Cake-off: Jean-Paul Hévin's Mille-Feuille Chocolat over Pierre Gagnaire's Finger Ruby Fig Framboise

Tomida Farm Black Fig Tart

I finally had the cake-off that I've been looking forward to for almost two months: a second-round match for Jean-Paul Hévin's Mille-Feuille Chocolat, which is available just the second half of October. It lost its first round, so I needed someone from the losers bracket. Fortunately, I was able to get one available two weeks ago in the form of Pierre Gagnaire's Finger Ruby Fig Framboise (according to the I saw today). I ran for the first cake. I had brought an insulated bag, but they use such large boxes that it was not enough. I remember that there was one place like that, but not which one. I went directly from there running to Ginza Mitsukoshi, arriving a little before opening. I wasn't at the front, but I was the first one through the desert section, which was awkward, given my attire and that each group of attendants have to greet me. JPH is in the back, in their own glass-walled room. The mille-feuille was available, as promised. On the way back, I was walking past Frédéric Cassel and saw that their fig tart I had just seen advertised was bakery type rather than cake. I had planned to get a pastry during my run but this seemed like a better option, so I turned and bought the Tomida Farm Black Fig Tart. Turning, I think someone said, "As expected", as they thought I was there for that, though I had passed them initially. I had seen the social media post, though, so I recognized it, just it was on top rather than in the cake case and they recommended heating it up "a little" (they checked, but they didn't have any more precise information). I tried 2.5 min at 100 degC, which seemed reasonable and warmed it without destroying it. It was excellent, as I would expected.

Running, I tried to do the

neighborhood course Daita--Daizawa--Hatagaya--Kamiyama-chou--Kitazawa--Motoyoyogi-chou--Nishihara--Ooyama-chou--Shouto--Tomigaya--Uehara loop, but I hadn't reviewed it the night before (if I really knew it, I shouldn't have to). I got farther than last time, but I had changed part and though I remembered why and where to turn initially, and then where I logically had to go next, I wasn't sure how to get back on the old track, so the run out ended after Mister Donut Shimokitazawa. Like last time, I took that as an excuse to turn home. I went by the shortest route, and ran into a shrine I hadn't known about between where I screwed up this time and where I did the previous time, so the map is changing again. Hope I can remember later this time, or at least remember to check the map the night before (on the day would be against the rules).

Just before failure,

I had bought a France Croissant from Chez Lui. Not sure about the name, but it's their #1 item, supposedly, and it looked sufficiently sugared to be preferable to a real croissant. I hadn't packed enough energy cookies for the run, or this would have been one pastry more than I had intended for the week. I deviated coming back to take some pictures of sites on more nearby loops, or confirm that the site was not needed (in one case).

For the cake off, I'm still having trouble with the strong fruitiness of the Finger Ruby Fig Framboise, despite at the same time wanting to keep it around for its distinctiveness. The mixture of mille-feuille and high-quality chocolate made be choose JPH's cake as the winner, so I definitely want to do another cake-off with it next weekend, this time a third-round for cakes that are one and one. There's a seasonal Frédéric Cassel cake that meets that criterion.

Cake-off: Au Bon Vieux Temps' Pourriture over Pierre Gagnaire's Finger Ruby Fig Framboise

Saturday as a series of failure: Route 99 does not have fresh cake, I don't know Daita--Daizawa--Hatagaya--Kamiyama-chou--Kitazawa--Motoyoyogi-chou--Nishihara--Ooyama-chou--Shouto--Tomigaya--Uehara loop well enough to run (remembered where and why I changed part, but not how exactly and it wasn't obvious on the fly), and 1 pm is too late to get a cake at Au Bon Vieux Temps'.

Also I fell early on, so I'm got road rash and some clothes that will have to be replaced sooner. I did get a couple fresh viennoiseries, Kouign Amann and Chauson aux Pommes Caramélisées (I think) from Paris S'éveille and Sadaharu Aoki, respectively, both great.

Sunday, I had a comfortable run to Au Bon Vieux Temps, arriving at about 10:30 a.m, which is early enough, at least on a rainy Sunday, to get the cake I wanted, the Pourriture. I matched it with another recent fig cake by taking the train to Pierre Gagnaire and getting Figner Ruby Fig Framboise and coming back. After lunch I compared these and was happy to keep them on the great list (we'll see how I feel when they have to match established cakes). I decided I liked the simplicity of the Pourriture, though that means the other cake is the one that's available from a cake-off against the JPH late-October traditional cake, which is was a little worried about, since I didn't have anything else available for that role. I also expect a first-round cake off next week, so that might produce another candidate.

Afternoon was riding around, verifying no great cakes as a couple shops and taking a few pictures and verifying a few shops around the southeast periphery of the established course. Evening was a full indoor workout.

Pierre Gagnaire: Finger Ruby Fig Framboise

I'm behind visiting exceptional cake shops as I was dealing with challengers from below (some of whom are now part of the problem with the exceptional group). This time, I went to Pierre Gagnaire, another hotel shop like yesterday's, but the best I've found. Since I've never had ruby chocolate before, I resisted the yuzu chocolate mousse and got the Finger Ruby Fig Framboise. Of course, I still don't know what ruby chocolate tastes like, just this cake, so setting aside whether ruby chocolate is essentially a chemically created hoax, fig and raspberries is not a combination I've had a lot of, so whatever ruby chocolate brings (not cacao taste, apparently), it goes with it and harmonizes this well. Or at least, the fig taste was really strong at first, and then the raspberry came to the forefront, and then it just what what it was. I also had a solidness that I liked, and stood up well to being cut into small pieces with a plastic utensil, as I braved the strong wind and ate it outside at the tables around the adjacent building to the hotel. I'm calling this cake great. Not sure when fig season ends, so this may not see it's way to a cake-off, as that isn't likely to happen any earlier than mid-October.

I ran to Pierre Gagnaire, by way of Tokyo Midtown rather than the shortest way, and after cake went and did some neighborhood run loops nearby, 3 really small loops. I also tried the new Hirakawa-chou--Kioi-chou loop, but didn't know where to turn to get to the road circling the temple to bypass the intersection next to the Prime Minister's residence. Now I should be able to remember to look for the wide stairs between the two hotels.