Dominique Ansel Bakery Tokyo, a bakery restaurant based in New York, will open its first shop in Japan on June 20th in Omotesando, Tokyo.
Pastry chef Dominique Ansel led the international expansion of Fauchon Paris at the young age of 22. He then became executive pastry chef at the three-star Michelin French restaurant Daniel and has received numerous prestigious awards, including being named one of the industry's "Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America."
He opened Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York in 2011. Just four months after opening, it won Time Out New York's "Best New Bakery of 2012," and the following year it received the highest score in the pastry category from the restaurant guide ZAGAT. Furthermore, its signature dish, the Cronut, was selected by Time magazine as one of the "25 Greatest Inventions of 2013."

The Cronut (594 yen including tax), as its name suggests, is a deep-fried ring-shaped croissant. Its crispy texture is complemented by the fluffy texture of the dough, thanks to the generous amount of butter kneaded into it. The bakery offers a different flavor each month, which seems to impress discerning New Yorkers.

The first store in Japan also offers a variety of sweets that are also available in New York. One particularly noteworthy item is the menu that combines American ideas with a marriage of different temperatures. The "Cookie Shot" (518 yen including tax) is a warm cookie in a shot glass, topped with cold vanilla-flavored milk. Meanwhile, the "Frozen S'mores" (778 yen including tax) features marshmallow-coated ice cream that is toasted over a burner, resulting in a crispy outside and a gooey center. Other menu items unique to Dominique, a French-born shop, include "DKA" (594 yen including tax), a Queen Amann made with an original recipe, and "Canelé" (346 yen including tax), rich in the aroma of vanilla and rum. The "Gingerbread Pinecone" (972 yen including tax), inspired by Christmas ornaments, features ginger caramel cream sandwiched between nutmeg-flavored dough. Topped with over 60 chocolates, it's a cake shaped just like a pine cone. In addition to these classic menu items, Dominique will also be offering original menu items in Japan, inspired by its time in New York. These cutting-edge, innovative sweets are definitely worth a try.