Bucheon diabetic-friendly bakery with Daiso parking: Chamsae Bori

Chamsae Bori Sikppang, Bucheon main branch (참새보리식빵) was apparently voted the best loaf bread in Korea, number one nationwide. I'd wanted to visit for ages, and I finally made it. Since it's famous for its bread, I went wondering which kinds of loaves they sell and how they'd taste. Here's an honest record of the bread I actually ate and the feel of the shop.

What are the opening hours, and when does it sell out?

Chamsae Bori Sikppang's Bucheon main branch is open from 10am to 8pm and closed on Mondays and Thursdays. But it closes early once the day's loaves sell out, so you need to check before you go.

I watched the Kakao open chat notices for a few days, and it sold out early almost every day. Sometimes it closes before 12 noon, and usually it seems to be between 12 and 2pm. So even though the listed hours run until 8pm, turning up at your leisure could mean a wasted trip.

You can check whether it's sold out and what time it closed in the shop's Kakao open chat (a group chat on the Korean messaging app KakaoTalk). The closing time changes every day, so I recommend reading the notice before you go.

Where do you park at Chamsae Bori Sikppang's Bucheon branch?

The shop has no parking of its own. There is a car park on the B1 level of the Daiso building right next door, though, and if you spend ₩5,000 or more at Daiso you get 1 hour of free parking.

They also say it won the Grand Prize on SBS's Master of Living (Saenghwal-ui Dalin), a Korean TV show about master craftspeople.

What is on the menu?

The main menu has just three items. Here is how the shop describes them:

• Grand Prize sticky-barley loaf, the nationwide number one loaf
• Grain sticky-barley loaf, good for blood sugar control
• Rye sticky-barley loaf, for gut health

The shop says it kneads and bakes its loaves by hand every day from the early morning. It also says it ferments the dough at low temperature for 72 hours to make bread that sits comfortably in the stomach, and uses only healthy ingredients with no preservatives or additives. Because of this, it's worth a look if you have diabetes or generally pick your bread with health in mind.

Will any loaves be left after 12 noon?

But what do you know. When I got to Chamsae Bori Sikppang after 12, the loaves were almost all gone..

I wanted to try one of every kind, but the Grand Prize loaf was sold out and only the rye and grain loaves were available. If you want to try every loaf, you really should do the opening-time rush (what Koreans call an "open run") or at least come earlier.

What else is worth buying besides the loaves?

Besides loaves, the shop sold financiers (small French almond cakes) made with 100% milk cream. If you join the Naver receipt review event, you get one financier, so I recommend joining in when you visit.

In the shop you could taste mascarpone milk cream spread on a piece of bread, and I liked it from the first bite. The bread and cream went together better than I expected, so I ended up buying two tubs of cream.

They also sell strawberry jam.

By the way, you get a coupon with each loaf you buy, and you can collect them and swap them for cute Chamsae Bori Sikppang merchandise.

How do the grain and rye sticky-barley loaves taste?

I took out what I bought: the grain loaf, the rye loaf, the financier and the mascarpone milk cream.

Overall, Chamsae Bori Sikppang's sticky-barley loaves are mild rather than punchy. They aren't sweet loaves, and I enjoyed them for their nutty flavor.

The grains and seeds in them give a nutty flavor the more you chew. The bread is mild even without jam or cream, and I think it would go well with butter or other toppings to taste. If you usually prefer mild bread over sweet bread, this loaf should satisfy you.

Is the mascarpone milk cream a must-buy?

Personally, what I liked most among the things I bought at Chamsae Bori Sikppang this time was the mascarpone milk cream. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of cream spreads, since they can feel greasy or heavy. But this milk cream is smooth and gently sweet, and it went really well with the mild sticky-barley bread.

The bread on its own is mild and nutty, but spread with the milk cream it gets a soft richness and sweetness and tastes much better. I liked it from the tasting and bought two, and I felt I'd chosen well. If you visit Chamsae Bori Sikppang, I recommend buying the mascarpone milk cream too.

Having tried it myself, I recommend Chamsae Bori Sikppang's Bucheon main branch if you're looking for mild, nutty bread that works as a healthy meal replacement!