Frédéric Cassel, Pavlova Fraise

I had the afternoon off, so after a little running (about 1 km, which is the most I'm trying in a given day), I did a long walk to Ginza, which I got a new cake from Frédéric Cassel in response to their cake-off win. I got Pavlova Fraise, the first pavlova I've had from them. Best guess as this will become the new base cake for the monthly theme. Compare to other pavlova, they went light on the meringue, which is reasonable, and more healthy. Instead, it featured more cream, which they say leans toward cheese, which I could see. The fruit is strawberry compote with a hint of balsamic vinegar, so that's new in my ingredients labels. I'll say that it was excellent and look forward to other flavors, if this is a series.

Noix de Beurre, Peach Tart

At Isetan, bought cake for two. I didn't have anything particular I needed, so I didn't choose. The main attraction was the seasonal Peach Tart, which is a whole peach compote (with honey and lemon) with custard inside on a tart base. It's certainly good. Not sure how focused the picture is, but other online pictures look similar, so it might just be the glossiness of the peach rather than the focus on the plastic. 

Frédéric Cassel, Fleur de Shuro

Catching up for the week, Wednesday, I got out to Ginza Mitsukoshi for a new cake from Frédéric Cassel. There were three choices, and I went for the one most against my preference, just because it was most different and FC is good at overcoming my prejudices. I got the Fleur de Shuro, or that's that I think it was, where shuro is the name of a genus of Asian palms, which doesn't really make sense in context. This is a good solid almond biscuit, which is really important for balance and texture against all the soft parts. Obviously, it's a gelatin dome, though the inside isn't so gelatinous.  There's streusel in there, obviously not dry, cherry compote, cherry mousse, and cherry cream (cherries are Western and Eastern), and elderflower is the other flavor, which I hope was inside, as I didn't eat the decoration (I've been burned in the past). On the edge of my comfortable zone, and yet it all works together, as a different kind of cake, to give an excellent result.

No running, just bicycling to Mitsukoshi and doing muscle training inside, which I've managed to do every weekday so far. Thursday I didn't get patisserie cake, but I did managed to run 45 minutes as well as 15 minutes muscle training (squats, curls, and shoulder and back exercises).

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.

Frédéric Cassel, Inspiration Mirabelle Pécan

Had that exhausted feeling in the morning, and though it dissipated by the afternoon, I hadn't done my indoor workout for more than a week, so in the evening, I chose the bicycle to go to Ginza and get cake from Frédéric Cassel, Inspiration Mirabelle Pécan. This is a seasonal cake, probably just for one month, and the last inspiration was great and this one sounded promising, so I had been looking forward to it all month. After returning home, doing the full indoor workout (30+ minutes of different high-intensity exercises for abs, back, up through the arms and shoulders), and eating dinner, I had the tart.

It was very pie-like in texture. Mirabelle is a kind of small plum, which this apparently has both compote and roasted bits of (I assume that's what "roti" means) on a lime cream tart with a biscuit which uses rice flour, plus pecans, of coarse. Not a strong taste, but rich in a certain way. I would say that it was excellent.

Wako Annex, Saint-Honoré Orange & Charmant Fraise

Was busy this weekend, but was out at Ginza Mitsukoshi Saturday later afternoon and was able to skip ahead (alphabetically) and visit the Wako Annex for cake for two, which is one of three holiday/weekend-only two-cake quite fine shops. I really like some saint-honoré, so I went with the Saint-Honoré Orange. The other chosen cake was Charmant Fraise, which is white chocolate and strawberry.

The first is a good quality saint-honoré with some orange compote, maybe, in the center. It seemed like a good idea and well executed, so I'm willing to say that it was excellent. The Charmant Fraise was also good, though less appreciated by me. I was hoping for more flavor from the white chocolate maybe, but its nice if mild strawberry cake with a moussy texture.

