Jean-Paul Hévin, Verrine Lavande & Verrine Banane Griotte

Sunday afternoon, as brunch dessert, we got cake for two from Jean-Paul Hévin: Verrine Lavande & Verrine Banane Griotte, the new new items. The first is white chocolate, lavender, and grapefruit, and the second is Dominican chocolate, banana sauce, and cherry. Neither are really my ideal flavors. The verrine Lavande was good, but pretty mind, though you wouldn't really want intense grapefruit or lavender, I would think, so this was as designed and offered a variation over the other cake, which is sweet, and the verrine not ordered, which is coffee and presumably bitter. Despite continued reservations about banana, this was excellent. I have to acknowledge that it's not the fruit, but how it's used that's important. This at least catches me up with JPH's last cake-off wins. 

Éclat des Jours, Tropicot

Last Monday, besides the cake for the cake-off, I got one extra cake from Éclat des Jours, for efficiency in the era of virus, long work hours, and short store hours: Tropicot. This has been around for a relatively long time, though not as far back as the first visit. It's a mango, passion fruit, and banana tart, with some shredded coconut. I knew it wasn't really my thing, but I was running out of choices as a 20th cake, but it was their turn or a new cake as one of the quite exceptional shops, at least until this one, which was only good. Betting cakes from here and with tropical fruit coming up, so I didn't give up on either. For some reason, blogger has gone back to the old interface, now that I've figured out the new one. There's probably some way to toggle between them.

I realize, I should really get some pictures of things other than cakes, because there are actually a couple people besides me that read this blog. I'll see if I can come up with at least some shops or pictures of the returned crowds, with more masks than typically this time of year (it's getting too hot for my surgical masks, which I already don't run or bicycle with, but I have other options).

L'Abricotier, Dulcey

Sunday was lots a bicycling to hit a wide spread of shops. I think I ran in the evening, but it's been a while, so I don't actually remember. If I did, it would be neighborhood courses, getting my memory of the revised loops and their clumps confirmed. Anyway, I was busy in the morning, so it was a late start, about 11:30. First I went to L'Abricotier, since are the top challenger to Pierre Hermé, plus they're open. This time I got Dulcey. I did a search on my phone there, because I was surprised that I had no record of having had this cake before, but I believe it now. It's been a standard as long as I can remember. I've avoided until now because the main feature is banana, which doesn't impress me, though as I think about cakes I've had, there have only been a few banana ones and only one that would put me off them as a whole (banana and chocolate). Anyway, there were probably other flavors, and the typical banana flavor was not strong, which suited me, but it was certainly sweet in a fruity way. I'm surprised, but in the end I have to say this was excellent, so they remember a challenger to moving up a spot. 

Frédéric Cassel, Inspiration Azalea

Monday, I worked a little late and figured I should take a rest anyway, so I used a bicycle to go to Ginza for cake. My first choice shop's new cake has coffee, so I'll wait for next month. My back up was Frédéric Cassel's new cake, Inspiration Azalea, which is the cake for this month's theme of Chocolat Banane, which is an improvement on recent coffee themes but still not what I would choose. Nevertheless, this looked like my kind of cake in terms of construction, and the card promised yuzu, so not just straight chocolate and banana. I figured I could trust them. Reading the details, there is also hazelnut chocolate cream and hazelnut dacquoise. But they were serious about the banana, with almost half of the inside being banana compote. While I'm still not enthusiastic about banana, with was excellent, so if they had another banana cake now, I'd be happy to try it, but they've scaled back on the introduction of new cakes. Out of order, at home, I first also did my indoor non-weights workout.

Ginza Sembikiya, Banana Shortcake

Finally made a visit to Ginza Sembikiya, in the form of a visit to their the basement of their main shop, which has pasta lunches, as well as the menu of the Fruit Salon on the 2nd floor. As far as cake, it's limited to the current shortcake, which was banana, perhaps the last fruit I would choose (the 1st floor shop has a mont-blanc and a pear tart as well), but that's what there was, so that's what I ordered. It was lunch and dessert for two, so I'll say that the other dessert was a very limited-time (3 days) Le Lectier Parfait. Le Lectier is a French variety of pears that only the Japanese seem interested in. The parfait was good, though I'm not a good judge, since it's an ice cream dessert.

