à tes souhaits!, Bijou de bois

Last Thursday, I finished off my caking with my first systematic visit to a reputably quite fine shop to get a fourth cake. Top of the list was A Tes Souhaits, which is way out in Msushina-shi, so I went by bicycle, since that's too far to run and walk in a reasonable time and anyway I was starting around 13:30 and had had a runny nose all morning. I over dressed, even after taking off one layer on the road, but better a little hot than sorry. I went with the Bijou de Bois, which is mousse "praliné" (actually pralin, I think) pistachio and apricot gelatin, according to the card, though the dual color makes me suspect there was another fruit in their, since it didn't make me think of apricot when I was eating it. It was definitely good, but not enough so probably to stay in the quite fine group and keep me making the long trip out there. Still need to find 8 better shops to cut the bottom third out of the quite fine group in this round (I could cut the bottom fourth last round with this group, that left it still bloated). Of course, I really hope to find a great cake to identify a challenger to the exceptional shops to keep the competition going.

 

à tes souhaits! Pistache d'Abricot

Monday, which is a national holiday, I ran out to à tes souhaits! with a couple back-ups in mind further out from there in case they were closed or my patience was insufficient. The person in front of me counted 21 people in front of her when she called her partner. That's about typical for this shop on a weekend (it's reasonably accessible on a weekday). They were well staffed, so the line moved a little faster than I expected, but I was glad that I had an extra jacket, long pants, and hat in my bag for the outside part of the wait (if felt nicely warm at first when I first entered, but the door is open, so not so much once I got used to it), though the person several spots ahead who also looked like he ran there was not visibly suffering without doing so. I limited myself to only a few pictures of sites that could potentially be on future neighborhood course additions.

Selection was pretty good. I went for Pistache d'Abricot, which looked like something I would like. The apricot is a layer on top, under which is pistachio mousse (with pistachio cream on top), but under that there are nutty layers, including feuillantine praliné, which I don't usually associate with a fruity cake but I do associate with modern traditional fancy cake, so my regard for them has improved. This was definitely excellent cake. I suppose the distance was about 14 km, including about 1 km to and from stations coming back (the cake was fine, though maybe only because the mousse proportion was low).

This shop will make the cut when the quite good shops gets trimmed down to half their current size (hopefully), once I get all the current group up to 3 cakes each, which will make the designation more significant. Right now this category is just the not definitely below average group, though that's average among the places that I'm will to visit. For example, there was a much smaller patisserie 300 meters away that didn't seem to be having trouble with lines.

In the late afternoon, I went out again and completed verifying my memory of the Jinguumae central loop and then did clockwise on the new version of the Jinguumae northwest loop (probably wasn't necessary to change it, but it was nice to get some of it off Takeshita street, which is difficult to do even a slow walk due to crowds and finished off the linked Jinguumae central west loop. My plan is to finish off the Jinguumae northwest loop next, and then continue down to the revised Jinguumae--Jinnan and Jinnan loops (as well as try to get pie). The other neighborhood memory-check run will be in out toward Aoyama, where I didn't manage to get to Viking F (bakery) last week, but it requires that I avoid overtime work. Other plans for the week will depend on what the cake shops put out to replace cakes retiring Jan 15.

Presqu'île Chocolaterie, Mure

Still having trouble with foot pain, so I took off yesterday and did some upper body work, which I should do more often (hopefully I will). Today, I took a half-day off work and went cycling up to Kichijouji to visit Presqu'île Chocolaterie (versus one other their other operations, like wine making), which is a quite good shop that rates higher than some of my excellent shops, so I wanted to resolve the discrepancy, despite those shops outside the top couple dozen being a pretty low priority, so I haven't done anything about it for months. (On the way, I also confirmed that Aigre-Douce still doesn't have a cake I've been looking for about 3 years).

