A Luxurious Bread Almost Like a Whole Cake.
A perfect gift when visiting — the Royal Marron Krone
This is a big cake… or rather, a bread. The moment it enters your field of vision, you can’t help but say ‘Wow!’ Such is its grand appearance.
It’s called Marron Krone, meaning “chestnut crown.” It is 16 centimeters in diameter and 12 centimeters tall. You can feel its presence. It’s the kind of thing you expect exists but rarely encounter. So what is the most delicious way to eat it? First of all, how should you even cut it?
Boulanger Michihiro Kinoshita doesn’t hesitate. He slices the Krone straight down from the top into four equal portions, then lays them on their side on the plate.
“You eat it like a fancy large croissant. No knife or fork. You just tear off big pieces with your hands,” says Kinoshita.
The feeling is that you can enjoy the crispy and fluffy textures combined, while directly savoring the fragrant aroma of beautifully baked high-quality butter. Of course, the main highlight is chestnuts, especially the shibukawa chestnuts (candied chestnuts with inner skin) used as a topping. These are coated in apricot jam. Then there are the large chunks of yellow chestnuts arranged inside the bread. And the Dainagon adzuki beans which further emphasize the refined sweetness.
The perfect degree of saltiness throughout the dough brings out the Krone’s character as a sweet treat. It’s definitely European, yet somehow you sense a certain Japanese aesthetic. It’s like a Western dish that has been refined over a long time by Japanese tradition.
When I asked, they told me the Krone was created over 40 years ago at the Kyoto Grand Hotel, now the RIHGA Royal Hotel Kyoto. They wanted something between a bread and pastry that would satisfy people looking for either, and they spent a considerable amount of time experimenting through trial and error until they perfected it.
The original wasn’t chestnut but orange, and it became a hit as soon as it went on sale. The Orange Krone was also sold at department store events and similar venues.
Today, only two varieties are sold—orange and chestnut—exclusively at Melissa in the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka. Apparently there’s a female journalist who buys one every time she visits Osaka and polishes it off on the Shinkansen (bullet train) ride back to Tokyo.
It’s a substantial pastry, but you can easily devour the whole thing—it’s that good. I was told that when eating it at home, warming it slightly in a toaster oven makes it even better, so I definitely want to try that.
Gift for visiting
Royal Marron Krone from Gourmet Boutique Melissa
¥1,920 (1 piece)
Reporting and text by Hiroki Ko
Ko Hiroki
Ko Hiroki is an editor and professor at Kobe Shoin Women’s University. He is known for his unique perspective
on food cultures and has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. He is the author of “Ittokanaakan-mise Osaka.” “Kobe-to Yoshoku” “Toinaoshi Fashion-ko”.
RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection
Gourmet Boutique Melissa
TEL +81(0)6-6448-2412 (direct)
1st Floor, 5-3-68 Nakanoshima,Kita-ku,Osaka 530-0005 Japan
Open all year round
*All prices include tax.
*All pictures shown are for illustration purposes only.
*Menu items are subject to change depending on the season and availability of ingredients.
*Opening Hours may be subject to change without notice. Please check the *Opening Hours before visiting.
