Nostalgia scent is full at this old castella cake shop. The filling of strawberry jam is abundant and with rich sweetness in the soft and fluffy cake roll. Btw, the owner of this shop is always not showing at the counter because of making the delicious cake roll invisibly. Hah, you can call out at the rare of the shop...hah...and then the cute old man will walk out and ask you which kind of castella cake you like...omoshiroi...

From Shin-Okachimachi Station on the Oedo Line, just slip down a side street, and there's Satake Shopping Street, dating from the Meiji era. The name Satake comes from the Edo residence of the Satake clan, lords of Akita's Kubota Domain, that once stood here. The arcade roof apparently dates from Showa ４４. A shopping street straight out of the Showa era, also used for filming. 中屋洋菓子店 apparently has a history of over a hundred years. A castella shop. There's an attached coffee room, too. It seems to open only around midday, and is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The sign is out, but… it's almost always preparing to open. Castella cakes are lined up. Round ones and square ones… Jam rolls and coffee rolls. I love the strawberry jam roll enough to drool♪ Drooool… A whole boxed cake roll is 1120円. Slices are １５５円 for jam and １６５円 for coffee. The old-fashioned castella roll I love… absolutely love♪ Strawberry jam oozing out. They sold the jam itself, too. The coffee cream is just… coffee buttercream, I suppose. They also have plain castella♪ Oh yes… there are offcuts, too. First come, first served.

+3

I watched a Japanese food program introducing a famous old shop in 竹佐 Shopping Street. Its popular product was a strawberry cake roll, so on this trip I went straight to find it and try it. After finding 「中屋洋果子店」 and going inside, it certainly felt like a famous old shop. The furnishings were very dated, similar to some old shops of the same era in Taiwan, so it felt very familiar. The owner was a quiet old gentleman. My choice was simple: the strawberry cake roll. We left after paying, and the owner didn't say much either! Outside, it was time to taste it. After eating it, I didn't think it was particularly delicious; it actually tasted similar to what Taiwanese bakeries make. Perhaps the rich jam made it a little too sweet. One roll costs 1080円

+3

An old-fashioned Western-style cake shop. At these prices (160円 or 170円), this flavor can only be called wonderful. You can also buy them unsliced, by the way. The cake roll packed with strawberry jam is especially fantastic! If there's a drawback, it's that you have to eat it the same day. (Though thinking they probably don't use preservatives makes that a plus instead.) I'd like to get some offcuts on my next visit. I'll be back!

The shop has a retro exterior, but its jam roll is exquisite. Rolls packed with fresh cream are delicious too, but in this strawberry jam cake roll, the strawberries' tartness brings out the cake's flavor, making a perfect match.