Japan is a country that no doubt has love for French bakeries and while the bubble economy had its fair share of Tokyo cafe-brasseries, the 2000’s are starting to see a resurgence from patisserie to French chocolatiers growing in numbers throughout Japan. But one company well known in France for its flour is one of the well-visited bakeries in Tokyo.
Viron is a French company that no doubt attracts a lot of people at their Shibuya and Marunouchi locations.
Popular in France, you have to thank Philippe Viron for creating flour with no additives in order to make baguette’s weighting 300 grams similar to those made during World War II.
Viron took on the challenge of creating a baguette that would win over respect from artisanal bakers and in 1990, he would give the baguette the name, Retrodor Baguette.
Utilizing high quality white flour, the Retrodor Baguette combined the classic taste that people love but utilizing contemporary breadmaking techniques.
And Viron believes in a long first fermentation and a rejection of additives which led to the French government creating the “Bread of French Tradition”, and the Retrodor Baguette is the only loaf enjoying the status of “Appelation Controlee”, which is excellence in breadmaking, similar in status to that of French wines have enjoyed.
This popularity would lead to more than 600 bakeries in France, Canada and Japan that offer the Retrodor baguette using flour manufactured from the Minoteries Viron in France and there are plans to bring the Retrodor Baguette to the United States.
Many may wonder how Viron got its foot in the doors in Tokyo and one can thank the Japanese company Le Style who has the exclusive rights to use and sell the famous Viron flour. It began with Le Style’s CEO, Nishikawa, who went to France in 2001 to research breadmaking and after eating bread from more than 100 bakeries in France, he was won over by the flour used by Viron and negotiated the exclusive rights to sell and use the Viron flour in Japan.
The flour is unbleached and specially milled and ship from France and when you go inside, you can see the sacks of flour when you enter Viron.
The first Viron was opened in Shibuya in 2003 and in 2006, a Viron bakery was opened in Marunouchi, next to Tokyo Station and JR Towers.
When you go inside, you are directly inside the bakery but to the right is Viron’s bistro which is an equally busy location for those wanting that brasserie experience with French cuisine and wine.
But it’s their bakery that many people come for and I definitely had to give a try. So, I headed to the Marunouchi location to try a few things and taste bread made from Viron’s famous flour!
I decided to try the Sandwic Viennois thon which is a tuna sandwich, a Retrodor Baguette and a Epi aux lardon and for the most part, I start to realize how delicious their bread is.
See, when it comes to bread, I notice people who claim they have the best bread (especially those from Philadelphia and the other is in France) and I’m not a bread erudite, nor do I eat a lot of it, but I have eaten really good bread before and I have to say, Viron’s bread is really good!
But with a lot of French patisserie in Japan, is Viron one of the best? I have to say, it’s very good and right up there!
If you are ever near Udagawacho area of Shibuya or Marunouchi area of Chiyoda, definitely give Viron a chance!