Frédéric Cassel, Inspiration Citron Vert Pomme Verveine

Catching up on cakes for the last couple weeks, if not on cake-off winners or even Frédéric Cassel's cake-off wins, I did a run to that counter at Ginza Mitsukoshi and got the Inspiration Citron Vert Pomme Verveine, which is a pretty out-of-control name. This is lemon verbena scented Bavarian cream, green apple compote, biscuit with lime peel squeezing baked, lime itself, and the hard base must be the sablé breton. The apple decoration is white chocolate, but its all richer than I expected. The apple dominates but harmonizes will with different gradations of citrus. I would say it was excellent.

Michalak, Michalak Monkoeur

Wednesday, again my feet felt much better than the previous day, but not perfect. Decided not to run, though I did walk again to Isetan and get cake and later I rode a bicycle to get groceries, which was actually no problem, so I'm going to try going out by bicycle tomorrow morning as stage one. The second stage is still planned to be on foot, so I'm not sure how that will go. Also, rain is coming, which might matter. Anyway, for today, I got a first cake a shop on the neighborhood running course that just opened a counter at Isetan, besides the one on Omotesandou Avenue on the end near the Harajuku Station (on the far southeast end, for the subway): Michalak. I got the Michalak Monkoeur (I'm assuming the spelling was deliberate, versus Mon Coeur, since other product names used k's when written in the Latin alphabet, though where to break between words is less clear). This is a chocolate biscuit, yuzu syrup, chocolate mousse (under the red sauce), and exotic fruit (I think at Isetan the explanation said 4 fruits, in the form of compote). The fruit taste is a little thick but this is nicely decadent, so combined with it being a first cake, I think excellent is a reasonable rating. I'd certainly like to have another cake from them.

Maison Douce: Macaron Chocolat Mon Amour

Le Poulpelin

Maison Douce, which I've only had two cakes from, though one was initially rated as great and got a first-round cake-off (neither was declared a win and I demoted both, the only time I've done that), so by in terms of a place where I might find a great cake, it has more potential than some supposedly excellent shops, so it was a high priority to resolve where the shop belongs among my grouping of Tokyo shops. Unfortunately, they are a minimum 35 kilometers out, they don't have eat-in space, and it is not weather for eating outside (see snow above), so I run there and take the train back. I did a 45 km run recently, no problem, so I figured that I would be fine as long as I kept at the same pace, but my right little toe is giving me trouble, and my whole foot tenses up trying to protect it. The shop last told me I need narrower shoes, which might be true once the swelling goes down. I wore new socks with toes this time, but that doesn't really help. I'll use a lot of petroleum jelly and consider taping it, though I'm not sure that I have the right kind of tape now.

Maison Douce: Macaron Chocolat Mon Amour

On the way, I stopped at Le Poupelin whose chef was on the NHK sweets show I started watching. I got a Chasson au pommes, which I'll say was excellent, though it's 27 km, so maybe not in a good position to judge. If I run that far to try them for cake, I think I'm going to get two.

As it happens, I'm probably not going to have to worry about how far out Maison Douce is. I really didn't like the chocolate in this. I suppose it's the chocolate whipped cream that makes for a really weak watery taste. I've had this experience before with chocolate cakes from specialists, so maybe it's just my physical condition. Still, it was ok, but ok isn't doesn't justify going anywhere. The shop still has some potential above shops that have given me nothing better than one excellent cake, but I don't expect it to make the cut to stay in quite good shops.

That clears some excellent shops, though now I saw some other partially challenged by Les Cacao and En Vedette. I hope I can get a visit to Les Cacao next weekend, even if I don't get cake there. Now, I'm really looking forward to a cake-off tomorrow, though reviewing, I'm convinced that Fondant Chocolat au Rouge is just a slightly differently decorated Foondant Chcolat aux Framboises from Yu Sasage, so I've got two choices from them to go against JPH. I need to ask tomorrow how long the two Yu Sasage cakes will stay in the lineup. I need to also review Numero 7 to see what's in it: maybe it's been give a more appropriate name and also can be found in Yu Sasage's line-up without me realizing it.

