The Maruyama area is home to many fashionable restaurants and is a very popular area for locals and tourists alike. It is easy to find a restaurant that can accommodate even those who refrain from using wheat, and more and more restaurants are offering gluten-free sweets, which is a welcome development.
In this issue, we introduce FIRST BITE, a popular cafe in the Maruyama area that sells gluten-free cakes and breads and also serves lunch.
The name comes from a celebration ceremony! About the store name “FIRST BITE”.
The store is located slightly north of the Maruyama area, between Nishi 28-chome Station and Maruyama Koen Station on the Subway Tozai Line.
(about 6 minutes from Nishi 28-chome Station and 10 minutes from Maruyama Koen Station)
The store is easy to find as it faces the national highway and is a good place to stop by for a walk.
FIRST BITE opened in January 2022 with the concept of a “health-friendly sweets cafe.
The restaurant’s name comes from the “first bite,” a ceremony in which the bride and groom feed each other cake at a wedding reception.
The name of the cake is a reference to this ritual, and the hope is that a bite of the cake will bring a smile to the customer’s face. It is a wonderful name for a store that seems to be able to share happiness with you.
All cakes, baked goods, and breads served here are gluten-free.
In order to ensure that everyone, including those who are restricted from eating wheat, as well as those who are not, can enjoy their food with peace of mind, FIRST BITE carefully selects and uses local Hokkaido products, including rice flour, fresh cream, eggs, and butter.
When I was working at the bakery, I had a shocking impression that there were people who couldn’t eat bread because of wheat allergies, and it has stayed with me ever since,”
said Shinya Takano, owner and former employee of a famous bakery with a main branch in France. Shinya Takano, the owner of the bakery, used to work at a famous bakery with a head office in France.
They arrived at “Hokkaido rice flour” as an ingredient that can be enjoyed by a wide range of customers, both those who are allergic to wheat and those who are not.
You are full of kindness!
Rice-flour pizza lunch in a relaxed atmosphere
At first glance, one might think from the delicious-looking cakes and baked goods lined up that there is no dining available, but….
You can enjoy a lunch of rice-flour pizza and bread here.
The lunch menu includes a choice of two types of pizza, gratin (with rice flour bread), cheese dog, and bagel sandwich. The long ordering time from 11:00 to 17:00 is also a nice feature.
＊Lunch Menu＊
(As of March 2024. Prices include tax)
①Rice flour pizza (asparagus bacon in tomato sauce or four cheese and corn in white sauce)¥1078
【With Cakesalet & Salad】
※One free topping (salami, sausage, spinach, biei corn, cheese)
②Bacon and vegetable gratin with poached egg on top ¥1210
【With rice flour bread】
③Cheese Dog (20cm sausage with honey mustard sauce)¥1045
【With Cakesalet & Salad】
④Bagel Sandwich (sandwich content changes daily)¥990
【With Cakesalet & Salad】
(1) to (4) with your favorite drink ＋¥429
(1) to (4) with your choice of drink and cake ＋¥858
On the day we visited, there were three of us, so we each ordered a different set.
(All three of us ordered the set with coffee)
The plate in the foreground is the author’s order of (1) rice flour pizza (four kinds of cheese, corn in white sauce, topped with spinach).
The pizza is crispy and crispy, with just the right amount of chewiness to enjoy.
The richness of the thick white sauce and cheese is irresistible.
The topping of spinach was the best choice for me.
Incidentally, the accompanying “cakesalet” is a French delicatessen-style cake.
I think it is supposed to be made with wheat flour, but the cakesalé made with rice flour had a lighter and lighter texture than I expected. I could taste the slight sweetness of the vegetables, which I really liked.
Cakesalés are baked and cut into pound cakes and sold in stores. (Set of 2 for ¥464)
Next, the image below ↓ is my friend A’s order ① Rice Flour Pizza (asparagus bacon with tomato sauce, topped with Biei corn).
I had a little taste of it.The tomato sauce is the base, so if you are looking for a pizza-like flavor, this is the one for you. The sweetness of the corn also adds to the taste, making it an iron plate of deliciousness.
Next, friend B ordered the poached egg gratin shown in the image below.
On this day, bagels and bean bread were included.
A semi-cooked poached egg is cracked open and tossed with the white sauce.
This is a definite delicacy!
It looks even better with rice flour bread on it.
Milk and cheese are also made with carefully selected ingredients, so you can enjoy them with peace of mind.
Incidentally, the coffee we received as part of the set came in a generous cup and was a great value!
They use FIRST BITE’s original blend of coffee beans, which they commissioned from Rain Coffee, a specialty coffee shop in Sapporo.
