A Bakery That Used To Be A Gas Station!?

Hello fellow Ibarakians!
There are plenty of bakeries scattered throughout Ibaraki, but I never expected to find one inside a renovated gas station. I've come across old gas stations that have been transformed into all sorts of unique businesses. There's one in Kasumigaura City that now sells delicious sweet potatoes, another in Kasama that specializes in freshly chopped firewood, and one of my friends is currently turning an old gas station into a café and art studio. But a bakery? That was a first for me.
If you're curious to see this one for yourself, there's only one place to go, Tsukuba's very own encuit.

encuit

Encuit is located in the Inarimae area of Tsukuba, not far from Doho Park. Simply follow Route 244 toward Arakawaoki, and you'll spot it on your left. However, you can't enter the bakery directly from the main road. Instead, you'll need to turn onto a smaller side street and follow the narrow road to the bakery's entrance.
A few weeks ago, the Ibaraki Eats Duo decided to stop by encuit on a Sunday afternoon to pick up some bread. What we didn't realize was just how popular this bakery is. In fact, it was so busy that we couldn't even find a parking space when we arrived. Thankfully, encuit is a takeout-only bakery, so customers are constantly coming and going. It didn't take long before a parking spot opened up. After parking, we waited outside for the line to thin out a little before heading inside.

Inside

When we walked inside, we joined the line that wrapped around the inside of the entire bakery. Like most Japanese bakeries, we grabbed a tray and a pair of tongs before browsing the impressive selection of baked goods.
The first section you come to is the refrigerated display. Here you'll find sandwiches, donuts, a variety of cheeses, salami, prosciutto, and pudding. After that, the rest of the bakery opens up into rows of wooden tables covered with freshly baked treats. There were sandwiches, baguettes, canelés, cinnamon rolls, and so much more. The selection was incredible, almost overwhelming.
My wife had a difficult time deciding because she wanted to take home one of everything. I had to be the voice of reason and remind her that we were limiting ourselves to just ten items. One thing that disappointed her was that the croissants were already sold out. Apparently, encuit's croissants disappear quickly, and the next batch wouldn't be ready for another hour. Instead, she settled on a few sweet treats, a hot dog, and French toast.
Once we had made our selections, we headed to the cash register, paid for our things, and made our way back to the car. Even as we were leaving, there were still customers waiting for a parking space. I'm sure someone was happy to see us pull out.

Cheese and Curry Hot Dog

The next morning, my wife and I had breakfast together and split the cheese and curry hot dog we had bought at encuit. I call it a cheese and curry hot dog, but I might be wrong. It definitely had cheese, but I'm not entirely sure about the curry.
I cut the hot dog in half, took a bite, and my eyes immediately widened in surprise. First of all, it was absolutely delicious. Second, the cheese was fantastic. Finally, I discovered that tucked underneath the wiener was what seemed to be a curry with beans. I'm not 100% sure what kind of beans they were, I want to say lentils, but I could be wrong.
What I can tell you is that the hot dog was excellent. The bun was exquisite: soft, fresh, and sturdy enough to hold everything together perfectly. The wiener and cheese were delicious, and the curry added just the right amount of spice to tie all the flavors together. It was a wonderful way to start our morning.

Canelés

After finishing our cheese and curry hot dog, we decided it was time for something sweet. We warmed up the two canelés we had bought, just enough to take the chill off.
I love canelés, especially the ones with a crisp, caramelized exterior and a soft, custardy center. They're wonderful. Taking a bite feels like eating the softest sponge cake in the world.
Encuit's canelés did not disappoint. Sure, they didn't have the crisp crust that I usually look for, but they were still excellent. Each bite was light, fluffy, and wonderfully sweet, almost like biting into a cloud of sponge cake. They were absolutely fantastic.
Mrs. Ibaraki Eats loved them too and quickly decided that we'd be buying them again. Next time, though, we'll definitely be picking up more than just two.

French Toast

After finishing our hot dog and canelés, we headed out to run a few errands. Of course, we brought a couple more of encuit's baked treats with us. One of them was their French toast.
The first thing I noticed was just how small it was. It was probably the smallest piece of French toast I've ever seen, it literally fit in the palm of my hand. At first, I was a little disappointed by the size, but that feeling disappeared after the first bite.
It was a surprisingly delicious piece of French toast. It had a lovely sweetness, with a beautifully caramelized exterior that added plenty of flavor. The crust was pleasantly crisp, giving each bite a satisfying crunch without being too hard to chip a tooth. It may have been small, but it packed a lot of flavor into every bite.
It was a small but delightful piece of French toast.

Fig Danish

Our final baked good from encuit was this incredible-looking fig Danish. I've had plenty of Danishes before, chocolate, strawberry, and apple, but I can't remember ever having a fig Danish. I love figs, but Mrs. Ibaraki Eats loves them even more than I do. While we were browsing encuit, she made sure to grab this Danish as quickly as possible.
So, how was this amazing-looking pastry? Spectacular.
The first bite gave me that classic flaky, buttery pastry with just a hint of sweetness. Then the rich fig filling took over, and it was absolutely delicious. It even had those tiny crunchy fig seeds that add such a satisfying texture with every bite, it feels like my teeth are getting a massage. In my opinion, this has to be one of the best pastries at encuit. As for my wife, she said it was possibly the best pastry she's had all year.

Our visit to encuit was a memorable one, and everything we bought was absolutely incredible. Every sweet and baked good we tried was a winner (although I still wish the French toast had been a bit bigger). We definitely hope to visit again, but that might be easier said than done. Encuit is incredibly popular, and I've driven by several times only to find it closed for the day or completely sold out.
If you're planning to visit, I highly recommend going in the morning to give yourself the best chance of getting your hands on their amazing baked goods before the crowds arrive.

So, if you find yourself in Tsukuba City and are looking for delicious baked goods to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack, why not give encuit a try? Who knows? You just might see us there, stocking up on fig Danishes and canelés.
Enjoy!

For more information on encuit, check out their website:
https://encuit.jp/

For the older blog posts, check out the WIX Ibaraki Eats.

https://regaladom24.wixsite.com/website