Depachikas are like food heavens, filled with lots of yummy goodies and treats, all in one convenient location! They refer to the food sections in department store (depaatoデパート) basements (chika地下), hence the term depachika (デパ地下). They're usually buy-and-go counters, in which the food is displayed, you buy what you want to go, and eat it elsewhere/at home. Thus sitting areas by the stores are few, if any.
Depachikas are usually sectioned into the meat/side-dish section and the dessert section.
And the desserts are sometimes further divided into Japanese sweets (和菓子) and Western sweets (洋菓子); French and German(baumkuchen) confectioneries are really popular.
The meat/side-dish sections usually has stuff like gyoza, sushi, fried foods, side-dishes, prepacked noodles/rice dishes etc, to cater to salarymen and OLs who don't wanna/don't have time to cook^^
Needless to say, my favorite section is the desserts section! ♥ Anyway, in Ikebukuro's Seibu they had a leaflet listing 30 top picks for the dessert section, and here's introducing them!
Obviously I didn't get a chance to try them all, though I wish I did!
Waffles.
2| ボン＋ボヌ アニバーサリー || Bon＋Bonne anniversary
Western sweets.
Cakes.
3| 新宿高野 || Shinjuku Takano
Western sweets.
Fruits.
4| ラスコッティ東京 || Ruscotte Tokyo
Western sweets.
Ruscotti and tea snacks (madeleines etc)
5| ル パティシェ タカギ || Le Pâtissiere Takagi
Western sweets. French.
Pâtisseries.
6| 麻布かりんと || Azabu Karinto
Japanese sweets. ♥
Karinto (花林糖) Snack made of yeast, flour and sugar.
7| ジョトォ || Giotto
Western sweets. Italian. ♥
Biscotti and cookies.
8| マイスターバウム || Meister Baum
Western sweets. German. ♥
Baumkuchen.
By Juchheim, inarguably the most famous baumkuchen maker in Japan.
(Baumkuchen was introduced to Japan by Karl Juchheim)
9| ねんりん家 || Nenrinya
Western sweets.
Baumkuchen.
10| 京丹波口 きたお || Kyou Tanbaguchi Kitao
Japanese sweets.
11| ピエール･エルメ・パリ || Pierre Hermé
Western sweets. French. ♥
Macarons, pâtisseries.
From Paris, one of the best macaron makers in the world (after Ladurée! ♥)
Famous for macarons and Ipsahan.
12| モロゾフ || Morozoff
Western sweets.
13| 黒船 || Quolofune
Japanese sweets.
14|とらや || Toraya
Japanese sweets.
One of the oldest makers of Japanese confectioneries.
Traditonal Japanese confectioneries.
15| 桂新堂 || Keishindo
Japanese sweets.
Famous for its ebi senbei (shrimp rice cracker)
16| たねや || Taneya
Japanese sweets.
17| 鶴屋吉信 || Tsuruya Yoshinobu
Japanese sweets.
18| 奥井海生堂 || Okui Kaiseido
Japanese sweets.
19| 鎌倉五郎本店 || Kamakura Goro
Japanese sweets.
Famous for their 鎌倉半月 (Kamakura Hangetsu),
two layers of thin wafer filled with cream. ♥
20| 平翠軒 || Heisuiken
Japanese sweets.
21| ヴィノスやまざき&平翠軒 || Vinos Yamazaki & Heisuiken
Japanese sweets. Wine.
22| ケーニヒスクローネ || Königs Krone
Western sweets. German. ♥
Biscuits and others.
23| 銀のぶどう || Ginnobudo
Western sweets.
They're the makers of Tokyo Banana.
24| アンテノール || Antenor
Western sweets. French.
25| 和楽紅屋 || Waraku Beniya
Japanese-style French sweets.
Famous for their rusks.
26| パイヤール || Payard
Western sweets.
Pâtisseries, chocolates.
27| 十火 || JUKKA
Japanese sweets.
28| アンリ・シャルパンティエ || Henri Charpentier
Western sweets. French.
Macarons, pâtisseries and other French confectioneries.
29| 小倉山荘 || Ogura Sansou
Japanese sweets.
Senbei (rice crackers)
30| 叶匠寿庵 || Kanou Shoujuan
Japanese sweets.
Famous for red bean items like zenzai, jelly, amo.
And the 30 isn't even all of the stores that they have, they have more! And Seibu isn't the only department store in Ikebukuro, there's also Tobu, Parco and Lumine right in the vicinity, and each of them have their own depachikas too! Mmmm.
I really wish Singapore could have even half the variety they have, especially the sweets! *cough*karinto*cough*Ladurée*cough* There's seriously a lack of good pâtisseries around here :( There is a Juchheim here though, yay for baumkuchen ♥