I went for Mure (I'm updating with the 2020 website spelling), which is a chocolate and mulberry cake, though the decoration seems to be a relative of the blueberry. I didn't trust the cake to survive the road trip back, due to vibration, but melting may have been a bigger problem, as there was less ice inside a not so small box than I expected. In either case, I ate it in a little park within a couple kilometers, which was not optimal (mosquito repellent was necessary, which I had). This was definitely good. Now I'm curious how mulberry would go with a darker chocolate, but I don't see that flavor usually, so now I'm going to be looking for that. Now that Presqu'île Chocolaterie is firmly in the quite good group, I can deal with other overlaps. Right now, along with Très Calme, Hidemi and Del'Immo stand out among quite good shops, so maybe I demoted them too soon.

L'Epicurien: Regalade

Today's a holiday, and I had expected to go to one of the remaining new places on my list/map but a review had me decide that I did not particularly want to visit any of them more than random unvisited shops that have nothing particularly to recommend them. Since I've already done a couple new shops this week, I was consider L'abricotier, but I thought that it would be a good time to try L'Epicurien again, which has been closed the last several times I went. Since it was going to rain all morning, this fit since they definitely are not expected to be open in the morning. I went by bicycle, and they were actually open, with lots of delicious looking backed goods and no other customers in their dark shop on a narrow street (in a very busy area, so maybe people would be by later). I got the Regalade, which is chocolate cake with a layer of pistachio cream. Generally, carry cake by bicycle destroyed it, but eating outside did not appeal to me and I did not go by a bicycle-friendly park soon enough to be tempted. I expected to have to put it back together at home, but it was fine.

It was definitely good cake, so I was quite satisfied. The pistachio did not really change a standard chocolate cake much, but it was well executed. It's not a priority for me to get back out there again (though the hand-written sign on the door said that they would be open 12 to 19 thru the 25th, so I could), but I'd take advantage of it if they visited Isetan again, if that was how I originally got a hold of their cake.

In the afternoon, only had about an hour of light to take pictures of parks, shrines, and temples in Sendagaya for my neighborhood course map, so I still have a few missed sites.

à tes souhaits!: Grenoble

Did a second visit of à tes souhaits! by bicycle, trying to bring up all the Quite Excellent shops to two fresh cakes. I had the afternoon off, but first I had to go buy a new bike pump that took French valves and had a pressure gage and hen I did really understand how to use it (it's super simple, but I'm simpler). Eventually I got it and then got to the shop at probably around 3 pm. à tes souhaits! is the most crowded place that I know (and they've opened up a separate shop next door for ice cream and I forget what else), which is why I prioritize getting there on a weekday. I don't know why other than there not being much else out there and they appearing at the top or near on Tabelog, the main restaurant rating system.

There are two tables out from and there was a window when one became open (not that surprising, as people usually come for take-out), so I snagged it and was able to eat my cake. The cake is called Grenoble and is walnut and caramel. The walnut is highly sugary, not to the point that it was not definitely good but too much that ultimately I decided that it depended too much on that for flavor, so I could not really say that it was excellent. Maybe it would done better if I had tea and it had chilled a while first (even straight from the shop, I often find cake not as chilled as I would like, so this may just be partially my preference. The end result is that this shop stays in the Quite Good category, so it will be a couple years before I get back there (but it seems likely that they'll still be there).

Full disclosure, in the late afternoon I ran a few kilometers to P. Shima to correct the name of their cake from Tuesday. I was a little tired from cycling, so that was only 9 km/h. I'll see about getting to the last one-cake Quite Good shop (which just means that the one cake was excellent).

Presqu'île Chocolaterie, Chocolat

Couple kilometers past Shinjuku Station.

Did a long run today, about 28 km, plus another couple kilometers walking under Shinjuku Station and near Kichijoji Station. It rained in the morning and was cool to the point of being cold in just my mess running shirt, though the rain did not return despite the dark clouds all around. I knew it was a long run, so I was running between 8 and 9 km/h the whole way.

Getting near Kichijoji Station

Mid-way, in car country.

