Since 2017, there has been a gourmet award called the “SARAH JAPAN MENU AWARD.”
It’s an award hosted by the gourmet community service “SARAH” and Kodansha, and restaurants are recognized with one to three stars in six regions: Kanto, Kansai, Kyushu, Tokai, Tohoku, and Hokkaido.
The 2019 awards were announced the other day, and several shops in Nishinomiya were selected.
See the details here↓
SARAH JAPAN MENU AWARD 2019 Official Website
This time, we’re introducing “食パンNICO,” which received two stars in the Kansai shokupan category.
It’s a specialty shokupan shop that opened about two years ago, so winning an award like this is really impressive.
What kind of shop is it?
Exterior of “食パンNICO”
The shop is located in one corner of the Nishinomiya Central Wholesale Market, facing National Route 2 near JR Nishinomiya Station.
Here’s what the shop looks like from the outside.
The striking logo is the landmark, and apparently the owner drew it himself.
The poster has also been renewed, and those two stars are shining nicely.
Inside “食パンNICO”
The entire shop is only 8 tsubo in size, just barely enough space to make and sell shokupan.
As soon as you enter, there’s a counter, and they sell just one type of shokupan.
This is the counter.
Right beyond the noren curtain is the production area, tightly packed with an oven, dough conditioner, work table, and more.
They also sell a small selection of jams.
This is what the wall side looks like.
The only shokupan they offer is this “Emi-chan” (670 yen).
This is the award plaque.
Let’s take a closer look.
Here it is.
Across the entire Kansai region, only five shokupan shops received three stars and only five received two stars, so it really is impressive.
Actually, this plaque is transparent, so the opposite wall is reflected in it…
It seems the shop has been featured in magazines several times as well.
Since we were there, we bought a loaf to take home.
Products at “食パンNICO”
This is “Emi-chan” (670 yen).
They are particular about the ingredients, using Canadian flour, a blend of regular butter and French cultured butter, premium fresh cream with 48% milk fat, and more. Apparently, this shokupan was created through repeated trial and error.
Also, while shokupan dough is usually fermented at around body temperature, this shop ferments it at a low temperature of around 10 degrees.
10 degrees is about the temperature of a refrigerator, just barely warm enough for yeast to be active.
Of course, it takes a lot of time, but that extra time apparently gives the bread a finer texture and brings out more sweetness.
This is what it looks like when you tear the bread apart.
They set out to make a shokupan that tastes good eaten as-is, toasted, or made into sandwiches. It has a very fine texture, and even the crust is soft and delicious.
The owner originally ran a bonesetting clinic, but his love for shokupan grew so strong that two years ago he decided to start making it from scratch.
He says he has no experience working at a bakery, but because of that, he isn’t bound by fixed ideas and can pursue delicious shokupan with a free mindset.
Due to the redevelopment of the wholesale market, the shop will apparently have to relocate once, but he plans to continue running the shokupan shop.
We hope they keep making delicious shokupan for years to come.
“食パンNICO” Shop Information
★Hours 11:00～19:00(Closes when sold out)
★Closed Irregular holidays (almost always open)
★Phone 0798-22-6001
★Address 兵庫県西宮市池田町4-22 Ikeda Building 1F
★Credit cards Not accepted
★Related links
HP/Tabelog
(*Prices, menu items, hours, etc. are current as of the time of coverage. Please check directly with the shop for the latest information.)
