Jean-Paul Hévin: Chocolat Framboise (2018)

Sunday, there was cycling in the morning to try to review landmarks on the Hatagaya--Honmachi--Minami-Dai--Nishi-Shinjuku loop, which I thought was going to be a 13th-level loop until the connecting 12th-level loop got merged with its source as the Hatagaya--Hatsudai--Honmachi--Tomigaya--Yoyogi loop, now my longest at 11.7 km. I axed one park that was just a small paved area with one corner as a bicycle-sharing station and missed a couple landmarks on the other side the road to the north, where I don't have any immediate exits (my entrance link is from the south and there is a pedestrian bridge crossing out to the west). So I think I'm now ready to try this as a one-way neighborhood course run, which is good, because it's second on the list of level 12 loops and I plan to do the first one Tuesday.

In the afternoon I went to the Jean-Paul Hévin in Marunouchi, mostly for variations on things I've had before, shared between two. The limited item was the Coussin d'Amour Orange, which I had forgotten that I had before, since previously it was on a plate with a little chocolate sauce on top. It's a chocolate crepe with I'm not sure what kind of filling and orange sauce and this time it came in a paper sleeve for eating by hand and without any chocolate decoration. I think this presentation helped me appreciate it as excellent, though that's based mainly on the orange sauce. The chocolate crepe doesn't really add anything for me.

The other main selection was the Chocolat Framboise, which the receipt adds an "N" too, probably for new, since this is a change version as of this month. The top now doesn't have fresh raspberry and the now is now thinner and more gelatinous, which isn't any better an idea than it sounds. Not sure what they are thinking. It's still good, still relative dry and now there's a new gelatinous texture that doesn't help.

The best thing about the Marunouchi shop (besides being an an addition place that might have something different), is the hot chocolate, since it's less than halve the price of what's at Isetan and the selection is not bad. It's worth putting up with a paper cup instead of a tea cup. I had a new flavor for me, Chocolat Chaud Brésil, which was excellent.

Jean-Paul Hévin: Menu French Touch (Belle-Isle) and Coussin d'Amour Orange

Ran down to Roppongi Avenue looking for a certain supermarket and ending up at the wrong one. At least I won't need to check there again. I've been having knee pain, so I was trying to take it easy, but still edged into 11 km/h for 8 km. Think I need to stretch the thigh muscles more, but haven't mastered the right stretch, I think.

In the afternoon, got to Jean-Paul Hévin, where I got the Menu French Touch, upgrading to the Chocolate Chaud Cancan, which was good but not clearly better and I'm not sure what the extra flavor was (something was supposed to melt into it gradually, a little whipped cream and maybe passion fruit), and Belle-Isle, which is apparently one of two eat-in only cakes related to the French Touch collection of valentines' chocolates. This is a layered cake with very airy mousse flavored with passion fruit and caramel, though not very strongly with the caramel. It was excellent, but a little light for me. Not sure whether I'll get back for the other similar cake in Yuzu and black tea, since you have to get the set and I don't really need more of the same hot chocolate (though they have hot chocolates that I'd like to try). The other eat-in item sampled was Coussin d'Amour Orange, which is vanilla whipped cream with perhaps orange and passion fruit rolled into a chocolate creme served with a little pitcher of chocolate syrup and a cup of orange confit. It was good, but I'm not into crepe, even chocolate creme. The chocolate syrup was the best part.