What was surprising, was that the banana shortcake was excellent. I generally have a banana everyday, but I haven't had a good banana like this for a long time, I think. I suppose you have to go to a specialist fruit shop. Also, I wouldn't mind shortcakes of other fruits from them, judging from this one. This excellent cake puts this "sembikiya" at the top of the pack of three, though one excellent cake only qualifies it for the fine cake shop group under the current system, which only rates one cake, though it is secure in its position and a second cake is allowed, just not called for. We wouldn't mind going back and visiting the second-floor salon for just desert, though that's not convenient on a weekend, since a line develops by noon (for the basement, as well).

In the afternoon, I needed to kill time in the Tokyo Station area, so I did pretty fast walking from shop to shop without discovering anything much. I got a Croissant for Toshi Yoroizuka. As bread it was maybe excellent, but as a pastry, I'm going to have to say that it was just okay.

I also got the Croissant Chocolat from Sadaharu Aoki, though it was getting late by that point, about 4.5 hours after opening, so not ideal. It was still excellent, but if I can get one within 2 hours of opening, I'd like to reevaluate. Right now, Sadaharu Aoki is the best place I know for pastry croissants, so a repeat is reasonable.

There was a couple hours and hard walking and another hour or so of slower running, but I was tired enough that I decided to use a bicycle to get to Tokyo Midtown as a starting point for doing a counterclockwise run of the Akasaka--Roppongi route, which I was successful at, so that revised loop is confirmed. I might try the same strategy for Nishi-Ebisu, which is next in priority. It's a pretty small loop, so I might try a few other loops nearby as well, if I can use a bicycle for the first/last 4 km.

Le Chocolat de H/Paul Bassett, Tarte Banana

Wednesday, I had to work late, but did a run down past Tokyo Midtown from 8 pm trying to get Sadaharu Aoki's Matcha Croissant, unsuccessfully. I did a counterclockwise run to confirm the Roppongi 7 east loop neighborhood course loop, which completes the National Art Center clump of loops. There was rain, but not heavy enough that everyone carrying an umbrella opened them.

I also tried to do the Nishi-Azabu--Minami-Azabu loop and I might have been successful if I followed my intuition, but doubted and checked my map early on. Anyway, I know I'll be able to get it next time, maybe Friday. On the way, I stopped at Café 3206 and got something like Croissant d'Almonde Custard. Not that there was much almond or custard, but the latter doesn't belong inside a croissant. It was good at least, but I don't need to return there soon. The run was about 80 minutes.

Thursday, I also had to work late but could run sooner. This time I went the opposite direction go to Shibuya Hikarie ShinQs to visit the Le Chocolat de H/Paul Bassett café. I arrived by 8 pm, but didn't need to. The eat-in places seem to stay open until 9 pm. This time I got the Tarte Banana. This is pretty thick and heavy, I assume with walnuts, because it reminded me of coffee cake (though that could mean just cinnamon). I should ask next time and update my label. Anyway, it got the balance right, not too moist or dry. I can easily say that it's best banana tart I've ever had, since I usually avoid banana in the my cakes. I might be being generous, but I'll say that it was excellent. Unfortunately, I forget to take a picture.

This shop is currently at the top of the excellent group and higher than some quite excellent shops, but with the advantage that I haven't had to dig as need into the line-up. I'm down to a seasonal Mont-Blanc (not available to me today) and a regular Tiramisu (which was, but banana seemed the lesser or two evils compared to coffee). For running, I finished confirming the new version of the Shibuya east loop. The next one in order is over by Yoyogi, so not so convenient.

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.

