Belle's Bread is one of my most favorite roadtrip discoveries of all time.
Thanks to a head's up from my nail tech (and friend!) Christina, I stopped at the Columbus bakery and entered into a new world.
The Japanese bakery & cafe is located in Kenny Centre Mall and draws on inspiration from France for its take on breads and pastries.
It is family-owned and -operated. Takashi Takenaka opened the business after emigrating from Japan in 1972.
There's the red bean roll, frank roll, and curry and boiled egg doughnuts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The bear-shaped strawberry butter cream pastry was as adorable as it is delicious.
I wasn't going anywhere without a ham & onion roll, which also had mayonnaise. All familiar flavors, but combined in the best way.
My favorite of the trip may be the curry & boiled egg donut. Think sweet, fluffy exterior with an explosion of flavor inside.
It is sweet and has some depth of flavor from the curry and also creaminess from the egg. Delicious.
Their signature Caramel Almond Roll features a light, fluffy sponge cake with rich caramel and crunchy sliced almonds.
There were a number of other unique options that I'll save for next time: tuna cheese, bacon corn roll, spicy tuna and more.
If you've been, let me know your favorites in the comments below.
Happy eating!
Grade: A
