Bocksun: Sachertorte, Strawberry Shortcake, and Matcha Mont-Blanc

I wasn't expected to have a chance to get cake from here, but they had a counter in shopping area and we got three cakes. The main Kobe shop is in Chuuou-ku, though so I'm sticking with that. I started with the Sachertorte, which was in three layers with apricot jam on top of each (my vague memory of differences in disputed recipes is about where to put the jam and/or layers). It was definitely good.

The second was a regular Strawberry Shortcake, and was also good. It did not stand out, but I wouldn't expect it to.

The final one was the oddball, the Matcha Bont-Blanc. This was actually the best, being excellent. The matcha is too strong by itself, but the whipped cream balances it. But those two makes too light and sweet a cake, but the almond (?) tart base balances them, so it works out. Especially given their convenient location (depending on the occasion), might make this an early one to revisit.

Sanjikken, Sachertorte and Cheesecake

Had a visit to a café/coffee salon (with waiters) on Aoyama-doori near Omote-Sandou Sta.: Sanjikken. It's on the second floor, so I had never seen inside. We (cake for two) were lucky, as we were seated rather quickly. When we left, there were at least ten people waiting. I considered it worth visiting even if I don't need to hit every café and coffee shop, because they advertise cake, specifically the Sachertorte by picture, on the sign by the door. I haven't had a sachertorte for a while, but it seemed excellent, perhaps the best I've had. If I finding myself needing something in a Starbucks again, I'll get their to compare as some sort of reference so I know I'm not just imagining things. This seemed to be a one-layer type, with apricot jam on top of the cake, under the icing, but I suppose it's possible that there were two layers and I just couldn't tell. I'm too hurried to check the two main schools of sachertorte now.

I also has some Cheesecake, which was soufflé-type, I think, rather than the dense type I prefer, but still definitely good, so the shop gets in the stable part (won't get denoted when I finally have enough better shops to split this bloated group) of the fine shops group.

Fortnum and Mason: Cassis, Mont-Blanc, Sachertorte, and Victoria Sandwich Cake

Searched for a tea salon or the equivalent that would seat two in a reasonable time around 14:30 on a Sunday, and failed at my first two spots in Ginza. I went and did some shopped and continued on to Mitsukoshi (Nihonbashi Muromachi) and went to my first choice there and still had to wait a while, but not as long and we could sit inside, so better than our other options. A little earlier and being willing to settle for basement seating and we might have gotten seated in Ginza, but there was also the problem of a few items being sold out already, so I'm not sure that we would have been happy there even if we had been seated. At Fortnum and Mason, where we ended up, the cakes are small and though I saw going out that you could get Sachtorte and Cheesecake take-out for under 400 yen each, the inside menu was only sets that included two cakes each. We went with one full afternoon tea set, which also included two scones with clotted cream and jam and little sandwiches for one, along with tea of one's choice, and one cake set with just the two cakes and the tea. They seemed to over-seep the tea, but maybe that's the English way (or the Japanese way: people at work put tea bags in cups and just leave them for a long time, even if the instructions are 30 seconds, though they also may be using cooler water than I, as I always boil mine). Really too much food for two.

Let me start by saying that the Cassis was my bad choice: it was cassis mousse with even more gelatinous (though a little textured, reminding me of canned cranberry sauce). Still okay, but I should have known better. The told me that my other choice was chocolate cake when I asked them to repeat the names (they bring out a tray, but they left out the apple pie that was added later), but I'm assuming that they actually call it Sachertorte, based on the front counter, even though I didn't sense any apricot when I ate it. Still, I thought it was excellent, mostly in comparison. I probably liked the Victoria Sandwich Cake next of the four, which was good, and is sort of like a shortcake with coarser sponge than Japanese shortcake usually has (which was still much more like Japanese shortcake than cake made with actual shortcake, but my partner did not appreciate) and uses white chocolate as the filling around the strawberries. Finally, there was a Mont-Blanc which my partner liked the best, even if she though it wasn't up to the highest standards of the type, and I agreed that it was good.

