Bien-être: Martinique

Did a run to Bien-être, since I knew they had new cakes as of last Saturday, so I hoped the Christmas cakes would be over and I could get something my size. New things included a tart, a couple roll cakes, and one fancy cake, the Martinique. This is a thick banana, raisin, and rum tart on the bottom and an ample amount of white chocolate ganache flavored with vanilla. My first impression was that it was probably excellent. Certainly, its a lot of cake for its size, since it's dense. I was hoping for great, since JPH's pistachio mont-blanc is back and I haven't done a first-round cake-off with it. I've got a little more than two weeks to find something, and of course I'd like to do second and third rounds after that, before it disappears again. Unfortunately, this was not the great cake. It was excellent when I was eating it, so I'm sticking with that, but I think especially paired with rum, the banana taste lingers, which I'm really not fond of. Maybe I should have gone with the pastachio and apricot tart. I'm almost caught up with this shop, or at least It's now one of many that I'm ready to get one cake from.

Running back, I worked in some neighborhood course loops on the west side, so I've now got both ways for the Sendagaya west loop and clockwise for the Jinguumae northwest and west loops. Yesterday (Christmas) I messed up again on the west side of Yotsuya, but at least I got clockwise for Sendagaya central and southeast right. That was not a very long run, less than 60 minutes, though intense running up and down stairs cutting through the nation stadium station tunnels and then going through Wakaba and Suga in Yotsuya. I repeated the subway route today in a 90+ minute run, but didn't need to get groceries, so I didn't have to go as far as Suga Shrine.

Cycle Sunday May 31

Today, I decided to go to Ryoco, which is in Shirokanedai, in Minato Ward (港区). I got the below fig tart (イチジクのタルト) for 640 yen because I think that I haven't had it before. Of course, it was very good. Ryoco is the best place I know in that area (the south of inside the Yamanote loop), although there a branches of good places near Ebisu and Meguro stations. The tart has an about-1-cm-thick solid but not hard tart base. I'm guessing that there is some egg in there, to get that texture, but I don't have enough cooking experience to know. That's something I need to work on, but I'm busy running and such. Then creamy custard on top and finally the fruit.

Outside the Yamanote loop on the east side, the canals are not so clean. I decided to try going south first and then cutting over west, but got lost a lot and it's not that great as far as scenery, so I don't think I'll change my standard route to Meguro.

Of course, the goal in going west was to got back to Jiyuugaoka. This time I visited Origines Cacao, another great shop. Below, is what I ordered: the Martinique (マルティニック) for 484 yen. As the raisins on top give away, this is for adults. The bottom is a thin tart shell with rum raisin vanilla cream. On top is a chocolate Chiboust (チョコレートのシブースト), which means I don't no what, since Chiboust is just the name of a famous French chef. Anyway, it is very soft but had a slight granularity to it: the moistness is clustered in grains, not surrounding bubbles, like a mousse, or simply creamy. I was not surprised that it was great.

Lastly, the sad little heart below, who rode in my basket home. It's name is Puchi coeur ("little heart", プチクール) from Avançons next to Takadanobaba Station (高田馬場駅) for I don't know how much (the receipt has gone missing), but not so much: maybe 440 yen. As I should have guessed, it is mainly chocolate mousse (they told me vanilla, but that's just about 10% in the middle). Chocolate mousse and I are still not getting along, but at least I confirmed that they do have a decent selection of cakes if you go earlier. Since it was recommended to me personally, I'll try again. Fourth time's the charm?