Showing posts with label Harmonie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harmonie. Show all posts

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Emporter (Yotsuya), Harmonie and Gateau Fraise

Was mostly busy over the weekend. Saturday, though, I went a couple new places. One was only semi-new, and without cake: the Pierre Hermé in Marunouchi, which sells drinks, some suitable gift items, soft ice cream, and a few baked goods. We got Marron Pie and some ice cream (orange and passion fruit, maybe). The Marron Pie counts as a pastry, though it was after 4 pm, so I'm not called it fresh. Still, it was well made, so counts as excellent within that scope: no complaints.


The soft ice cream was fine, though not within my scope of interest, even with the macarons (which were particularly hard and not like macarons I've made, so I'm suspecting the modified recipe to produce something more robust and cookie-like to stand up being stuck into ice cream, though the shape was correct).

The actual cake came from a new shop in the root clump of loops in my neighbor running course, Emporter (a name shared with a Setagaya shop). I asked for a recommendation, and had suggested Harmonie, which is white chocolate with a (suitably) limited amount of raspberry. The other cake chosen was the Gateau Fraise, though I would have gone with something dark chocolate.

I thought both cakes were good, though that standout good. However, my co-eater was quite impressed by the Gateau Fraise and its generous amount of whipped cream.

Since Japanese strawberry short  (which even the name card gave as a description) is not my thing and my partner definitely does like them, I'm to assume superior power of discernment and record the strawberry cake as excellent, which at least puts this shop in the solid part of the fine shops (important, since this this and the category above it are grossly bloated, so it would only take about ten more new shops to force me to create a new lower category for most of these shops).

Monday, May 2, 2016

Jog to Bien-être: Harmonie

Actual running today, the first in 10 days. Took it very slow, which I'll call jogging, as it was a little more than 7 min/km, which I'm fine with. Didn't know how long I could do it since my foolish run before which aggravated an old knee problem while not doing the current one any help. As it happens, the old problem didn't make trouble, so I'm not worse than 10 days ago before that run, I think, but on the other hand, the dominant behind-the-knee problem remained, so I only ran just over 7 km and then walked. That will probably be it for running until maybe Sunday, but I've got cycling planned a couple days and there will be walking a couple days.

The goal was Bien-être. Sill not a huge selection, but I'm a little more optimistic that I can find a few cakes worth trying (and at the rate I visit, I can keep getting something new). The cassis mousse dome, Harmonie for 540 yen, I think (although their website says 450, but I don't and didn't have 50 yen change and Joshi+ went last Sep. and reported 520). The harmony is with jasmine cream. I chose well, as this was excellent. The outer gel did not bother me (maybe I'm getting used to it) and the flavor was great. Still don't really know what jasmine tastes like, but if it works, I'm happy.


Sunday, April 10, 2016

Saturday: Un Grain [Isetan]

Saturday was shopping. At the end, we stopped at Isetan. My hands were full, so I'm not sure about what cake had what name or much detail, but I'll say what I know. The cakes were, before the 8% tax, Harmonie for 408 yen, Nougat Pistache for 436 yen, and Succès Inverse for 408 yen. The Harmonie is raspberry and the Nougat Pistache is pistachio. Obviously, the Succès Inverse, is an reverse succès, though I don't know that I've had a succès (which I know is a kind of French cake) to compare it to; anyway, it is nuts (almonds and hazelnuts) on the outside and inside hazelnut meringue and some caramel. This last one was the only interesting one, though I can't say that any were above good. They are tiny with only a slightly reduced price, not they aren't filling any need of mine.