Cake-off: L'Abricotier's Le Piemont over Noix de Beurre's Fraise Chantilly

Saturday, I did a 4th-round cake-off between two cakes with one win to two losses each. Getting L'Abricotier's Le Piemont involved running 25 minutes in intervals of 1 minute and running the rest. My leg is not really getting better, but I'm getting more serious about identifying where needs stretching. The root is probably still a teenage back injury and resurface a couple decades ago, though it also shows up along the same place as a more recent lateral problem which required a lot of stretching, so I'm not giving up. They didn't have a lot of the Le Piemont compared to others even a little after opening, so maybe they are troublesome or not so popular, despite being an old standard. The Fraise Chantilly from Noix de Beurre required standing in line for an hour, which wasn't fun, but not as bad as I thought when I first saw the line. Not sure why this place is always like this. Despite the similar histories, it wasn't very close between the cakes, as I wasn't finding the merit in keeping the Fraise Chantilly in the lineup. I like whipped cream plenty and more of that and less sponge cake than a typical Japanese "shortcake" is fine with me, but I'm okay without it. I'm in new territory here, as I gave it a pass last time, but not the time before. Not sure what I'll do when that happens in the 5th round, if it ever does, but I'm deciding now that it's okay to cut it whereas my previous idea only if the two doubts occur in a row. I'll mention that I previously had my doubts about the Le Piemont, so these two cakes were well matched in that respect too, though I don't check that before the cake-off.  

L'Abricotier's Le Piemont over Paris S'éveille's Fondant Chocolat

Still not running, which is starting to affect my back in bad ways. I'm going to have to do some stretches for that regularly again. Today, I bicycled down first to ABVT, in Oyamadai, but they did not have their Tentation Chocolat. I didn't ask why, I just went to get the backup choice, Paris S'éveille's Fondant Chocolat. Then it felt like a long ride to go to L'Abricotier and get Le Piemont (French article, no accent on the e, like the German, and the phonetic Japanese matches the Italian, which would have an e on the end, but so it goes in cake naming). These were both cakes that had lost their first two cake-off rounds. I did not know when I easting, not having reviewed my notes that deeply, but I had also questioned both of them as belonging among great cakes after their second round. This time, I was appreciating them both and don't feel a need to drop either down from the greats.

I microwaved the Fondant Chocolat so that it was indeed fondant (20 seconds and then it needed 10 more seconds, because my microwave is big, so it takes longer). It's still my favorite cake of this type, which I count as a cake, though it overlaps with café desserts, since it requires a cooking step just before eating, and baked goods. Le Piemont is mild but has almond and chocolate for flavor and a variety of textures, though no hot chocolate sauce, of course. Still, despite recognizing the merits of the Fondant Chocolat, I'm giving the win to Le Piemont. It was an enjoyable cake-off.

Cake-off: Très Calme's Mont-Blanc over L'Abricotier's Le Piemont

Last day of the month and a Saturday. Can't ride a bicycle due to right arm and shouldn't type much, but tried even longer walks to see whether I'm ready to start running next month. My foot seems good enough.

Two walks: 8+ km to L'Abricotier to get Le Piemont (oddly, their signature cake wasn't out yet, even after 11 pm. They were just getting to putting out the Sicile. Came back by JR Chuuou line, so still had some walking to do at both ends. After lunch, walked to Très Calme by not the best route and got their Mont-Blanc, which is also their top cake with me and generally. Came back by a cheap but not close way, this time Toei lines, I think.

This was a battle of underdogs, both in terms of shops that are on the way down on my list and also cakes that lost the first round. Le Piemont is chocolate and nut cream, was well as chocolate and nuts, so good stuff. Still like it a lot, but not sure I need to keep in on the great list; will have to review in the third round. The Mont-Blanc was in a similar situation, though in the end I felt that it had a distinctive taste that I wanted to keep, so it remains safe, as well as the winner.

Yesterday, I failed: F. Cassel still did not have a cream puff for me and I've run out of pastries at Dalloyau (under my restricted definition, which calls certain things sweet breads and leaves them for a different evalutation, basically the completely soft stuff).

Thursday, I was successful at getting a pastry from Libertable for the first time. This was Feuilletée au Chocolat, where the first part just means a layered-type pastry, so pretty generic as a name. It sort of combines the best of croissant and pain au chocolat, so I completely approve and am calling it a great pasty. They are now my top priority for pastries. I might have tried to stop by there when I failed yesterday, but it was already going to be my longest walk of the month, so I didn't want the detour coming back from Ginza.

Cake-off: ABVT's Marjolaine over L'Abricotier's Le Piemont

Did a cake-off despite the heat warnings, but left very early. The cake was from Au Bon Vieux Temps, which opens at 9 am, thankfully. They do not have everything ready that early, but their Marjolaine was, so that worked out well (another I'll want to get to some time soon was not ready, so maybe I'll go a little later that day). Strangely, I was hottest around 8:30, but more on that later. Running was about 12 km at 9 km/h.

