Sadaharu Aoki, Chou Truffle Caramel

Saturday afternoon, after going to Ginza to get a Pain au Chocolat from  from Camélia (which was definitely excellent, so they're my top priority on pastries, even if I'm not blogging pasties any more, due to lack of time), I stopped in at the Sadaharu Aoki main Tokyo shop in Marunouchi to see again whether they had a yearly shop exclusive yet for the new fiscal year that started in April. The website is still showing last year's. What they did have, and I don't know whether it is an exclusive, was Chou Truffle Caramel, so I got it. I'm pretty sure this is chocolate truffle, not the mushroom type, but I still haven't found anything online about it. It was good but traditional still seems to be best. It's been a while since I've had a new great cake them, so they they've slipped enough that Dalloyau, significantly behind them in number, deserves a visit for a new cake. I keep finding reasons to start hitting the merely fine shops.
 

Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Pistache Chocolat (dome)

So, Sunday I went for one quite excellent shop and one quite superb shop, since I figured I wasn't going to get any cakes once the workweek restarted, which is turning out to more true than I expected (even if Isetan would open their normal hours, I couldn't get cake this week, from long work hours).

I started with a run/walk to Coffee Parlor Hilltop for an 8th cake from them. The cake that got them counted as exceptional was one great cake, Pistache Chocolat. Sunday too, they had a cake with that name, but it was obviously much different, so I gave it a try. This one I'll call Pistache Chocolat (dome) to keep it straight. Like it's name-sake, it has strawberry, perhaps much more. Inside the dome, there is a relatively lot of strawberry sauce for a nominally pistachio and chocolate cake. I'll say that it was colder than I should have eaten it (that sauce was a good heat sink). Even though I like cakes with an outer coating, this wasn't working as particular special. I appreciate the type and it was good, but this shop might have a tough time staying in the exceptional group, as any of the quite fine ones could challenge it with a great fourth cake, and there are a lot of shops in that list needing a fourth cake. 

Sadaharu Aoki, Mille-Feuille Mâtcha

The second stop Sunday morning was Sadaharu Aoki, in Marunouchi. It's taken three and a half months to get this year's exclusive cake, Mille-feuille Matcha, so I was happy to get it. The filling is matcha custard. I could find that it was an improvement, nor was it a huge difference, but it's still an excellent mille-feuille. 

Sadaharu Aoki, Hassaku Passion

Sadaharu Aoki: Hassaku Passion

My running Sunday night was actually to get more cake, which was less ambitious than I originally planned, though I wasn't expecting to be successful, since it was late on a Sunday, when everything is usually sold-out. I went to the south Tokyo Sta. area and naturally went first to the Sadaharu Aoki main shop. I was looking for their yearly exclusive, which I still haven't gotten, even though the year starts in April. I did get something that they just promoted again, but I could have gotten to Isetan, if I were more patient, Hassaku Passion, which is hassaku orange (which is a Japanese variety which is apparently somewhat grapefruit like) and passion fruit on a coconut accented sablé. The description makes clear that it is mild, which it is, so not really my thing, but good.

Viron, Rouge

Last week, wasn't quite so late, so one day, I managed to get to Viron early enough to get cake, though I failed three days with Sadaharu Aoki and F. Cassel. Actually, even that one cake was one cake ahead, but since I expected to busy the next week, and it felt like Tokyo could go back into shutdown, it was justified. Actually, this was the cake I expected to get on Sunday, but I found something else. This time I was getting from the Marunouchi shop, which is more focused on the restaurant side, so maybe they don't have as many take-out cakes. Anyway, it's Rouge, which is obviously a fruity cake, and obviously has some gelatin, from the shape. An unusual point is that this is coconut cream, rather than some other medium. The fruit is specifically raspberry, I think. The reality isn't so exciting or different from other fruit dome cake, but it was good.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Gâteau au Chocolat Classique

The last Sunday cake I take was the Gâteau au Chocolat Classique from Coffee Parlor Hilltop. Right now, they only have their signature classic cakes, like this one, their roll cake, and their cheesecake maybe. I was expecting a drier cake, I think. Also, I don't like the texture of hard chocolate bits (chips? I didn't dissect it). The test was fine, and it purports to use fine chocolate, so it's good, but boring.

