Cocofrans Sweets ココフラン 022-722-3933

UPDATE:  FRI., JULY 25, 2014.  CLOSED!!!  I was in Sendai Station last weekend and was surprised to see that Cocofrans Sweets was no longer in business.  Oh, well.

Website:  http://www.cocofrans.com/

Address:  仙台市青葉区中央1-1-1.   Located on the second floor of Sendai JR Station in between the JR ticket machines and View Plaza.

Map:  Click the “Location” link below.

Open:  8:30 am – 9 pm.

Two weeks ago while riding the subway into downtown I noticed an advertisement for a grand opening of a bakery in Sendai Station named Cocofrans Sweets.  The ad had tantalizing photos of various desserts so I thought I’d give it a try.

When I arrived I had to line up behind the twelve or so other people who were just as eager to get their hands on the new goodies as I was.   As I slowly inched towards the counter, I noticed that there were just as many workers as there were customers, but a lot of the workers just seemed to be moving without really doing anything.  To add to the confusion the customer before me paid for her order, received her box of desserts, and took off, which left me next in line.   Four young female employees stood in front of me placing the next batch of freshly baked goods in the display case as I stood waiting for someone to take my order.  I stood there for about thirty seconds or more when another young employee came up to the register and held out a box and said that it would be 1310 yen.  I told her, “I haven’t ordered yet.”  With a shocked expression she asked me “Whose is this?”  I just gave her the international symbol of “I don’t know” and then chaos broke out.  All the employees started asking each other “Whose is this?  Whose is this?”  After about another fifteen seconds or so, with about another twelve or so people behind me in line, I said, “I’d like to order something.”  They still didn’t get it and just gave me the deer-in-headlights look.  An older employee from the back heard me and rushed forward to ask me what I’d like.

I ordered two of their apple rings, as they certainly looked tempting in the display case, and for only 170 円 each, how could I go wrong?  I went outside and devoured one instantly.  It was delicious!  Fresh out of the oven, the apples were sweeter than I imagined they would be with just the right amount of cinnamon added.  The cake part had a bit of crispiness that added a pleasant texture to it.  I took the other ring home and ate it much later, and it tasted just as good as the first one.

アップルリング

I returned to Cocofrans last weekend for another tasty treat, but things looked a bit different.  There were still a lot of workers moving to and fro, but apparently the glitz and glitter of a grand opening had already faded as there was no longer any line of customers.  On the bright side, at least it didn’t take forty-five seconds to take my order.  The apple ring was still delightful, and I hope I’ll be able to enjoy them for a long time to come.  But if they are already scarce on customers this place may not last long.  

I encourage you to try Cocofrans while you can.  And if you do, let me know if you had to wait in line.