Éclat des Jours: Safari

Éclat des Jours won the last cake-off, so I wanted to try a new cake from there, but I'm not ready to run that far or fast enough to arrive by closing time, so I went by bicycle. Today got up to 38 deg, so it was still plenty hot after work, but by bicycle was fine and was much better than under the sun Saturday morning. I got Safari this time, which I've seen before but hadn't tried. This is passion fruit and a little banana. It was good and I enjoyed it, but banana makes it sort of everyday (though I have cake most days), even though I approve of this sort of cake with a kind of outer shell.

More importantly, I noticed that their great rum raisin cake is back, just it's gone square from rectangular, so I'll probably have it in a second-round cake-off before too long.

Toshi Yoroizuka: MT Chocolat

I felt better today and tried running, though maybe not a great idea. We'll see if I'm still okay tomorrow. Didn't even bother timing myself (though regretted not remembering my watch for the blinking safety light). Sort of wander there, after passing through Gaien, which was lit up for a festival celebrating the trees.

At midtown, I got MT Chocolat, which I had avoided until now, though I hadn't remembered why. The answer is bananas, ack. I should have gotten the chestnut shortcake, even though I don't much appreciate shortcake-style Japanese cakes. Anyway, it was not bad but bananas are usually a bad idea, raw bananas more so, and I'm not sure I've ever had any good cake with banana and chocolate, which this one did not break. There was not that much banana in it, just a thin layer, but was enough to leave a banana after taste. The probably is not that I hate bananas, just I associate them with breakfast and yogurt, so they are spoiled (so to speak) for all other usages.

[Wed] Yu Sasage: Numero Sept

Numero Sept 

Yu Sasage visited Isetan, and even though it wasn't really due for another cake yet, since it had slipped from quite excellent to excellent in my shop ratings, being at Isetan made it pretty convenient, and it was still essentially at the boundary of the two categories, so getting Numero Sept (#7), although a mistake, is not something I'm going to regret. Cakes with banana are ones that I usually avoid because they are often pretty unsophisticated. This cake also can appeal to simple tastes, but I do not think is restricted to them. It's three main layers under a coating of baked chocolate and almond. The layers are cream cheese on top, baked chocolate mousse in the middle, and cake flavored with baked chocolate and banana as the base, where the baked chocolate is white chocolate. It's a somewhat simple cake, but it works and I don't mind the banana. I'm going to call it great until some other cake proves to me that this can be done better.


The run was training on a slope (250 m horizontal), 7 reps in the rain (like earlier runs this week) which were averaged above 10 km/h, which is pretty good.

Walking to Limevert: Mer

Had a half day off today, so walked to Limevert patisserie café, which took about 13 km at I guess 5 km/h (had trouble with starting and stopping chronometer correctly), sometimes in heavy rain (tｙphoon pasｓing through tonight). Happy keeping it slow, as I want to work on my distance before trying again to regain some speed. Managed to follow the correct route in the middle for once going to this area.

The end is easy, because I'm following the elevated train line for several stations. Never can remember the station name (Soshigaya-ohkura), but recognize Ultraman (not sure what the connection is, and there's at least one more in Yokohama).

Shop does not really stand out and is narrow, but they have the usual stuff and pastries. Already ordered the canelé (230 yen) for the road before noticing the bostock (which would have been hard to eat neatly walking down the street), but it was good (it was a well-baked one, which I like over soft ones).

The Mer (550 yen) is various things: earl grey flavo(u)red milk chocolate, apricot gelatin, and caramel walnuts. It was definitely excellent and I'm going to call it great because I haven't had one this before and I'd like to have it again. For good or bad, the flavor makes me think of pie. For one thing, it's not very firm, but it took a while to bring it back. Not sure what the connection to the "Sea" is.

Almost forgot, tried a couple more caramels from Henri le Roux yesterday: Citron Vert (lime) and Diable Rose (banana, raspberry, and passion fruit). Very good candy and it's interesting to taste very good candy, but I prefer the chocolates.

Dalloyau: Douceur des Is

Leg not happy, so went to Mitsukoshi by train and bought some stuff at Cuoca and found one fresh cake at the Dalloyau counter that I haven't had, the Douceur des Is for 540 yen. It's tropical fruits: coconut, banana, mango, and passion fruit. It was good, but definitely not my thing. I'm near the end of their selection, but also down to the least appealing cakes. Not sure whether they'll stay in my Great list to the end. I guess it's the chocolatiers that can consistently satisfy me the most.