Viron: Tarte (Pear) and Tarte Tatin

Sunday, went to Viron (with a reservation) for a nice lunch for two. For dessert, we had Tarte Tatin, which I've had before, but can't find a posting for, so must of been preblog, and the seasonal tart, which was pear. The tatin was great, as before. Apparently, the season would usually be over but is extended this year, so it's still possible to get.

The seasonal pear tart was a pretty standard baked tart, but baking is what Viron is good at, so it was definitely excellent. I need to get over there more often. This is the only place I know with great café desserts (though there are places that sell their take-out cakes for eating in that have some great cakes), despite trying various other places, so I've pretty much given up searching.

Lenôtre, Espirit Tartelette Fraise Chocolat & Viron, Charme

Was busy in the afternoon, but squeezed in a run and bought cake for later. I tried a neighborhood run through the just-revised Akasaka-Azabudai-Roppongi loop. Even though I wasn't up on the progress in Azabudai, I'm pretty familiar with most of this loop, so I could finish it clockwise this time, and also do the full Roppongi Itchoume Stn. clump (there isn't much to the extra link and loop), so I'm ahead on that. Tomorrow I'll probably work on clumps closer to the base, as I'm off and there's a shop that's only open during normal work hours that I want to visit over in Sendagaya. Along the way, I got a Croissant from Pierre Gagnaire, since Libertable doesn't seem to have pastries any more, or at least now (I was over that way because I first did the just revised little Yotsuya north loop clockwise). The croissant was more of a hotel breakfast croissant than a good patisserie croissant, so it gets just an "ok".

I was getting cake for two, so I got two cakes: first, Espirit Tartelette Fraise Chocolat from Lenôtre, which I had been trying to get since last Wednesday (though they have one more new item I haven't had, a strawberry verrine). The other was the new cake I spotted at Viron yesterday, Charme, which is a chocolate dome cake, but with a hard shell. I had to save them, though, so for my lunch dessert, I also got the Almondine, which is an almond petit four, I would say. It was good, but this kind of dessert isn't going to become a focus of mine, I think.

I liked the cake in the evening better, though I did add tea, which was lacking with the Almondine. The Espirit Tartelette Fraise Chocolat was good, but not so exciting and I'd rather have less fruit and more other parts. The Charme did a better job of meeting my chocolate cravings, and I can say that it was excellent.

I expect I'll have to wait another month before I can get another new cake from Viron.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Lemoncello

Ran to Coffee Parlor Hilltop to bring them up to 6 tried cakes, my target level for exceptional shops, so I can stop treating them as a new shop. It was a good run there, but I got lazy walking back about halfway, though I tried to keep it a good walk. I did basic indoor non-weights exercises at home. I had a late start, or maybe I would have done more.

As the 6th cake, I choose the Lemoncello, which is, according to my translation of the card, lemon cream and glaze and milky white chocolate mousse. It's a small cake, but elegant, and a nice change. I'll rate it excellent.

Viron: Choux Rétrodor

Last Monday, ran to Viron in Marunouchi and got their Choux Rétrodor, which is a cream puff using their Rétrodor brand of flour, in both the choux pastry and in the custard. Note sure that it made a difference, but I've learned to appreciate the simplicity of this dessert. Excellent. I took the long way, looking in on Ginza Mitsukoshi on my way back.