I went running in the evening and finished off a couple loops only about 1 km long each that had been giving me trouble west if Shibuya (in the sleaziest area, though not in any dangerous way on a Sunday evening, regardless of age or sex: it's Tokyo). That leaves a tiny loop (just around one big building) that needs to be done counterclockwise. I'll probably just stop there when I'm cycling through sometime, lock the bike where it looks least offensive and take a couple minutes to circle the block). Or I'll need to work on the Kamiyama-chou--Tomigaya--Udagawa-chou loop, but that's 2.75 km long and not that close or high in priority, so I'd rather save it for later. I still having loops back past Roppongi to take care of before attacking the biggest loop of them all.

Ladurée: Fleur Noire

Tuesday, still no running, but my feet were much better, maybe 75%. Not perfect, though, and I'm worried about a partial sprain, so not something I want to rush. I did feel free to walk even further for cake (besides the normal daily commuting, which is a few kilometers total). This time, in response to their cake-off win (and because they rank high as a quite good shop even under the new system, so I need to see whether they should be promoted to excellent), I went to Lumine at Shinjuku Station and got Fleur Noire from Ladurée. This thing is pretty decadent, with both chocolate and almond icing, dark chocolate mousse, and bourbon vanilla (that is, vanilla from Madagascar) cream in the middle. They're working pretty hard at this one, but it is excellent, so they may be able to make the transition. Got a lot of other shops to sort out after the reorganization, so I'm not sure yet.

Schloss Bäckerei: Sachertorte

Took advantage of Schloss Bäckerei being at Isetan and got their Sachertorte (have to check and update, as they probably called this the Sachertorte Schloss Bäckerei), though it seems more like a truffletorte with nuts, since it has nuts and I couldn't taste apricot (again, I need to check the card and update this post). Still, it was a good solid German cake after a number of less impressive ones, so, as a first cake, I feel this was excellent and I'd like to have more before they go (not sure whether I could make their 7 pm closing time on a weekday). Still, the selection of fresh cakes is pretty limited.
The run was confirming my last change to the Jinguumae 3&r+ course (which I also shaved a corner off of). Not sure sure about the loop around Franzè & Evans, which could be shortened slightly, but I'm really to move on to the next neighborhood. I explored a little bit among the intervening neighborhoods and at least used the designated entrance for each but did not try to complete them in the light right. It was about 9 km at 9 km/h. Rather than other Ralph Lauren display window pictures, I'll note that these two buildings are next to each other on the north end of what at least becomes Cat Street to the south. This area is more street fashion than high fashion and the buildings are eclectic. I assume it developed to its present popular state by being old and relatively cheap.

Henri Charpentier: Sachertorte

Well, I avoided them for two years, but illness and cake lust drove me to finally go to Henri Charpentier, which was most convenient at Isetan. My avoidance was because they generally have soft boring cakes, which I bypassed this time by taking the Sachertorte (540 yen), which is a relative heavy cake, even there. And the balance with the apricot and sweetness (the chocolate probably matters, but is relatively weak, which is what I would expect) means it was unexpectedly excellent, so I can't dismiss them as uninteresting, though I've never thought they were incompetent, so it's not a shock. On my personal list, they now come on the newly arranged "Quite good" list, which is the bottom few dozen of the top several dozen Tokyo cake shops, most of which I've only sampled from a two or three times. Only one cake means I should get back there and try something else sometime relatively soon.

I haven't had any other fresh cake lately, but I got some Mohave Raisin and Walnut Brod from Andersen, which was excellent toasted and buttered (so it's not really fair to compare it to untoasted and buttered bread), and Cinnamon from Hediard, which is very heavy on the walnuts and good, but not better than my modest expectations, both again via Isetan, which is about as far as I'm up for currently.

Jean-Paul Hévin: Safi

Safi, Chocolat Chaud Maron, and Gallette de Rois "Star" (?)

No running on Friday, but I missed cake some running days, so no guilt. Wen the the chocolate bar at Isetan and got a couple drinks and a couple cakes. The new cake (to blog about) was the Safi (サフィ; 618 yen +8%), which is a rich chocolate biscuit with layers of chocolate mousse flavored with orange, from Jean-Paul Hévin. Not sure what variety of orange it is, but not sweet, or at least that is the effect, which is not a complaint.  Also not complaining about the cocoa powder on top, but that stuff makes me cough I'm not careful, so I'm giving a warning here. That might be the only reason I'm not rating it great, but I am still looking forward to having again. In the meantime, there are special only-the-first-two weekends-of the-new-year cakes that I have to decide whether to try to get. 