The primary great cake whose turn had come for a cake-off review was Le Piemont from L'Abricotier. I arrived close enough to opening time that nothing seemed to be sold out and I got home before noon despite not using the nearest station (which is a less convenient line for me). This run too felt less hot than late in my early morning, but when I checked the weather station at home, it was a few degrees hotter than when I had started; it might have increased while I was on the train, but probably not that much. Some of it was humidity that burned off, maybe (at least, I often have the same sensation running early in the morning), but I suspect it's more that my body adjusts (if it had been sunny, that would have been more difficult). The mystery is whether my body really cools itself down or just I become insensitive to the heat, but if anything, I increase my water intake over time. I should keep in mind, though, that I might not be able to trust my sense of the heat and still make sure that I drink enough any limit my running during high heat. But no symptoms at all suggesting anything like overexposure to heat, so I think my running plan was sound. The late morning runs was another 10 km (by the time I got to my preferred station for the return) but still closest to 9 km/h, despite walking in the underground from Isetan at the intersection of Meiji-dori and Shinjuku-dori to Yasukuni-dori and the Yamanote Line underpass (it's not that less hot underground, but no stop lights and a lot fewer people, so it might not actually be any slower).

Both of these cakes were great and very similar in ingredients, being nutty and a little (relatively) chocolaty. The Marjolaine has the coarser crunchier texture and caramel, whereas Le Piemont is mostly smooth with some biscuits for texture. It was very difficult to decide, but I need to, so I'm siding with the stronger caramel flavor of the Marjolaine. I seems to have some bias for certain iconic French cakes.

Sunamachi-Kasai-Mizue History and Culture course: L'Abricotier

Took today off and got up early (before dawn) to run the Sunamachi-Kasai-Mizue History and Culture course. Still having knee trouble, or rather I think the tendon or something under and on the outside of the knee, so I have to be careful turning with the left leg, but no problem running fast straight or running up hills and stairs, which is weird. Not the normal knee problem. If necessary, I'll rest days or weeks until it is better, but in any case, I should not consider myself ready for longer distances until I can run in the 40 to 50 km range without getting this kind of problem.

First leg of the course is the Sunamachi Saltspray Walk from Minami Suanamchi Station. Doesn't seem to be any reason for this leg (although it was sort of on my way). I mean, there is sort of a park at the beginning, but I've been there before and it's just some place for people to pass through going north from the station (toward the residential section). The walk ends where the course branches, north of Nishi ("West") Kasai Station.

The south branch goes down past the station, by a big baseball stadium, and from there goes through a park course down to Kasirinkaikoen Station, which is named for the big park south of it, Kasai Seaside Park. The course weaves along a cycling road, park, bridges over main roads, and paths along artificial streams with lots of little bridges, so it's hard to be quick and it's well separated from the street. The final park, which I didn't get deeply into, is big and was recommended to me once by a birder as the best place to see birds in Tokyo. On the other side of a channel that connects up to Edo River is Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea. This walk is the Kasai Wave Walk.

I traced the Kasai Wave Walk back to the branch point and headed northeast long the Sound of Old River Walk, which has a long stretch along a narrow stone path weaving along an artificial stream toward the end. The course changes name when you get to the same channel as I mentioned below (only, this is a different branch than the one going to Edo River). The final part is the Ichinoe Nanushi Estate Walk and ends at Mizue Station. It's okay, but again, I'm not that interested in this flat, below sea level (?) part of Tokyo, which is very car centered.

I came back mostly along Route 50. At Nihonbashi, I went in Mitsukoshi to visit the Dalloyau and got a Pain ("bread") d'Orange 324 yen. It's a danish made with their croissant dough and cream, orange, and sugar. Like their croissant, it was great.

Then I continued home running until the Lawson 100. I was very slow all day, but not terribly. Going was 13.0 km, then 20.15 km on the H&C course, and 17.7 km running back, which is about 51 km, perhaps farther than I should have run, although on the way back, I had figured out how to run so that my left leg didn't cause problems. It's not a good long-term solution, but later when I had to walk a little after going out again for cake (which I'll get to next), I didn't feel any problems. I don't expect that to last, but I hope I can recover without having to completely stop for a few weeks again, by which time it will be the rainy season and then full summer. Still two more about 50 km H&C course runs that I can do, which just leaves two 100 km course runs that I won't be surprised if I'm never able to do as preferred (without a train or cycle assist).

For cake, I cycled to L'Abricotier, where I ate in. I had to buy tea, but it wasn't that expensive (only 350 yen more), and I got a little pot with about three cups worth, not like French Pound House. I actually needed the fluids (although I had eaten and drunk water before coming out again after running) and the winds were very strong, so even if I had been running rather than cycling (which doesn't agree with cake), it was better to eat in. I plan to do that on my next visit too.

The cake was Le Piemont for 450 yen. It's a mousse cake with milk chocolate outside, along with three kinds of nuts (the almond on top is hidden in the picture) and some biscuits that I also approve off. Inside is nut cream and chocolate cream, with chopped nuts within the nut cream, which is a good choice. The cake bottom has hazelnut in it. I'm choosing the cakes that appeal to me, so having two great cakes (as this was) is not enough evidence to be confident that this is a great shop, but it certainly seems to be at least another excellent one and I hope to go back next weekend, whether cycling or running (if I'm up for a long run, I want to do the Shibamata H&C course and visit La Rose des Japanais, which is my top priority after L'Abricotier).