Megan, Tres Leches

Tuesday, I went to Isetan before running and got the Tres Leches, which I had seen over the weekend. I was looking then because I was not sure they had any fresh cake (versus carrot cake or slices of pound cake), but they had this, so this was my aim. On Monday, which was a holiday, so presumable they had sold more by as late as I was there, they hadn't had it, I think, but they also had their strawberry (short)cake, which I've had before. 

As the name says, this is a pretty milky cake, which worried me a little bit, but it was good. However, half would have been enough, because there really isn't enough going on there that I need a full piece.

With two excellent and two good cakes, there's a good chance they'll get cut from the quite fine group, as that's the bottom now and if I can find 8 more shops with a third (of four) excellent cake, then I'll drop the bottom. It remains to be seen. There are 20 shops I haven't tried again, assuming none of them have gone out of business, and I've got three shops with one excellent cake down in the fine group that could move up with a second one, which I'll prioritize getting to once I finish reviewing exceptional and quite fine ones. 

I'll mention that the running was more brutal on my left knee than the previous day. Squats seem to help the most, I'm discovering, but it's continued through Thursday, when I did a shorter run with more frequent stops for squats. Friday, I'll take a rest so I can try to make it to Jiyuugaoka again sourcing for the first fifth-round cake-off.

Megan: Strawberry Cake & Kibi Sugar Cream Puff

Tuesday, I went to Isetan and got a second cake from Megan, which is visiting Isetan for three weeks. This time I got the Strawberry Cake, which is basically what is usually called in Japan strawberry shortcake. This is not a type of cake (or fruit) I have great appreciation for, but I am trying to develop my tastes. My conclusion in this case was that the taste, proportions (this has an unusually about sponge cake), and construction of this cake were all of high quality, so I am going with excellent. For exercise, I decided that I was up for trying a bike ride on a weekday. I went and confirmed my knowledge of the updated Jinguumae north loop. I went around rather than try carrying my bike down stains, though it would have been lighter than the groceries I carried today.

Wednesday I was back at Isetan. I wasn't intending to visit Megan again but when I found my target cake sold out, I decided that a third cake from Megan would not be a bad idea, since if it were excellent, I might want to go for a fourth (which would be the carrot cake) before they finished at Isetan. I got the Kibi Sugar Cream Puff (going with the name off the online English menu). This was definitely good but I can't say that I could detect the change in sugar or that it stood out except for the unusual shape (which does not make much difference). No running, but I did my indoor muscle training exercises excluding the squats, which my right foot is not up for.

Megan: Moist Gateau Chocolat

Wednesday, I noticed that the Trend Sweets shop at Isetan (which get's a three-week run) had cake, so I changed my plan and got a Moist Gateau Chocolat from Megan Bar & Patisserie, which is based in Higashi, Shibuya Ward, outside the Yamanote Line. It's too new to show up on Google Streetview, but I assume it's part of a new hotel that they provide a link to on their webpage. I'll have to work it into my neighborhood map once I'm up and running again. I got a slice, but they use the name for a whole cake with a different top decoration on their website. On their cake menu, they list Moist Terrine Chocolat, so I assume that this is probably that version. Anyway, it's a flour-less chocolate cake, which I'm pretty easy for. There was not a lot of other cake options there, nothing I'm overly optimistic about, but I'll be sure to follow up while they are at Isetan (which will probably remain my only source through next week), since this was an excellent first cake.