Bunga Village Bakery Cafe (Saga, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After a long lunch at Chateau Bunga, we decided to pop into Bunga Village Bakery café next door to check out what they had in store. Perhaps something that could serve as our breakfast for the next morning?

The bakery café offers a spacious dine-in area for a proper sit-down meal.

As soon as we stepped inside, we were immediately greeted by a long line of customers, all eager to bring home some baked goods for their Christmas Eve celebrations. We ended up waiting more than 10 minutes for our turn to be served.

But the wait wasn’t wasted at all. I used the opportunity to get a closer look at their selection of baked goods. One of our favorites from any Japanese bakery made an appearance: brioche filled with butter and red bean paste. Always a winner.

Of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to check out their lineup of French-style pastries. They had a small but enticing selection including cheesecakes in different flavors, chocolate cake, tiramisu, Mont Blanc, and more.

Marron and Matcha (480 yen) — Made with matcha mousse, red bean paste, and marron sponge cake — was this inspired by a traditional Kyoto-style dessert? 

I loved the soft, airy texture, and the balance of flavors was absolutely spot on.

Cheesecake (310 yen) — Less successful was the cheese-shaped cheesecake. I thought Little Nugget would love it, especially since it looked just like his favorite cheesecake from Kyoto —but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

And with that, our time in Saga came to an end. Next stop: Takeo, which, luckily, was just a comfortable 30-minute ride away.

Food Rating: 5.7/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 2593-12 Yamatocho Oaza Kuchii, Saga, 840-0202 Japan

Tel: +81 (0)952-37-8376

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)