Hattendo Toronto
Hattendo is a tiny bakery serving up Japanese cream buns from this famous confectionary brand.
This is marks the first North American location of the Japanese confectionary brand, which started a simple shop in the Japanese harbour town of Mihara in 1933 and has since expanded to over 90 locations in Asia.
Delectable buns filled with custard and different flavours of cream are the sole specialty of this bakery.
Head inside this little shop to choose from a menu of five cream buns and three types of melon buns, a type melon-shaped sweet bread with an outer crust. They're $3.69 each, or $17.69 for a box of five.
From the cream to the the buttery buns, everything is made in-house.
A special type of flour is imported straight from Japan to achieve Hattendo's signature dough, which is kneaded in a special machine and cold-proofed for several hours to achieve its stretchy, soft, and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The custard cream bun, a simple but delicious mix of egg whites and cream, is one of the most popular orders.
Buns are filled with an automated device before being individually packaged in a colour-coded wrappers, giving them the effect of little fast food burgers (but better).
The matcha is a sure-fire win, bringing together two delicious Japanese specialties (fluffy bread and green tea) together flawless.
Azuki bean is another classic Japanese flavour, while chocolate is a universal choice.
A whipped cream-filled bun is another delicious no-brainer. Served slightly cold, they're the perfect treat for summer.
While the cream buns are the star of the show, the melon buns hold their own with azuki bean, matcha, and custard filling options.
Larger than the bun menu is a separate selection of coffee and tea to go with your perfectly portion of bundled cream buns.
Herman Wong