Viron: Tropézienne

Still trying to catch up. I went out Thursday for cake, running and it ended up being a long run. I was trying to get a new cake from F. Cassel in Mitsukoshi Ginza, but no cake. JPH had a little, but nothing new. Lenôtre  had just Concerto (lots of them). There was one counter there I would have taken a new cake from, but also no cake there. I forgot about Ladurée, on the 2nd floor, but checked out Ginza 6 and came up with nothing from two shops (though no surprise for the soon closing Origines Cacao). Anyway, Viron is a top priority and hasn't rotated new cakes in so quickly, so even though I had just bought two days before, I went back (though in Marunouchi) and got one of the two I had seen before the brief Christmas cake takeover: Tropézienne. This is a brioche-based cake (easy for them, since they're a bakery) with custard cream using Échiré butter, fresh orange, and some sort of liquor (I would guess orange). Definitely not my usual thing, and not what I as expecting (since I wasn't paying close attention), but it worked for me and was excellent.

Friday, I did not get cake, but worked on neighborhood course loops and completed another one.

Saturday, I tried my biggest loop counterclockwise for the seventh time and got much farther, about 3/4 before I got to a point where I didn't remember what to do and made the wrong turn (there are two similar sharp corners and on the first one I should have gone straight after the sharp turn, but thought I needed to turn off). It was okay though and I'm willing to leave it at that for now. It was a 3.5 h run with relatively few stops. I added three sites afterward and revised the map slightly in ways that will hopefully be easy to remember on the next run: just slight detours. On the way I tried two pastries and had better luck than the previous week. First, Path Cafe was not mobbed at 09:00 on the Saturday before New Years and I could get a (the one) Pain au Chocolat. This fresh-baked pastry was actually very soft inside, which usually I would not respect, but fresh, it was melt in my mouth delicious, which I definitely respect. I suppose it was great, but really this is my first experience this is fresh a pain au chocolat. Maybe next year, I'll bet able to get a fresh Croissant without a 30-minute wait.

The other stop was after failure, I stopped at Levain and got their Butter Croissant. This seems to be a multigrain pastry (I didn't read beyond the name), in keeping with their theme. Actually, for including "butter" in the name, less buttery than average, but what great layering throughout. It's more of a super dinner role than a pastry, but its definitely something special, so I have to rate it at least excellent. I look forward to getting something else from them as well.

 

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Laque Noir

The night of Christmas Day, I ran to Coffee Parlor Hilltop, where they had their normal cakes and no crowd, though some one came after me to buy, so they are getting some customers since reopening. This time and was more energetic and ran all the way back. As my cake, I choose Laque Noir, because it looked great, even if the composition is not very promising for me. Namely chocolate mousse, with fruit (potentially too much), and with a chocolate glaze. I dealt with it though. I look chocolate, and mousse, though just mousse can be a texture problem. I chilled it down to 1 degC, so it least started out sufficient firm to be control able. I also avoided putting the glazing directly on my tough, since I was correct that I was not appreciating the Laque(r) part of it, but it worked fine how I ate it. And the orange was not too much and harmonized fairly gently with the chocolate. I'm rating it excellent, so this shop is in good shape to get promoted. There are a couple shops already in the exceptional group that I'd like to hit first though, so I can wait for the sixth cake.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Biscuit Chocolat

Visited the newly reopened Coffee Parlor Hilltop. Now, cake is sold out of a counter off the hotel lobby rather than directly from the cafe, which is looking posher. I'm fine with that arrangement. Didn't see my favorite cake from there, but there was a reasonable selection even late. I went with the Biscuit Chocolat, which seems to be all chocolate, though in different forms, from a coating, plate, ganache, and cream. Not not sure but they didn't sneak in some coffee, but maybe I just scalded my green tea. I should have let it warm up more, but still it was at least definitely good and I've decided to say that it's excellent, as I approved of the construction and it was good chocolate, so they are still at the top of the quite fine shops and might move into the exceptional ones. I might end up at the same four shops next week, though it will depend on what I get to this weekend whether I'm looking for that many cakes during the week.

