Paris S'éveille, Tarte Bergamote Framboise

Eight days behind, I'm sure I did some neighborhood running course running in the afternoon, but I can't remember what I was working on back then. In the morning, I was trying to get cakes for the next cake-off, but failed. First I failed at Rue de Passy, which is not too surprising, given the epidemiological conditions (no pastries today) and that maybe the great cake I was looking for was seasonal, since it was fruity. I went on to try my backup cake-off, which involved a cheesecake from Dalloyau, which was another couple kilometers down the line (though I was running) which when it came to it, I finally realized had changed. So I went to Paris S'éveille, to at least get a new pastry. They did have pastries, but it was still a little early for them to have everything out, so I went with Chauson aux Pommes. It's very traditional and excellent but not the most interesting type of pastry and I wouldn't have minded a recipe with more fruit.

There were a couple new cakes at Paris S'éveille, which doesn't get many. The other was sold out (or not yet sold), but I could get the Tarte Bergamote Framboise. This is in the form of a lemon meringue tart, though bergamot oranges are less tart than lemons but not sweet like other oranges. It was definitely good and interesting as a variation, but I think I'd like lemon or yuzu more, though maybe those wouldn't harmonize with the raspberry accent.

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot over Sadaharu Aoki's Mont D'or

Friday, I went for a long neighborhood run that combined practicing loops to confirm that I have them memorized and doing a one-way neighborhood run to and around a new loop, which means that it was really long neighborhood run, because I was doing full loops and then having to run back from the start point of the loop to the official link to the next loop rather than just use the part of the loop (once) that I needed. I was successful at doing clockwise runs on the Jinguumae east, Kita-Aoyama central, Minami-Aoyama north, Minami-Aoyama east, and Roppongi 7 loops. On the Minami-Aoyama north loop, I stopped at P. Takagi and got a Chausson Napolitain as my first pastry from there. Related, I made a decision to stop using the sidewalk that cuts through it as part of the loop, because it's really not somewhere where one should run and it's easy enough to go around, which still takes one by the signs saying what's inside. The pastry was definitely good. I've never seen such a flat chauson, though my experience is limited and this seems to be normal for this kind of chausson. It contained sufficient fruit for me (and apparently alcohol), so no complaint about that.

The new loop was the Azabu-Juuban--Moto-Azabu loop, which I'm going to add a little loop for to reach a Tully's. On that loop and coming back, I took some photos of places that I had missed or had second thoughts about leaving out, since as the photo at the right, which is a temple, though their business is pet memorials.

The cake was another cake-off (trying to get through the potentially soon to got out of season cakes from the majors): Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot and Sadaharu Aoki's Mont d'Or. The latter is scheduled through February; it's not clear when Bergamot was leave the line-up, but it's listed as seasonal and some sort of shake up is scheduled for mid-January. These were both working for me. The Bergamot is just one variation of a type of JPH cake that I think is great, but I haven't gotten tired of it yet and it takes the win in this third-round cake-off, where previously it had one win and one loss.

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot over Frédéric Cassel's Mille-feuille Finger Kaki

Saturday, was no running, but I did get to a café on my neighborhood running map, Janat in Jinguumae, south of Omotesandou road and had lunch with tea and cake. The cake doesn't really count as fresh cake, but rather is the hard cake served with sauce or whipped cream common in café. Pyramide Aztèque, which is chocolate with roasted bananas. It was good, which is better than it might have been, but it didn't convince me that bananas are a great idea.

The other cake is called Madagascar, and was the cake of the day, so cheap with lunch. I had last than half of this one, but thought it excellent. It's vanilla. The caramel sauce with peanuts was a good complement to this dessert inspired by a traditional cake.



As the year comes to a close, I'm trying to fit in more cake-offs. Sunday's was to squeeze in Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot, which is seasonal, so it might end Friday. I had planned to wait until Wednesday, but we were buying cake at JPH anyway, so I got the Bergamot and then, when I ran, did a short run over to Frédéric Cassel and home for the Mille-feuille Finger Kaki so I could do a second round. Still enjoying the mille-feuille, but JPH's standard design applied to orange definitely suits me, so it gets its first win.

Monday, I tried running down to Hiroo by the long way along my neighborhood course as a one-way to officially add/update some loops, but it was mostly a fail, not because I couldn't run but because my planned route was flawed. I picked up some information, though, so it's all good, though it took a couple hours. I didn't get cake, but went to Isetan to get a pastry from Arcachon, who visited until Tuesday. All that was on offer was a couple baked tarts, so I got the Tarte Agrume which is the greater citrus family, though it also featured pistachio. It was definitely good, but my interest in these types of tarts is limited.

