Today was a training run, so I went to Isetan when I could (we were understaffed at work today, so it was a long day) and fortunately there was something left. I think this is called a Mont-Blanc, but I wasn't really reading the Japanese name that closely and it could have the Italian version name, since Chianti is an Italian restaurant. This cake seemed a pretty typical Japanese version anyway. A very smooth, slightly buttery (but no way near Dalloyau's level of almost pure butter taste) chestnut paste, which was most of it, around a little unbaked meringue, so no whipped cream, I think, and no baked base. Among Mont-Blancs, this seemed excellent, plus it's a first cake, so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. They shouldn't really be that hard to visit that I need to get them at Isetan, since they are in Azabudai and Yoyogiuehara, as well as some department stores, but I'm not sure exactly which places have fresh cake for takeout, so I'll probably hit Isetan again before they are gone.
The training run was 5 laps at >=12.0 km/h each at Meiji Jingu Gaien. For some reason, was I pessimistic going out. I guess because I was r
eally sore after 4 laps, also it was cold (I start wondering whether I'm going to freeze but then it doesn't become a problem, versus overdressing and being fine at the beginning and then getting too hot). The first lap (after the warm up getting there, and my routine running "switches", versus stretches, though I have some of those) was in some way the hardest. I have to check my time every 100 m and keep increasing the pressure on myself. Of course, the 5th lap is also hard, since that's where all the new training is, but by that point my body knows what it needs to do, even if it's become harder to do it than previous laps. All laps were successful, and the last one edged into 13 km/h territory, so I can probably scale that back and do 6 laps, though I'd like to do some running on my other two main courses first, as well as faster intervals.
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Ran back to Marunouchi again today, this time to the cake shop for Chianti in the Marunouchi building. Chianti was just at Isetan (where I would have saved 8%). Got Juliet (648 yen), which is a pink raspberry heart-shaped cake. Yes, I should know better than get anything not round or square, since that means gelatin. In fact, I ran this cake 5+ km at 10 km/h and found that they had not actually restrained it in any way inside its box. Of course, I tried to be careful, but was surprised to find it perfectly intact. That's some well-set gelatin. Is I hinted, I was not impressed by it, though it was typical of its ilk, so I can call it good. Someone who likes this kind of cake should judge whether it's excellent. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt calling it good, though it was definitely not bad, just not worth bothering with to me. The run there was on the low end of 12 km/h.
Today was a training run, so I went to Isetan when I could (we were understaffed at work today, so it was a long day) and fortunately there was something left. I think this is called a Mont-Blanc, but I wasn't really reading the Japanese name that closely and it could have the Italian version name, since Chianti is an Italian restaurant. This cake seemed a pretty typical Japanese version anyway. A very smooth, slightly buttery (but no way near Dalloyau's level of almost pure butter taste) chestnut paste, which was most of it, around a little unbaked meringue, so no whipped cream, I think, and no baked base. Among Mont-Blancs, this seemed excellent, plus it's a first cake, so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. They shouldn't really be that hard to visit that I need to get them at Isetan, since they are in Azabudai and Yoyogiuehara, as well as some department stores, but I'm not sure exactly which places have fresh cake for takeout, so I'll probably hit Isetan again before they are gone.