Viron: Caramel Chocolat au Lait

Ran to Viron Monday night. I didn't really run so fast, I thought, but the time passed fast. Even coming back with the rain getting heavy, it did not seem like a long run, though it's longer than a Ginza run and there was only a tiny bit of walking underground. I delayed posting because I'm really not sure what's in this Caramel Chocolat au Lait. The chocolate is in the base of the tart shell, so it's not visible. This is maybe slightly more caramel above that, that is also not visible, but seemed rather red, so I wonder if there is something more than caramel. I'll have to ask next time I go by. It was definitely good and appropriate for some place that is more of bakery than a cake shop, but not super exciting. I'm not sure that they had another cake (though this could qualify as a pastry tart). Fortunately, it will take Origines Cacao time to finish its run to displace something in the superb group before I need to give Viron it's chance.

Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Saint Honoré over Sadaharu Aoki's Éclair Caramel Salé

Got an early start (from having slept most of Sunday) on the Monday holiday, leaving at about 6 in the morning to try loops in the Azabu area. I was successful in 3 out of 4 cases, leaving a split: I did the very recently revised Nishi-Azabu--Minami-Azabu loop clockwise, and then finished off the Minami-Azabu west loop. Of course, the Azabu-Juuban loops was trivial to complete, the the tricky Moto-Azabu--Azabu-Juuban loop defeated me two places, both which I can put down to fatigue, since it was in execution rather than knowledge that I failed, though the latter was not perfect overall either, just it was not necessarily what tripped me up.

I had time before shops opened, so I went back over to the big loop circling Shimo-Kitazawa that I haven't updated the name for. I spent not much more than an hour, so I only traced about half what I did last time with only slightly better knowledge. I did find one place where a seemingly unneeded detour could be removed. I feel that I've forgotten another place that needs correctly, but perhaps I was just thinking of a Starbucks that I need to add (I should also find out of the next nearest one closed) on a loop I passed coming back.

For cake, I was not planning to do a cake-off, but just get two cakes from top shops that will only be round for a couple weeks. First I went to Hikarie close to opening time and got the Éclair Caramel Salé. For the second, I went to the Jean-Paul Hévin Marunouchi shop, since they open later than Isetan, so I figured I would have a better chance of getting the new cake starting today, and I was right. The danger there was the small supply, but rain probably was keeping people away and I had Ginza Mitsukoshi as a back-up, which also probably has a smaller demand than Isetan.

I ate Sadaharu Aoki's Éclair Caramel Salé first and decided it was great, both in terms of the caramel filling and the pastry. Of course, Jean-Paul Hévin's Saint Honoré is very similar in both, but I decide that it had more complexity, which was working for it, so I selected it as the winner, since they both seemed to be great. These two are probably going to dominate cake-offs for a while, which I may have to do extra ones for. I'm consider my cake budget for this month.

Peninsula Boutique, Okinawa Baba and Jivara Green Tea Tart

Saturday, I had and ate my cake first. Was trying to go to the Peninsula (Tokyo Hotel) Café, but didn't make the 17:00 cutoff, so got cake for two to go from the Boutique. Went with the Okinawa Baba, which looks like a (standard reverse) Mont-Blanc and the Jivara Green Tea Tart (which is not what was written on the card, which also didn't match the receipt, so I feel free to play editor based on the Japanese). There is a lot of coconut cream under the "shell" and some sort of maybe tropical fruit in the center and peach-colored sauce, which I can't identify, though there was a little banana consistency in some fruit and not in other but no such flavor. Very messy, especially with tiny plastic forks and wind. Not that into coconut, but definitely good.

The tart obviously has a big dome and is mostly green tea. The thin tart base has both a chocolate layer (the Jivara) and a dark layer of more green tea. Also difficult to eat with a tiny plastic fork just do the problem of cutting the base without breaking the fork, but could do it. Also definitely good. So it seems like a safe choice of a café before 17:00 (last seating), but neither cake sparked my particular interest, so I could recommend several definitely better places nearby for take-out at least (since Ginza Mitsukoshi isn't far). This shop goes to the fine shop list, at least until I split it, maybe into safe and fine shops. Glad to fill in some details of that area. Still a place in Marunouchi Building and one in Ginza 6 that I haven't tried in that neighborhood.

