A note on the words: a sablé is a French crumbly butter cookie, and salé means salted — this whole tin is savoury rather than sweet. Iyokan is a fragrant Japanese citrus. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro Tobu on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Sweet-tooth friends, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
Today: Bretonne! It turns out they have a counter in the basement of Tobu department store in Ikebukuro. I have always loved the design of their tins and used to order them online now and then — and all along the shop was this close!!!!
Having finally found it, I browsed for something to take home.
They sell financiers and the big cookie tins too — a dangerous shelf to stand in front of! And then I spotted it: a small summer-edition assortment tin. The colour of this tin is rather fine. It can end its days as a trinket box — that settles it, one to go, please!
Shopping done. Homeward.
Even the paper bag is stylish.
![[Summer gift] Petit Salé (2,376 yen)](https://cimg.eat.hangover.work/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/13143751/DSC04650.jpg.webp "Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro: A Cookie Tin That Turned Out to Be a Drinking Snack 9")
A rather good colour, is it not?!
Around 2,300 yen does feel a little dear at first. But the tin is adorable — think of it as buying the trinket box, with cookies included, and it is not cheap, but it feels like decent value! Right?
![[Summer gift] Petit Salé (2,376 yen)](https://cimg.eat.hangover.work/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/13143806/DSC04654.jpg "Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro: A Cookie Tin That Turned Out to Be a Drinking Snack 10")
Here is what is inside. This Petit Salé tin is a savoury cookie tin — not sweet, but salted.
In fact “salé” is simply French for “salted”.
Inside: triangular cheese-and-pepper sablés. The richness of Parmigiano with a sharp bite of black pepper — these are, frankly, wine food!
![[Summer gift] Petit Salé (2,376 yen)](https://cimg.eat.hangover.work/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/13143814/DSC04658.jpg "Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro: A Cookie Tin That Turned Out to Be a Drinking Snack 11")
Yes: less confectionery, more drinking snack!
The golden-sesame shortbread crumbles softly, the toastiness of the sesame building as you chew, with a faint sweetness on the surface as the accent. Then an iyokan-citrus and thyme sablé — herbal freshness layered with fruity citrus, a very summery cookie. And the biscuit salé, rich with cultured butter, gets its lovely sweet-salty edge from Guérande sea salt.
![[Summer gift] Petit Salé (2,376 yen)](https://cimg.eat.hangover.work/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/13143822/DSC04659.jpg "Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro: A Cookie Tin That Turned Out to Be a Drinking Snack 12")
The little beans tucked in between are sugar-coated almonds — going by the splendid name of praline aux amandes salé. Salted, and delicious!
Not-sweet is good too!
So, having nibbled my way through the lot: taken together this is less a box of sweets than a salted assortment that quietly summons white wine or beer. If anything, this is a cookie tin for drinkers. The designs and colours are lovely, the contents are delicious, and if it is really summer-only — do try it!
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Biscuiterie Bretonne, Ikebukuro Tobu (patisserie / Ikebukuro Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, Toden Zoshigaya Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
