recommended Cafe Menu Items at Assiette
At Assiette, you can eat the bread you buy in the cafe area.
There is also an extensive cafe menu.
The cafe menu varies depending on the time of day.
| Time | Menu |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Breakfast menu, drinks |
| 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. | Bread-based menu, drinks (hamburgers, hot dogs, pancakes, etc.) |
| 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. | Drinks |
Bread purchased in the shop can be eaten in the cafe from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The cafe menu is not available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
However, you can still eat in the cafe area on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Information as of September 2020 (Reiwa 2). Prices include consumption tax.
The “Freshly Fried Premium Cutlet Sandwich Breakfast” is a hearty favorite gaining popularity
Breakfast is especially popular among the cafe menu items.
▼The breakfast item rapidly gaining popularity is the “Freshly Fried Premium Cutlet Sandwich Breakfast” (880 yen, tax included).
The “Freshly Fried Premium Cutlet Sandwich Breakfast” is the only item that can be ordered until 12:30 p.m.
▼A hearty breakfast set.
▼The pork cutlet in the katsu sandwich is very thick.
The cutlet for the katsu sandwich is fried after you order!
Enjoy it piping hot and freshly fried.
▼The breadcrumbs are coarse, and since the cutlet is freshly fried, it was deliciously fragrant with a satisfyingly crunchy texture.
▼There are plenty of sides to go with the katsu sandwich, too.
▼The fried egg had a soft, runny yolk.
▼This is Napolitan spaghetti.
▼The salad is a generous portion!
▼Soup
▼Yogurt topped with blueberry jam for dessert.
▼A drink is included, too.
I ordered coffee.
“Clubhouse Morning” is the most popular
The most popular item on the morning menu is the “Clubhouse Morning” (730 yen, tax included).
A clubhouse sandwich is a type of American-style sandwich.
It is a hearty sandwich made with three slices of bread layered with pastrami pork, lettuce, tomato, scrambled egg, and more.
Other cafe menu items
Besides katsu sandwiches and clubhouse sandwiches, Assiette has a variety of other cafe menu items. Here are some of them.
▼Morning menu
▼Bread menu items available from lunchtime
▼Drink menu
Assiette’s special offers
Assiette has some great special offers. Here they are.
▼Get one free coffee when you spend 500 yen or more on bread on weekdays, Monday or Tuesday!
Every Monday and Tuesday when they fall on a weekday, buy 500 yen or more of bread at the bread counter and get one hot takeaway coffee for free!
▼Every Monday, “Japanese wheat mountain bread and square loaf bread” are 20 yen off!
Every Monday, “Japanese-grown wheat mountain-shaped loaf” and “Japanese-grown wheat square loaf” are sold at a 20-yen discount.
If you often buy bread, you can save by visiting on a Monday.
▼Spend 1,000 yen or more at the cafe and receive a 50-yen cafe discount coupon
Order at least ¥1,000 worth of items from the cafe menu in the cafe space and receive a ¥50 discount voucher for the cafe menu.
Please note that the voucher can only be used on your next visit.
Pain & Cafe Assiette makes and sells a wide variety of tempting breads.
We interviewed Tsuyoshi Okahara, the owner and chef of Assiette.
Pan & Cafe Assiette data
| Name | Pan & Cafe Assiette |
|---|---|
| Address | 244-1 Nishioshima Shinden, Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0865-67-3320 |
| Parking | Available 8 spaces |
| Hours | Bread: 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (closes when sold out) Cafe: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. *No cafe menu on Mondays and Tuesdays (dine-in available) |
| Closed | Wednesday Second Tuesday of the month *No cafe menu on Mondays and Tuesdays (dine-in available) |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available ・Bread can be set aside ・Cafe reservations accepted on weekdays only ・Reservations by phone |
| Seating | 24 seats ・2 tables seating 2 ・5 tables seating 4 |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | ・Strollers allowed ・Children’s tableware available |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair access available (restroom is not wheelchair accessible) |
| Website | Pan & Cafe Assiette |
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Mochi barley is rich in dietary fiber and healthy!