The running came later, from about 19:30. I went down to confirm counterclockwise knowledge of Sakuragaoka-chou and Shibuya east loops, though I need to look for confirmation of demonstration clockwise knowledge of the former, which it's trivial. Maybe I left that loop until redo the main loop. I also confirmed a couple more Natural Lawsons and that I can ignore a number of other shops that I marked for checking for baked goods or reasonable accessibility/quality for café cake on nearby routes. Like Friday night, the running was 1:4 walking:running, though only as a maximum, since there are lots of places around Shibuya Station where advancing at all was difficult and I ran into a baseball game letting out coming back up Gaien West, which is new for me. Total running time was about 64 minutes, which took about 2 hours total, with the walking and various investigations.

Speaking of Friday night, no cake, but I did need bread for breakfast, so I got a couple things (not shown) from Christa, and visited Daisy around the corner for the first time and got what I think was called a Cinnamon Bun. They had actual croissants, which is more definitely a pastry, but there was a sale and I didn't resist. This is a somewhat of a chain (from outside Tokyo) and small and more limited to lunch breads maybe, depending on traffic south from the station, since it doesn't seem to have anything on Christa except more of a quickie mart feel, in a clean way. The bun, which was just sufficiently pastry like to pass (versus sweet bread), was definitely good, so I was satisfied, but don't need to get back there. Now I need to hit the Akasaka bakery that I overlooked (and is going to require me to confirm the revised now 14 km long loop). With shopping, the running amounted to only 16 minutes, plus walking. Note, the bag says "patisserie", but I didn't see any signs of cakes, which would be out of place there.

Tante Marie, Lu'bre

Still working my way through getting third cakes from all the shops on the quite fine list. Tante Marie, a newly added shop, was a priority because I rated the first two cakes as both excellent, so it had a chance to take over the top spot in the group to challenge the exceptional group. I went for the Oazo shop, next to Tokyo Station, since it's open until 8 pm. I did a loop around the imperial palace ground, clockwise, to be able to use the running course (you can't go against the pack on the north part, though with ran today, there wasn't much of a pack).

The running was 4-min running (first minute slow, last minute fast) intervals separated by at least 2 min (usually exactly 2 min of walking, but there are traffic lights and one stop to purchase cake). Was just in the 48th minute of running when I ran out of course. Next step is 3:7 ratio of walking and running, but not tomorrow, I think.

The cake I choose was Lu'bre, if I remember the name correctly (and I had doubts) which Google Translate tells me is Corsican for "the sun". It's chocolate mousse and vanilla cream. I caught a glimpse of "raspberry", so maybe there was a little in the chocolate to give it fruity flavor, but not enough to be easily identifiable. It was definitely good, as these chocolate and vanilla mousse cakes go, but I still can't see the point of these cakes other than as a safe choice. I should have gone for the Gorgonzola cheesecake, since cheesecake is their specialty. Well, I'll get back for a 4th cake eventually, though it may take a couple years. Hopefully they'll last. Look at where to go next, I see that Shirokanedo is gone, not just from Isetan but from the neighborhood of the same name. I guess Sourire is next among ones to visit on holidays. 

Tante Maria, Camembert Cheese Cake & Tarte Pistache

Was busy Saturday and not fit to run, but I'm feeling less hopeless about my feet, which tells you about how my week was going. Anyway, cake for two, with drinks (required) in the max 3-group, 8-person eat-in area of Tante Maria in the Marunouchi Oazo building. I've passed by the regular home shop, though I've never stopped. Since it's their main thing, I choose the Camembert Cheese Cake and the other chosen cake was the Tarte Pistache. Based on half of each, and allowing some leniency in a first visit, these were both excellent.

The cheesecake has a distinctively strong cheese taste, though it still managed to be cake (it looks like it has a mold rind on top, but it's actually powered sugar). For its attention to cheesiness, I can say that it is excellent. They have two other cheesecakes, though the brie seems to be whole cake takeoff only, though it is smaller than the other whole cakes.