My intended target was L'epicurien, but there is not good information on when they are open other than not particularly during the posted hours, at least for cake. Today, there was a sign on the door saying that they were closed for today, though I did not read it very closely, for one reason cause it was 1 meter away, do to a shutter over the entrance. Last time I went there and they were not open for cake, at least you could go inside and see that they were not open for cake (they were just selling the non-fresh-baked baked goods, like cookies).

I had a couple alternatives that I wanted to get to in the area, so I made a second visit to Presqu'île Chocolaterie, which was open (which is kind of amazing in itself, as far as not being out of business, but someone was buying before me, so maybe they sell enough). I got "Chocolate", which is classic chocolate cake with thick layers of ganache and enough biscuit for a reasonable texture. The chocolate was a beans-to-bar Granada chocolate, which they also hard bars for. It's a little basic, but definitely excellent. That's two excellent cakes from them, so if the Excellent shops ever make room, Presqu'île is perhaps the top candidate among the Quite Good shops for promotion.

In other news, September starts tomorrow, which means we've left hottest month behind and shops can move away from summer substitutes and get back to cake. Jean-Paul Hévin has four great cakes that are being reintroduced to the line-up, one for just a month, so it's going to need to be in the next cake-off, as well as their regular Chocolate Tart, which I have not blogged yet, so maybe I'll get it (with something new from Sadaharu Aoki as a back-up, for the previous cake-off win). Another JPH great cake is thru Oct., and another is the Mont-Blanc, which is an old favorite that would otherwise be the top priority based on when I first blogged that it was great.

à tes souhaits!: Harmonie d'Orange

Decided that, for a midweek half-holiday, à tes souhaits! was a good choice, since they are always so crowded on the weekend and they close too early for a normal weekday visit. My experience a few years ago was that they were not particularly special, but the same could be said for some shops I now list as excellent. Since the temperature was above 30 degC, I cycled rather than ran. It's a little over 12 km each way, but fairly straightforward, or would have been if I had been prepared to bypass one intersection (on foot, I'd take the sidewalk against traffic, but I was on the other side on the road and it was too late).

Unfortunately, the photo of the cake did not turn out, so all I have is the shop from the other side of the street. The cake was a standard rectangular petite individual, with chocolate mousse above and chocolate biscuit below as the main layers. On top of the mousse, was a line of whipped cream with some orange compote sprinkled on and between the layers was some sort of greenish citrus with maybe orange cream or something above that. It was definitely good, and while not that out of the ordinary, it was certainly the kind of cake I approve of, so I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and say it was excellent, which means that this shop seems to be quite good. I've got a lot excellent places that need one more cake before it, but I should get back there before too long (pr
obably this year).  

Presqu'île Chocolaterie: Caramel Orange

Went for a long run to, along, and from Inogashira-Jindaiji History and Culture Course, which is my 21st of the 23 Tokyo H&C courses. As well as adjusting the training since the last attempt, I shortened the total route by a few kilometers (not that the length had been the problem) and, more importantly, ran in a way and at a pace that my hips could sustain. Had a little chronometer trouble at various times and I'm not completely sure about the last part of my route to the H&C course, but I seemed to do the ~15 km there on the low side of 10 km/h. After that, I seemed to manage only 8 km/h, which is slower than I'd like but better the failing. The course was about 13 km, though I overshot the end. Not sure whether there was a marker for the end on the other side of the street, but they've buried the train line and station, so got as far as the south station entrance intersection (coming from the north) before confirming that I had gone far enough. The trip back was the most brutal, ~18 km. I just stuck to the most major road (except one pointless detour) rather than get fancy. Interesting point, the beginning of the trail is in Inokashi Park and the number of police around increased exponentially as I approached. I think they were practicing some operation there, because I could see them walking the the grounds in a search pattern, there were lots of officers there to keep everyone away from the part they were using, and there was a pavilion set up with a lot of them lined up like they were going to hear a speech. They were around the first part of the Tokyo H&C course too, even outside the park, just keeping watch at street entrances or giving directions to a flower delivery person.