I had a good part of the Galette de Rois "Star" (ガレット デ ロワ スター) and was not really feeling the greatness this time. It was still good. It came as part of a set with Chocolat Chaud Parisien for 1300 yen + 8%, which is less than the hot chocolate by itself. 

I got the Chocolat Chaud Maron, which has a definitely distinct taste (apparently chestnut) compared to the other types and was actually the cheapest, at 1080 yen total.

Today, I went out again, but just to Starbucks, where I got a Sachertorte, which is decent, which is better than another thing I've gotten at any of the other main chain cafés. Of course, I added whipped cream. This was the Starbucks near Omotesando (because Pierre Herme, which did not post it's end-of-year store hours, even on their door, was closed).

Today also had running, which as just 6 laps around Meiji Gingu Gaien, with the intention of keeping it above 11 km/h, although I caught myself slow half way through the 5th lap, so I sled up and ended up closer to 12 km/h for the last lap. Then I took a pretty hill-intensive route (even compared to Asasaka Palace course) following the Gaien Walk and managed to keep it well above 11.0 km/h for 2.4 km on the way for shopping. So running was about 1 km at 9 km/h, 9 km at 11 km/h and one lap (1.325 km) at 12 km/h. Tomorrow I may rest, but Jean-Paul Hévin has a special New Year's cake I want to get and one shop is open, so I may need to jog there if I don't get a walking partner to there.

Thursday: Q-Pot Cafe.

Did a longer walk, close to 6 km, which probably took 1 hour, so longer than Tuesday's, but no hills, so it might not be a good comparison. Didn't feel any problems, so I'm thinking I'll try to run down to Yotsuya Station tomorrow night and get some jam, good milk, and dark rum for cooking from the grocery and something sweet from Paul.

It's been a while since I went somewhere new that wasn't in Isetan. "Q-Pot Cafe." was listed as "Unvisited" on my map for a long time, so I finally visited. I should probably be more selective about what I put on my map from Joshi+. I know better than to do cafés, but I like to try something new sometimes, and this was within range. The cake was Sachertorte for 690 yen. It was fine. I assume there was some actual apricot in it, because there were a few pieces of some chewy fruit. Not really anything special, and definitely not my first choice for Sachertorte. Not much else among the selection that I would be interested in. I'm tempted to just mark them "Unworthy" so I can just forget about them, but it doesn't seem fair after one cake that was fine, so I'll mark the "Good".

I also got a croissant from the nearby Rituel (par Christophe Vasseur), which was 350 yen and, while artistic and good, definitely not as good as some 200 yen ones I've had.

11 km to Demel: Sachertorte

Today, I was doing 1 min/1 min intervals, but not sure how many I did before I just ran, due to crowded sidewalk and then being in a hurry to arrive before closing: less than 15, but probably more than 10. I went down the usual route south through Aoyama Cemetery to go to Jouvaud, but they were sold out of fresh cake at 19:10. I was prepared to go to Takagi as a backup, but I've visited them enough for now and I had time, so I circled back to Isetan. They also were pretty low on cake at the counters that I was checking, so I settled for Demel and got, what else, the Sachertorte, which was 540 yen. This is a traditional Sachtorte: "A fine chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam under the chocolate glaze, with a triangular Demel seal." The frosting/jam is really sweet, so you could get tired of this, but it's been a few years for me from here, so no problem. It was very good.

Shorter run to Neues: Sachertorte

Sixth day of 35+ degree high temperature in Tokyo, extending the record from yesterday. This time I stayed closer to home, and actually there were more people than usual around the Akasaka Palace loop and the Meiji Jingu Gaien loop. Stopped again at Neues, this time for Sachertorte, which is kind of a sign that I'm running out of things to try. It was good though, at 500 yen: dense chocolate cake with a little apricot in the middle and a thick dark chocolate icing. Next time I go I should probably take a list of what I've had so I don't confused by the heat and running, but next week I would probably go Libertable for a change in the Akasaka neighborhood.