Cake-off: Sadaharu Aoki's Saint-marc Praliné over Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot

Sugar Crunch from Danish Bar

No posts for a while because of no cake. Tuesday, I ran out to Bien-être where they told me there were no new cakes in the line-up this week. I wanted to practice the Kita-Aoyama--Jinguumae--Shibuya loop of my neighborhood course map, so for a snack, I tried the Danish Bar under the Jinguubashi (?) intersection, in the underground corridors for the Metro subway Harajuku Station. I got the Sugar Crunch, and it was definitely good, better than a donut and a mini cupcake I've gotten in the same area for 4 times and 2 times the price. I succeeded this time of the part of the course that I tried, but I failed on the Shibuya--Minami-Aoyama loop due to turning too early.

Having missed cake Tuesday, by Wednesday I had decided that I was going to do a cake-off Thursday, since I would be too business during the weekend (I had planned on Monday). The nearest new non-cake place I could hit then was SunnyHills Minami Aoyama Store, which fit with my plan to practice the recently modified course it was on, the Minami-Aoyama--Nishi-Azabu loop. I was successful in getting there before they closed at 7 p.m. It was my first time to go in and I found that on the first floor, they only sold the gift sets advertised online, not individual pineapple bars/cakes (and they have bottles of juice), so this really doesn't qualify as someplace to get a snack while jogging. A couple people were taken up to the second floor cafe, which surprised me, given how late it was, but anyway it looked a little too upscale for my state of dress (jogging stuff). Still, I would be interested in visiting the cafe sometime for tea-time for two.

However, I failed the Minami-Aoyama--Nishi-Azabu loop too (thought the correct place to turn might be farther ahead, but it's a long block), and then it turned out that the course itself was a failure, because of a traffic signal I hadn't known about. I've redone the map to loop past it and in the process SunnyHills is no longer on the course (despite the building being a distinctive landmark). For a snack, I stopped at the underground eating area below Omotesandou intersection, where I got an Egg Tart from Eggcellent Egg Tart, which has a quiche-type shell. It was definitely good. I did, at least, finally get the little Shibuya--Minami-Aoyama loop correct. On the way home, I also got some 100% rye bread from Breadworks, which is not pastry and also not in a neighborhood accessible from my course (can't reach it without a traffic signal), so no picture, but it was fine. I had it with low-sugar homemade jam and separately with olive oil.

Thursday morning, I was free, so I ran from about 8:45. After picking up a picture of the Yotsuya 3-choume Station Antendo bakery/cafe for the Samonchou loop, which I scouted but still missed the Garage Coffee shop, which has baked goods, supposedly, I went down to the northwest corner of the Akasaka-Azabudai-Roppongi-Toranomon loop and practiced it clockwise as far as United Church of Christ in Japan Akasaka Church, so including all the most recent south end. Also on the south end, out of order, since it's the first 13-level loop, I did a lap around the new Shibakouen--Toranomon loop without needing to check my map (it's basically one big block, though there is a walkway through the middle when I need shortcut). I didn't practice any of the other little 13-level loops coming from the Akasaka-Azabudai-Roppongi-Toranomon loop or finish it, because I ran out of time (10:05). I ran next to Ginza Mitsukoshi to get Jean-Paul Hévin's Bergamot and then (looping north to check out Viron and futilely going by the Marunouchi Building, where the foodcourt was not yet open) to get Sadaharu Aoki's Saint-marc Praliné. And I saw that I was correct about being wrong, that they did have their baba, so I need to get back there next Tuesday: if they don't have any left, I'll try to reserve one for Wednesday.

Finally to the cake-off: This time, the gelatinous layer on the top of the Bergamot bothered me a little, but there are several textures in it, so I should learn to live with it. Still, the mild Saint-marc Praliné seemed more deserving, so it gets the win. I'll probably try to get to second-rounds for both of them fairly soon, but the saint-marc has until the end of March and the Bergamot seems to be a replacement for the Bergam, so maybe it will stick around for a while. It's labeled as "new", not as "limited", at Ginza Mitsukoshi.

Jean-Paul Hévin: Bergamot

Since I went out to Ryoura Sunday, Monday I got the third of this month's new cakes from Jean-Paul Hévin, Bergamot. For running, I tried and failed again on the Kita-Aoyama--Jinguumae--Shibuya loop (south Harajuku). I started near Cat Street again and failed within a turn after leaving it in middle, but got the part I screwed up previously, at the end of Cat Street, correct. Actually, I perhaps had been getting the middle part wrong previously without knowing it and this time after making the first turn correctly, I wasn't sure what to do next and chose wrong (I wasn't more than 170 deg wrong). I am satisfied with my knowledge of the Shibuya north loop, though I had my doubts at the time. I also got the tiny Minami-Aoyama loop but had multiple problems with the Shibuya--Minami-Aoyama loop.

Bergamot (Jean-Paul Hévin)

On the plus side, the Bergamot was great. I feared that the top was be gelatinous and destroy the texture, like with the updated Chocolat Framboise, but there was no problem. Orange-flavored cream and Bergamot-flavored like milk chocolate mousse with a crunchy base: the structure was standard for them, but a standard that works. Hope they keep this around for another month, but I'll maybe do a cake-off next week.