Les Années Folles: Noisette Orange

P. les Années Folles is at Isetan fro a way from yesterday, so, even though my experience is that they aren't so great, since I haven't posted on them and they are convenient now, I went. I got the Noisette Orange, which is a chocolate mousse/cream cake with hazelnuts and orange. Neither the hazelnuts nor the orange is so powerful, for good and bad, but they did a good job and this was a combination of ingredients that I appreciate, so I should visit them again soon. Probably won't get to that at Isetan again, but they are actually theoretically accessible on a weekday run, though farther than I've run recently (as is true of most places).

The run was just down to the Meiji Gaien course, where I did three laps. Like the last run, I was slow at the beginning for not real reason, around 7 km/h, but I stuck to at least 8 km/h on the track (where there are 100 m markers). I did the first 525 m at 8 km/h, then alternated between 8 and 9 km/h in 200 m stretches (3 times) then finished the lap at 10 km/h, which is sort of actually running instead of jogging, for the last 125 m. Next lap was the same, and then I did the last half lap and home at 8+ km/h.

Will take tomorrow off, though Saturday will probably be cycling again rather than running, since I want to do some cake-making related shopping for forms and whatever the chocolate tempering sheet is for making strips of chocolate, similar to the above, as well as other food shopping.

1 min interval running to Rue Favart and Toshi Yoroizuka

Did 1 min/1 min intervals down to across from Ebisu Garden Palace to Rue Favart, which is a little (I think; I didn't actually go upstairs) cafe with a cake counter in front the kitchen. I had popped my head in there before, since I've been by there several times. I went because occasionally Joshi Plus Sweets finds an actually good patisserie (I know, because now when they do, they mostly ones that I already know and was wondering why they hadn't been there yet). Got a little lost (didn't review my map before going), but it's hard to miss Ebisu Garden Palace going south from Hiro and I got there in about 19 intervals okay.

However, Rue Favart is just a cafe with cake, not a cake shop with a cafe, and not particularly special, judging from their selection and what else is visible on the first floor. They seem to be trying for a higher class a cafe cakes and tarts, but not patisserie quality, I would say. Not cheap either. I got the Gourman Dise (as written on the card, but "Gourmandises" is listed on the sign outside, maybe to mean desserts), which seems like a terrible name, for 550. It's a caramel tart with a little banana (not too much). The under-tart was nutty and I appreciated it, and the top was not terrible for what it was, but it was the more coffee-like caramel rather than the sweet kind. Since this was the only thing that stood out (they have lemon tarts, a fruity mille-feuille, maybe gateau chocolat), probably won't need to go back.

I should mention, maybe that I went by (Ruelle de) Dierrier in Azabu, just because I had added it to the map recently, as I go through all my old shop cards. It was similarly just a cafe with cake and I had the mille feuille there, which was okay. Closed now, with the location to be rebranded as a new restaurant or cafe, according to paper on the door. Doesn't seem like a great location.

Nearby to Rue Favart, is a great shop, Toshi Yoroizuka [closed branch], so I went there and got the Antique. Sorry, I dropped it (in the bag and box) in the hall outside my door, so see the link for one in better shape. This was 560 yen. As you can see, it is fig (fruit above mousse) with a chocolate tart on the bottom. In the middle is custard cream. I like fig, although the fig mousse is boring by itself, but the tart, specifically, the chocolate crust, is great, so this is another great cake from Toshi Yoroizuka. Still many more choices there. Easier to go to the Tokyo Midtown store, though, than the Ebisu one.


Other than dropping it, managed to run back, although the intervals had left me pretty tired. I figured running today would be okay even though my long run is tomorrow (when I don't have morning appointments) since to go to my chosen target (another Joshi Plus entry, so I'm prepared to swing by Isetan later for great cake) along the river route I've chosen, it was hard to add just a couple more kilometers and still have a simple route (I think my back is okay enough to take the map, but I don't want to have to stop to check it so often).

22 km to R Okusawa: Rouge and Mazetto

I ran to (Patisserie) R Okusawa today. The run was okay, but I cracked my ipod screen, so that's three things broken in not more more than a week. (sigh)

The river part between Hiroo and Ebisu, C-D (or the hook around Ebisu Station, D-E, for that matter) was no so great, so I'll try not o use that again. Following the river and then the northwest branch of the green promenade to Ring Road 7 was fine. Actually, I checked and it continues to Umegaoka and beyond, so maybe I'll do that part next for the 24-mile run. The endpont will be closer too, unless I change it.

So R Okusawa: not so great. The Rouge was 490, as you see, and was white cheese (pretty tasteless) with a layer of berry gelatin. There were also a couple fruity disks inside, but whether they were cheese mousse, as claimed, or more gelatin there, I could not tell. If I were richer and had not run 22 km and in need of the calories (although I had 480 ml of yogurt drink), then I would not have finished it. Not that it was nasty (besides the outer berry gelatin), but it did not have anything good going for it except some fresh fruit.

The second one seemed to be Le Mazetto, although with reflection, it is hard to read. I'm going to try to use a different camera and leave the broken ipod at home. It was 450 yen and hazelnut cake, I think, which is kind of a standard thing. It started off good, but I'm used to thinner cake layers (actual "normal" cake) and more cream or nuts between, so by the end I ruled it a fail. The cake seemed a little too moist for me too.

I don't know. Cake for children or guests you don't care enough about to go one train station either direction for one of the better shops? Of course, it's near the station and small, so it's convenient if you live there (there's another cake shop or tart shop across the street and a place that has a sweets buffet on the other side of the tracks, too).

Thanks to the yogurt drink (and a carrot: I don't eat sugar on an empty stomach, usually), I was full, so didn't buy more cake at Jiyuugaoka, despite the temptation. I was not really that tired, so I took the long way home (not because of cake, but to use used book vouchers before they start expiring). So I also took natural solution to bad cake and bought cake from a great shop, in this case Toshi Yoroizuka, near Ebisu Station (although I've visited the Tokyo Midtown one a lot. 

This is anja or annya (?: アンニヤ・アンニャ), which was listed as staff-recommended at 560 yen. I hesitated at rhubarb, which I avoided as a child, but realized that I actually don't know what rhubarb tastes like, so I should find out. Maybe I still don't know, since it was not that strong and there are berries. Note that the flower is an actual flower, so I didn't eat it, but the stick is white chocolate. The base is crumb crust (or it was once I got it home), with cheesy custard or custard-like cheese inside, although the whole cheese thing might be in my mind and it was just baked custard: I need more custard experience. The top part is rhubarb mousse I assume (real mousse, not gelatin, although there could be a little for stabilization). There are berries and sauce on top, as you can see. Great cake. Why would you not eat great cake if that was an option?