It was very rich, but had a surprisingly refreshing aftertaste, and was a perfect match for the pizza.
I was full and very satisfied, but I really wanted to try the cake, so I ordered…
Fresh chocolate basque.
(¥518 for single item, -¥50 for cake set from total, +¥858 for lunch order with drink)
The store is proud to use Belgian chocolate and Hokkaido cream cheese.
We had a hard time deciding between the plain basque cheesecake and this one, but we chose this one for its balance with our lunch.
The result was a great decision.
As noted in a comment on the store’s Instagram, the smooth texture and raw chocolate-like richness are irresistibly delicious.
Although it looks heavy, it is lighter than expected.
However, I still want a drink with me, so I’m glad I left a little bit of coffee in my cup, which was plentiful (laughs).
Rice-flour bread take-out
We took out four loaves of freshly baked rice flour bread.
Clockwise from top left: plain bagel (302 yen), cheese bagel (346 yen), Biei corn bread (270 yen), grape bread (280 yen).
Bread made from 100% rice flour is soft and fluffy when freshly baked.
Because it hardens more quickly than wheat bread, it should be stored in the freezer if not eaten immediately.
Take it out of the freezer about 2 hours before eating, let it thaw naturally, and be sure to rebake it before serving.
After purchase, if to be served the next day, store at room temperature and rebake just before eating.
Rebaking is the process of reheating bread and baked goods.If the product is eaten as it is because it is troublesome, not only will the original deliciousness not be conveyed, but it will also affect the reputation of the product itself, which will be a disappointment not only to the person who ate it, but also to the creator of the product.（Rice flour bread in particular must be re-baked!）
We should definitely rebake it in honor of its creator and try to eat it in the best condition possible.
The method of rebaking may vary from dealer to dealer, so it is basically best to ask the dealer about the method of rebaking.
The following image shows the rebake method recommended by FIRST BITE.
I always use a fish grill instead of a toaster. I wrap the bread in foil to prevent it from burning, and then slowly re-bake it over low heat on the grill for 5 to 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it.
The rebake is complete when the surface is crispy and fragrant, and hot to the touch.
The skin is crispy and the inside is soft and fluffy. It is chewy and one is enough to satisfy your hunger. A happy breakfast!
I sometimes make rice-flour bread, but it is still very helpful to be able to buy it at the store on a daily basis.
I envied my neighbors who can easily come to buy it.
Gifts and birthday cakes are also available
Although we have so far introduced mainly rice-flour bread for lunch, FIRST BITE has always been a café that specializes in sweets.
Since its opening in 2022, the store has been active in many fields, including the opening of baked goods at department store events.
Among them, the rice-flour pound cake has been renewed to 100% Nanatsuboshi rice flour from Higashikawa Town, Hokkaido, starting in August 2023, and is a popular product that has been reborn with better quality and taste!
FIRST BITE From official Instagram
They can also make birthday cakes by reservation. (Call or visit the store for more information.)
This is very nice for people with wheat allergies.
FIRST BITE Store Information
Offering gluten-free sweets, baked goods, and bread on a daily basis in the popular Maruyama area, FIRST BITE is a café that can be enjoyed together by those who do not have wheat in their diet and those who do.
I appreciate the owner’s thoughtfulness in accommodating various needs, including eat-in, take-out, delivery, reserved cakes, and an online store.
Check out their official Instagram for seasonally changing cakes, and be sure to stop by when you are in the Maruyama area.
Thank you for reading to the end.
*Menus and prices in this article are current as of March 2024.
| Store Name | FIRST BITE |
| address | 1F Ambitious Building, 1-1-11, Kita 4-jo Nishi 24-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo View map. |
| Access | ・10 minutes walk from Maruyama Koen Station on the Subway Tozai Line ・Approximately 6 minutes on foot from Nishi 28-chome Station on the Subway Tozai Line |
| phone | 011-600-6010 |
| Business Hours | 10:00-19:00 （Lunch 11:00-17:00） |
| regular closing day | Sundays (and other irregular holidays) ☆Please check the official SNS for hours of operation and holidays. |
| parking lot | None (use nearby toll parking) |
| cashless payment | Various credit cards accepted |
| number of seats | 20 seats |
| accompanied by children | OK |
| Official Website | Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstbite_sweets_cafe/ |
| Online Store | https://firstbite126.base.shop/ |
| External site (tabelog) | https://tabelog.com/hokkaido/A0101/A010105/1070438/ |
| External site (Hot Pepper Gourmet) | https://www.hotpepper.jp/strJ002647805/ |
| delivery | Uber Eats、Wolt、Demaekan |
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