I was thinking I might take the train to visit Paris S'eveille tomorrow, but now I'm thinking that if I can't walk at least one way, I'm wait another week and get more when I go. Tuesday afternoon is also an option.

Thursday: Passion de Rose: exotic

As planned, I went to Isetan after work and got cake from Passion de Rose, which is this week's visiting patisserie, whom I haven't posted on but have had their cake some time in the past and found it good but not exceptional. Maybe because the next day was a holiday, there was the longest line I've seen since the renovation (which is not that long) and most varieties were sold out. My best choice was this, which I think is the Exotic, for 560 yen. Supposedly, this is chocolate with passion fruit, as well as earl grey and banana. Although imported, it is hard for me to think of bananas as exotic, and I almost just left without buying anything, but I got this give them a chance to impress me. However, even though banana was mentioned last in their description, it was dominant (although I could taste the chocolate). It's a good cake, but nothing special and definitely does not convince me that I need more cakes with banana in them.

Frédéric Cassel: Azalea

Started out with 1.85 km fast, and then 3.6 km very fast, followed by 626 m racing speed, after which, Ginza got in the way (if I measure from Yamanote line). From there to Ginza Mitsukoshi and back to the Lawson 100 in Yotsuya along Shinjuku Street was a slow 4.76 with cake.  So about 10.8 km of running today, giving me a 6-day total of 74.1 km, which leaves almost the same amount to run tomorrow and still say within the 85 km budget, so enough enough to get to any priority sites (even if I wanted to go to Frédéric Cassel again tomorrow, I don't need to stop at the Lawson 100 again: I'm stocked up on tofu and yogurt). Probably, I'll try to do a short run and see if I can get out of work in time to make a 8 km to a 8 pm closing shop feasible.

At Frédéric Cassel, I got the Azalea for 810 yen. This is yuzu flavored milk chocolate mousse, coated in chocolate, with yuzu and banana compote. On top, is biscuit, rather than the bottom, which I haven't seen before. They had this last time I visited, but it just didn't sound like a good idea. Actually, though, it was great. At least, I like chocolate (though I've often been disappointed in it), and the fruit was a great balance. As always, since I'm testing this out as a great shop, I want to think that this is great cake and it did not give me any reason not to think so, so I'll go with that. Certainly, I don't have any ideas for better chocolate, yuzu, and banana cake and I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't hate chocolate or fruit (neither the yuzu nor the banana were distinctive flavors, though the fruit was definitely effective, so disliking either of those would perhaps not mean this cake was bad for that person). That's 4 great cakes of 5, so I'm going to have to say that this is the eighth definitely great shop of Tokyo by my standard.

 

Cycling to Au Bon Vieux Temp

Went cycling, which in theory should be faster but I also tend to not follow known routes or check the map often, so I end up going way out of my way, like today.

The destination was Au Bon Vieux Temp out by Ooyamadai Station on Toukyuu　Ooimachi Line, in Setagaya. They are on my great shop list, although I'm having my doubts. I've made excuses in the past for cakes that might be great, except for not holding up under the extreme heat. This time I got three cakes with not very good prospects (I don't know what to pick, so I just picked them in the order of the display, except that I skipped the seasonal mixed fruit tart, because it looked small and pathetic and I've never been impressed by mixed fruit tarts; in particular, citrus fruits don't go well with most other fruits). None of these had much inherit chance of being great and they were not, but other great shops have shown that they can surprise me, which these didn't really.

First is the Fromage Cru, rare cheese cake for 380 yen + tax. Like all the cakes in this set, it's very small (just a few centimeters wide). Definitely good flavor, so I'd say better than average for rare cheese cakes, although it was just a little more gelatinous than I like. I usually can't be bothered to read and remember the details, but online it says that they use white wine rather than lemon juice, so now I totally want to do that with my baked cheese cake, except I also want to do chocolate, which would sort of confuse the experiment.

