Ikuka 170 State Street, Los Altos, CA 94022

"Back to my home town. Met up with my sister and my nephew, catching up a little and also picking something’s up too. Ate and tasted a few lovely cakes as well."

"Pudding was tasty and creamy but the molasses tasted burnt and very bitter. The Kabocha basque was very creamy and savory but also a bit too sweet for our liking."

"Absolutely delicious and well-balanced pastries and desserts. My personal favorite was the matcha-pistachio croissant. It was a light, buttery, flaky, and savory croissant with a lightly sweetened matcha core. The best matcha croissant I’ve ever had."

"I had the strawberry shortcake (nut free) and it was delectable. The cream was perfectly sweet and fluffy, the strawberries were nice and juicy and the cake was spongy and flavorful though a little dry. I loved the setting. It was really calm and soothing and the location was excellent, just inside the state street market so I could get dinner and an awesome dessert! I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a sweet but not too sweet treat. Tastes just like in Japan!"

"Ikuka is an new Japanese bakery that’s ready to take off. I recently returned from a trip to Japan and the bakeries there were very memorable and delicious. I was thrilled to see that there is an authentic Japanese bakery in the Bay Area and how the pastry chefs are trained in Japan and France. All the cakes and breads tastes delicious, not too sweet and has a very nice aesthetic. So far, I’ve tried the kabocha pumpkin burnt basque cheescake, which is one of their signature items, strawberry shortcake, pumpkin mochi bread, and sweet potato mochi bread. The flavors are perfect and not too sweet. The cheesecake is creamy and has pieces of kabocha blended in. I couldn’t get enough of the crispy streusel and the kabocha toppings. The desserts are perfect with a hot tea or coffee. There are also whole kabocha cheesecake and strawberry shortcake available. State Street Market was re-vamped recently and IKUKA is a great addition! *The views expressed in my post represent my own opinions.*"