Although the main point was to prove that I could run farther than I had yet this year without killing myself and complete another Tokyo H&C course, there was also cake, though not where planned. I had intended to go to Voisin on the way, to get some cake to eat in the park and force myself to rest, but they had moved (which I apparently had not checked on, certainly not recently enough). Although I was disappointed, at 10 km, I was feeling fine and could continue. Actually, it's a good thing, because Voisin moved slightly closer to me and are now open an hour later, so I have a new place to do as a workday run. The other good news is, faced with no good alternative that I new about, I noticed a chocolatier that had cake that I could try, Presqu'île Chocolaterie, which is near the beginning of the course in the Kitsujoji area. After my previous bad chocolate experience, I actually went with the Caramel Orange (562 yen). This has thick caramel and chocolate cream (? I don't actually know much about mousse/cream) with chocolate caramel, a light but appropriate balance of orange on a biscuit Joconde (I think hazelnut, but I didn't ask/check and I'm not as much of an expert as I'd like to be). I don't know whether this was exceptional for its type, but it was definitely good, and I like this type and see enough of of it, so it's easy for me to label this an excellent cake, and so this shop as perhaps a quite good shop, so I should got back there relatively soon.

I had original planned to also stop at a new place at the two-thirds point, but decided that I didn't need that and that anyway I wanted to do a cake-off Sunday, even if it meant walking (and using the train, now that I think about it, since I would be pretty slow walking). Instead, I got what the shop, Aurora, called a Cinnamon Mountain (~150 yen), which was good as typical Japanese bakery cinnamon buns go, being fairly soft, and a 900 ml bottle of sports drink and had a rest.

Further disclosures, I rested Friday and did not get cake, but instead got three kinds of cookies: Petite Galette Britonne Chocolat, Nature, and Pina Colada. These were all good and I did not resist eating all that night.

I also made pâte sucrée brisée, though not well, so it was ready to make apple tarts Saturday night, which were delicious; I should make these more (and I still have half the pâte in the freezer, so I probably will, since my only other idea right now is try baked flan. Anyway, the point was to test the pâte recipe compared to my old tart crust recipe, and its definitely different and I can see why the recipe book recommended apple tarts (although it did not give any recipes using it).

(P.) Jun Honma (at Isetan): Orange Noisette

Got cake from the visiting Jun Honma, since I've never blogged them, although I've had their cake before and visited their store at some point, I think. Since I did fast running last time, which I did not do last week, I kept it slow today: 4.3 km in 26'51'', which is 6.24 min/km, going out to the Akasaka Nikunohanamasa to get nuts (mostly roasted peanuts, but some almonds). Coming with my pack stuffed with nuts (it's not a big bag, but I had more than 1.5 kg) took 29'31'', which is a very slow 6.87 min/km. I don't want to make the mistake of running too much during the week, so Friday I'm thinking 8.3 km would be ideal, since that would give me 30 km for weekdays. Fast would be bad, but some moderate running would be okay. I'll probably get cake from Jun Honma again, so maybe I'll join the mob running around the Gaien loop. Less than 11 days until the Tokyo Marathon.

Today's cake was an oddly named Orange Noisette, for 460 yen. Well, not so odd, because it does have a little orange inside and there is a hazelnut on top, and I assume hazelnut is involved elsewhere, but mostly it is the standard chocolate mousse dome with a centimeter disk of Bavarian cream (?) inside, right above a couple millimeters of orange. The taste was very smooth and well blended (I don't mind the white chocolate, either), so I can imagine that the secret is how the hazelnuts are used, unless they are just involved in the couple millimeters of sponge base. Anyway, it is chocolate without being overpowering, watery, or anything else chocolate mousse cakes are prone to. I'm reminded of the ice cream-like mousse cakes that I have had, but this doesn't go that far in richness or sugar, which I appreciate. So it's doing something right, and I'll say that it is great and that Jun Honma is worthy of special attention. Since they are out of easy jogging range, I'll take advantage of them while they are at Isetan at least one more time (as I try to bring up all the "worthy" shops to 2 cakes before needing to get back to "great" shops).