Tadashi Yanagi, Mont-Blanc

Working through the quite fine shop list to get them all up to at least 4 cakes, I picked up a Tadashi Yanagi cake, Mont-Blanc, from the counter at Shinjuku Takashimiya, as they are featured there on Mondays. It was good and had a meringue base, I think, both huge improvements over my previous Mont-Blanc. Unfortunately, that probably isn't enough to keep in it the quite fine category, but we'll see.

I note that I'm also going to want to go back there to get cake from Le Jardin Bleu for the same reason. Yanagi actually isn't that far away, even for Setagaya (they used to have a shop on Aoyama-doori Ave., but that's been closed for a while), whereas Le Jardin Bleu is deep in the western suburbs. Not that far but not as close as Yanagi, I note that Noliette doesn't have their counter there any more, so I should have visited them earlier at Takashimaya.

Voisin: Chiboust Fruit Rouge

Yesterday, I failed to get cake because of the long lines at F. Cassel the day before White Day (they had cakes, but they also sell chocolates). Instead, I got a Croissant Lemon from Dragone, which is in no way a croissant or any kind of pastry, except in shape, although it was sweet and good as the same wholesome wheat bread that they sold me as a baguette (which it also definitely in no way resembled except in outer shape).

Today, I tried Shinjuku Takashimaya and got a Chiboust Fruits Rouges, though not from the shop I had intended, but instead from Voisin (according to physical evidence and postings on the Internet of a similar cake with the same maker). Still, it was definitely good, so I shouldn't complain, but Voisin isn't even listed on the Takashimaya webpage and this was at least next to my actual target's sign. I'll have to be more careful next time when trying to get something from someplace new.

Running today was confirm kilometer markers 21 through 24 and the new loop just outside Yamanote Line between Shibuya and Harajuku.

Planetes: Regular Chocolate

Well, it's been 48 hours since a 60+ km run and I seem to be okay. Had a little scare with a rash across my front (which I get from sweat/heat when I'm weak), due to not paying attention to my skin yesterday, probably, but it seems to be almost completely recovered by now. I did a short run of a little under 6 km to confirm the part of the Sendagaya northeast loop where I forgot to turn and then confirmed a direct route across northern Sendagaya. I need to start cutting across neighborhoods quicker if I want to reach farther neighborhoods without cheating or running to long. My speed was safely above 9 km/h. I'm not sure that I need to go so far as last Sunday again, but if I do, I want to increase my average speed to above 8 km/h (not necessary, but not being able to do it is one sign that I'm tiring myself more than necessary, maybe) and also increase my calorie intake, to see how that helps with extreme fatigue, which was not that bad but was the only trouble I really had, to my surprise, that and the rash, which is probably related.

For cake, I didn't want to go far, so I headed to Isetan, forgetting that they are taking a holiday today. Next I went to Takashimaya Shinjuku (which is actually also in Sendgaya, Shibuya-ku, but is right next to Shinjuku Station) and got something from P. les Planetes. I know not to expect much from Takashimaya's cake counter and I didn't even write down the name of what I got (which was only written phonetically), but it seemed to be Regular Chocolate, so I'm sticking to that. Online, the most similar cake that I could find was the Chocolat Framboise, which this is not, since this seems to have cassis as well as raspberries. Perhaps because I didn't let it warm up much from the refrigerator before starting to eat it, the top layer of chocolate (which it needs to seal in the moisture, whereas the sides had plastic) was overly gelatinous, but the taste and texture of the cake was fine. Nothing exciting, but good.

Le Jardin Bleu: Nagori Mont-Blanc

Today, still no running because of a cough. Hope to be able to do at least stretches tomorrow. Went to Takashimaya and got a cake of Le Jardin Blue's. Not a huge selection there, but the actually shop is an about 60 km round trip, so even healthy, I may never manage that running.

I went with the Nagori Mont-Blanc (485 yen?), which I think uses Japanese chestnuts. Maybe I should not have, since it was plopped in the middle of a plastic wrapper sheet, which may have some structural advantage over just putting it on a dish but can't respect. The cake was good, mostly by being very sweet. The bottom was a meringue disk, but there was a softer cake disk on top of that without any special taste whose purpose must also have been structural. I've had a couple better cakes from this shop (one of which Takashimaya had), but the shop is now looking maybe quite good rather than my earlier assessment of potentially excellent, so it will probably be a long time before it gets my attention again.

Ma Priere: Ma Priere

Went to Shinjuku Takashimaya on cake business: check out the Japanese cake books at the south Kinokuniya (the Shinjuku Avenue shops is definitely where to go among the two), French books (south shop is better), English cake books (south is better), got another box of emergency toilets (okay, not cake-related, but definitely Tokyo related, as we all prepare for the "big one"), looked at aprons (if the one I have is too heavy for summer), bought a pound of unsalted butter (because I'm almost out), and got a piece of cake. I think I got the Ma Priere from Ma Priere at the cafeteria-style counter, but the Ma Priere website says that the Ma Priere cake is strawberry flavored white chocolate, so now I'm not sure.

First, running: I did 1 km again. In some ways, my knee was less happy before I started but I ran anyway, but it didn't mind the run as much and I unintentionally ran faster, under 7'. If things go well, I'll try 2 km on Sunday.

The cake, which was 518 and caramel, although not a very strong taste. The cream layers were like thick butter, which isn't really enough to impress me, although the cake was good. Not sure what else was in it, but I need to go back to confirm the name anyway. From the texture and look, I would guess hazelnut or almond powder (almond powder is always a good guess).

Made a big financier again with the 14 cm tart form, which I'm definitely sold on: I won't waste my time using the 7.5 cm ones for that recipe any more. It wouldn't be bad to make that every Friday (specially if I can time it will pizza making, since they both use the oven at a high temperature, although I wasn't thinking of trying to back them together: that would presumably mess up the humidity in the oven or something). Still not sure how long I should wait before removing the bottom plate (I did it right away, with a knife, this time, because I was in a hurry to go somewhere else), and I had a big air bubble at the bottom again, so I'll have to work on that, although that might be better than it sticking in the middle. Otherwise, it's very simple (didn't even cool the melted butter, just made sure not to heat it up much to begin with).

Gramercy New York (Takashimiya): Chocolate tart

Not good weather for running this weekend. Went to Tokyu Hands for tart-making stuff without getting anything (well, I got spray cooking oil nearby) and got the chocolate tart from Gramercy New York. Sorry, I only saved you little to see. It's okay. It's big and chocolaty. I don't know that I've ever had a great chocolate tart, although I've enjoyed Ryoko's. This one obviously has some crunch on top, which is a good idea to go with the pudding-like main part. I don't remember what it cost, but in the 500s I think, which is fine for the size. There are a couple of cakes among the patissieria that I've found that are good, but there are so many that it is hard to keep track. Even the good shops don't necessary send their best stuff, I think. I was trying to go through all of them, cakes and shops, but pretty much gave up.