The Pistachio tart was mostly as expected, though it was softer than others I've had recently, which doesn't generally appeal to me, but it came without a sacrifice in flavor, and in fact it was more flavorful than some recent good pistachio tarts, so it also gets an excellent.

Cake-off: Origines Cacao's Printemps over Coffee Parlor Hilltop's Pistache Chocolat

Thursday, I took the afternoon off and first went to Isetan early enough that their Croissant Chocolat was not sold out. It was excellent. It is not sweet, but more a burnt (maybe literally) chocolate taste, which I approve of. Definitely better than average as a croissant. In news, there is a cake and a "parfait" that has cake elements enough that I'm interested, more than the average verrine, which I've grouped with fresh cakes. They limited to through Golden Week (and the parfait is only after 2 pm), so I'll have to act fast. No cake planned for tomorrow, saving it for Saturday. Since I've busy over golden week, I might try to fit in two cake-offs over the weekend to deal with seasonal cakes/shops. It depends on how the first cake-off goes. My bicycling for the day confirmed availability from the cake I wanted for take-out from the Coffee Parlor Hilltop and then I briefly tried to do the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop but failed almost immediately. I didn't realize immediately, but I failed again later on more obviously, so I went hope to review.

Friday, I got another pastry, this time Croissant d'Almonde from Christa. It was definitely good but not really so different from most. I tried the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop again but got confused once I had to cross the Roppongi-doori, since I guessed incorrectly whether I would stay on the bridge (if I had been on foot instead on a bicycle) and continue on to cross Azabu-doori, which I should have. It's coming back around that I need to cross in stages.

Saturday, I finally got cake again, making up for the two previous days by getting two for a cake-off. For the first one, I tried walking to Coffee Parlor Hilltop, and my feet seem okay, so that's huge progress. I'll maybe try running longer than enough to make the light next week. I was there at opening time (no line, but someone came in immediately after me). I got the Pistache Chocolat to go. Then I used Marunouchi Line to go to Ginza 6 to get Printemps from Origines Cacao and then I went home by train. I still found that the raspberry rolled off the Printemps, but it was in better shape generally than last time by bicycle.

These are both recent cakes that I worried I might have labeled as great without sufficient cause, but the first result of this first-round cake-off is that I still feel that both bring something special, so they pass that hurtle. I felt like Printemps brought slightly more complexity, or maybe I was just enjoying the white chocolate more, so it gets the win. Printemps is obviously a seasonal cake, but it's relatively recent, so I hope it can stick around a couple weeks to get in a second-round at least. I know Pistache Chocolat, and anyway F Cassel has a cake that has been waiting for an opponent and it lost its first-round, so I'm planning to do another cake-off tomorrow (so no cake-off next Saturday) for those two. I'm sure Hilltop will think it same to see me again for the same cake, but so it goes. I might manage fourth new cake them before they close, but really, except for that, three other shops would be my priority, and I wouldn't get back there next week in time.

For further exercise, I made my third attempt at the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop and finally got it (as well as reviewing after two previous attempt, the sun up was probably helpful, though it still took a long time to find a way of crossing by bicycle as easily as the main bridge. A couple coffee shops are gone, but I added a couple Japanese confectionery shops.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Mont-blanc

Bicycled to Coffee Parlor Hilltop and ate in. There were a few cakes available (but only one of each visible), so I choose the Mont-blanc. It was definitely nice. The layer of chestnut was fairly thin, but it was also strong, so it was a good balance with the cream. I'm wondering whether there was some sort of alcohol involved, but it might have been just vanilla. I didn't care for the base, though, which is not visible. I guess I was expecting a biscuit or meringue but I'm not sure what it was, since it wasn't soft or crunchy, but was almost chewy, or at least it had some resistance to it. Maybe it was just a disk-shaped slice of chestnut, since chestnuts maybe have that texture. Still, it was good cake, so I might get back there before they close for renovation for 7 months starting April 30.