Hello, fellow travelers!
This is Binako, writer for Sarukuma!

Following our wildly popular first roundtable comparing premium shokupan (Japanese milk bread),
we’re back with our second roundtable event,
and we can’t wait to share it with you!

If you missed our first roundtable,
be sure to check it out for in-depth reviews of premium shokupan shops across Kumamoto!

[1st Sarukuma Writers’ Roundtable] Comparing 8 Premium Shokupan Specialty Shops

This time, our team of 5 Sarukuma writers gathered to celebrate
the flavors of the season!
That’s right — we held an autumn sweets tasting roundtable!
A cake-tasting event is the kind of luxurious gathering
that had me buzzing with excitement from the moment I heard about it.

The lineup included
Gussan, Non, Maru, Nanako, and Binako (that’s me!) — five writers strong.
Each of us arrived carrying our own beautifully boxed cakes.

Now, let’s introduce the cake shops we visited!

1. Quatre-Quarts (Catorukaru)

Location: Hagiwara-machi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City

Shine Muscat Pie — 486 yen
Fig Pie — 389 yen
Chestnut Tart — 432 yen

[Quatre-Quarts] Affordable Handmade Sweets That Bring Pure Joy (Hagiwara-machi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City)

2. SWISS Shimotori Branch

Location: Ansei-machi, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Kumamoto Chestnut Mont Blanc — 600 yen
Japanese Chestnut Chunky Tart — 700 yen

[SWISS Shimotori Branch] Indulge in Luxurious Cakes at This Long-Established Kumamoto Sweets Shop (Ansei-machi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City)

3. Patisserie Effort

Location: Soryo, Mashiki Town, Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture

Apple and Black Tea Tart — 520 yen
Red-Flesh Melon Tart — 565 yen
Japanese Chestnut Mont Blanc — 560 yen

[Patisserie Effort] Heartfelt Cakes Crafted by a Warm and Friendly Owner (Soryo, Mashiki Town, Kamimashiki District)

4. Nyu-gashiya

Location: Suizenji, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Mont Blanc — 450 yen
Apple Tart — 450 yen

[Nyu-gashiya] A Cake Shop Bursting With Love — Made With Premium Oguni Jersey Milk (Suizenji, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City)

5. Mori no Kumasan Bon Gateau

Location: Hikari no Mori, Kikuchi District, Kumamoto Prefecture

Kuma Chestnut Mont Blanc — 480 yen
Toasted Mont Blanc — 500 yen
Whole Pear Cake — 700 yen

[Mori no Kumasan Bon Gateau] Adorable Cakes That Taste as Wonderful as They Look! (Hikari no Mori, Kikuyo Town)

The Tasting Experience

And that’s our introduction to the five amazing cake shops
and their seasonal autumn sweets!

Behold this divine assembly of cakes!
They were so beautiful that all the writers spontaneously launched into a cake photo shoot.

You could almost hear them chatting:
“Which cake shop are you from?”
“Autumn flavors really are the best, aren’t they?”

When you think autumn in Japan, chestnuts come to mind first.
1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5… 6….

That’s a serious chestnut count!
We love you, chestnuts. Thank you for existing.

Savoring every bite of Mont Blanc
and grinning ear to ear in pure bliss!

What’s fascinating is that each Mont Blanc had
strikingly different flavors and textures!

[Most Refined and Subtly Sweet Mont Blanc Award]
goes to SWISS‘s Kumamoto Chestnut Mont Blanc — 600 yen.
A clean, elegant sweetness that evokes a sophisticated, mature charm.

[Most Innovative Mont Blanc Award]
goes to Mori no Kumasan Bon Gateau‘s Toasted Mont Blanc — 500 yen.
A toasted Mont Blanc was a totally new experience for me —
and the melt-in-your-mouth texture was absolutely incredible!

“This Mont Blanc has just the right level of sweetness — so good!”
“This one has a totally different texture!”
It was amazing how much variety we found in just one type of cake!

Next up — apple-based cakes!

[Sweet-Tart First-Love Award]
goes to Nyu-gashiya’s Apple Tart — 450 yen.
The cream’s gentle sweetness perfectly complements the apple,
creating a harmony that simply melts in your mouth.

So many gorgeous cakes laid out before us!
It was genuinely difficult deciding which to try next.

[Best Power-Couple Pairing Award]
goes to Patisserie Effort‘s Apple and Black Tea Tart — 520 yen.
The fragrance of black tea paired with sweet apple creates a sophisticated flavor —
a classic combination that simply can’t go wrong.

Look at those smiles!
“This cake is amazing! Pure happiness!”
That’s the face of bliss right there.

And then there was the showstopper.
[Can’t-Resist-Reaching-For-It Award]
goes to Quatre-Quarts‘s Shine Muscat Pie — 486 yen.
Getting to enjoy a Shine Muscat cake (a premium Japanese green grape variety)
felt like a reward for all my good deeds!
We gratefully accepted this seasonal treasure.
The plump, juicy muscats pair beautifully with the flaky pie crust.
So grateful to enjoy Shine Muscat in this season.

Tasting each cake’s unique flavors,
hunting for chestnuts hidden inside Mont Blancs and reporting back to each other —
it was such a peaceful, delicious, joyful afternoon.

And just when we’d finished all the cakes…
you might have been wondering about it the whole time.
This roundtable had a final boss!

It might be a bit hard to tell from the photo,
but it absolutely towers over all the other cakes.
One cake was clearly larger than life.

From Mori no Kumasan Bon Gateau, presenting…
the Whole Pear Cake — 700 yen!

We saved this whole pear masterpiece for last.
After much deliberation on how to divide it,
Gussan bravely stepped up with a knife to cut it down the middle.

SLICE!
A glorious wave of custard came pouring out of the pear,
and we eagerly dug in.

This pear was unbelievably
soft and juicy beyond description!
The gently sweetened custard pairs perfectly with the pear’s freshness!
The pear was so tender, you can’t help but say:

“You don’t even need teeth!”

It was such a wonderful cake roundtable — kids enjoyed it too, and we savored every bite from start to finish!
With great conversation among the writers and an indulgent atmosphere,
we truly soaked up the autumn vibes and seasonal flavors of Kumamoto.

Each writer has also published detailed articles about
their respective cake shops and signature cakes,
so be sure to check them out if you spot a shop you’d like to visit!

Munch…
Nibble…

[Patisserie Effort] Heartfelt Cakes Crafted by a Warm and Friendly Owner (Soryo, Mashiki Town, Kamimashiki District)

[SWISS Shimotori Branch] Indulge in Luxurious Cakes at This Long-Established Kumamoto Sweets Shop (Ansei-machi, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City)

[Nyu-gashiya] A Cake Shop Bursting With Love — Made With Premium Oguni Jersey Milk (Suizenji, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City)

[Mori no Kumasan Bon Gateau] Adorable Cakes That Taste as Wonderful as They Look! (Hikari no Mori, Kikuyo Town)

We’re already planning our third roundtable, so stay tuned!

If you have any requests or suggestions for what we should feature next,
feel free to reach out via Instagram or our contact form!

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At Sarukuma, we share information about lunch spots, parks, and indoor play areas for families in Kumamoto.
Thanks for following along!

Frequently Asked Questions

*Information is current as of the time of reporting. Prices and operating hours are subject to change. Please verify before visiting.