Next was Biscuit aux Fruits for 400 yen + tax. For sponge cake with fruit, this was very good, especially considering that there is banana in the middle, which I don't generally care for or consider appropriate but worked fairly well here. But sponge cake even with mostly custard rather than simply whipped cream has pretty limited appeal for me, so I can't say that this is great, just very good.

Finally, the signature dessert of the shop was 420 yen + tax. This is a Brûlée of custard and pear. Very good, and very alcoholic (pear brandy).

1 min interval running to Rue Favart and Toshi Yoroizuka

Did 1 min/1 min intervals down to across from Ebisu Garden Palace to Rue Favart, which is a little (I think; I didn't actually go upstairs) cafe with a cake counter in front the kitchen. I had popped my head in there before, since I've been by there several times. I went because occasionally Joshi Plus Sweets finds an actually good patisserie (I know, because now when they do, they mostly ones that I already know and was wondering why they hadn't been there yet). Got a little lost (didn't review my map before going), but it's hard to miss Ebisu Garden Palace going south from Hiro and I got there in about 19 intervals okay.

However, Rue Favart is just a cafe with cake, not a cake shop with a cafe, and not particularly special, judging from their selection and what else is visible on the first floor. They seem to be trying for a higher class a cafe cakes and tarts, but not patisserie quality, I would say. Not cheap either. I got the Gourman Dise (as written on the card, but "Gourmandises" is listed on the sign outside, maybe to mean desserts), which seems like a terrible name, for 550. It's a caramel tart with a little banana (not too much). The under-tart was nutty and I appreciated it, and the top was not terrible for what it was, but it was the more coffee-like caramel rather than the sweet kind. Since this was the only thing that stood out (they have lemon tarts, a fruity mille-feuille, maybe gateau chocolat), probably won't need to go back.

I should mention, maybe that I went by (Ruelle de) Dierrier in Azabu, just because I had added it to the map recently, as I go through all my old shop cards. It was similarly just a cafe with cake and I had the mille feuille there, which was okay. Closed now, with the location to be rebranded as a new restaurant or cafe, according to paper on the door. Doesn't seem like a great location.

Nearby to Rue Favart, is a great shop, Toshi Yoroizuka [closed branch], so I went there and got the Antique. Sorry, I dropped it (in the bag and box) in the hall outside my door, so see the link for one in better shape. This was 560 yen. As you can see, it is fig (fruit above mousse) with a chocolate tart on the bottom. In the middle is custard cream. I like fig, although the fig mousse is boring by itself, but the tart, specifically, the chocolate crust, is great, so this is another great cake from Toshi Yoroizuka. Still many more choices there. Easier to go to the Tokyo Midtown store, though, than the Ebisu one.


Other than dropping it, managed to run back, although the intervals had left me pretty tired. I figured running today would be okay even though my long run is tomorrow (when I don't have morning appointments) since to go to my chosen target (another Joshi Plus entry, so I'm prepared to swing by Isetan later for great cake) along the river route I've chosen, it was hard to add just a couple more kilometers and still have a simple route (I think my back is okay enough to take the map, but I don't want to have to stop to check it so often).

Sunday cake shop tour: 2nd shop, Lettre D'Amour [Closed]

I made my second trip to Lettre D'Amour, and they are looking like a great shop, except no other customers soon after opening at 11 am. They are part of a consortium, or something, so they may be okay as far as finding other work if it doesn't work out there. Anyway, I got the Tarte Exotique, which was great. It is pineapple and almond cream baked in the tart shell with a layer of milk chocolate mousse sandwiched between salt caramel ganache. On top is a compote of pineapple, mango, banana, and passion fruit such that you can "enjoy the feeling of the fruit flesh". I can't say I'm fond of all these ingredients (I don't really go for pineapple or banana in my cake and I'm not sure why mango and passion fruit are so popular), but it completely works. This was 550 yen. I better get back there before they close shop. It's on my list of places to visit the cafe.