Pierre Hermé: Yu

Did another neighborhood run to learn the Southeast Sendagaya course. Made too early a turn after the station where I changed the map (or tried to; Google reverted it) and overshot going around Zuienji loop, the southeast one, and apparently ended up going around it twice, which surprized me at the time, since I though I reverse direction at one point and went around a corner, but quickly found that I hadn't, but at least it gave me another chance to make the correct turn turns. I also followed the course south of Shinjuku Gyoen over where I messed it up and confirmed that I could do it correctly (at least until the bypass get's finished and that area gets cut off). Total, I think I did about 9 km (including 3 pedestrian bridge crossings) at a low -9 km/h.

New month and new cakes at Pierre Hermé. Rather than following this month's theme, vanilla (which I've had the main one already), I chose Yu, which is yuzu-flavored apple compote inside praliné mousseline on top of hazelnut dacquoise surrounded by milk chocolate. It looks good and has good ingredients of no doubt high quality, but it is all overly mild for me. At the very least, dark chocolate would be an improvement, I think. Still good, but someone it seemed dry, maybe. I had it with Earl Grey tea, so maybe milk as a drink or a side of rich vanilla ice cream would make this better.

Friday night, Dalloyau: Vanille Fraise

Walked 6 km/h for 6 km (so, the long but nice way) for a Vanille Fraise from Dalloyau, vanilla cream and strawberry compote combined with white chocolate (there's a thin square visible in the middle) sandwiched between between pink dacquoise, for 594 yen.

As usual, leg tendon was a little sore from previous walk, tried not to over-do it, walked back slower, again avoiding straining, and seemed okay but a little sore the next day (but no burning).

Park still crowded with zombies, but got a better seat. This was excellent. More something I would want for someone else than myself, but a really nice strawberry flavor that I don't get too often. The dacquoise was soft enough to cut with a spoon without the cream completely squirting out, though a little dangerous eating without a plate.

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.

 

Take-out from Pierre Hermé

Pierre Hermé: Tarte Infiniment Vanilla

From home, we got cake from Pierre Hermé, although I looked at new place to blog, but they were out except chocolate shu cream (just like Tuesday night). Just had to put up with great cake from a great shop instead.
This time was Tarte Infiniment Vanilla again and Millefeuille Fraise Pistache (fraise pistache being the current "fetish"), for 700 and 800 plus 8% tax. The vanilla "cake" is great, which I knew already. It's vanilla in a white chocolate ganache, a rum biscuit, and vanilla mascarpone, in a tart shell.



Pierre Hermé: Millefeuille Fraise Pistache

The mille feuille is caramelized pie, strawberry compote, and pistachio-type mascarpone with freeze-dried strawberries in it, along with half a strawberry. It is very good and different.



90 min run to Dalloyau: Terre D'agrumes (more updated)

Today was light rain, so I was a little slow, but it seemed to take the usual time to go to Dalloyau. I'm not sure what the Terre d'Agrumes for 540 yen is other than being mousse and fruity (I'm not sure what agrume is in English, but it includes citrus fruits), but it was great, which is what is important. Still, fairly mild, but the flavors added up to something. I'll have to go back to taking notes by pen and paper, since my attempt at photographing the little card through the glass failed, as is often the case. Maybe it would have worked with a real camera instead of a phone. Why the picture of the actual cake with camera didn't come out is a mystery.
Mystery solved: when I open the directory, it shows the wrong image. As you can see, it slid on the trip.

<2nd update> The cake is a short bread base (basically, a cookie), lemon and yuzu cream, orange flavored cake, and strawberry compote. Google translate says "agrumes" means "citrus".

Shopping and Toshi Yoroizuka: Baba and Momontelimar

This time we arrived at Toshi Yoroizuka at 4 pm and immediately gave up getting into the bar. Instead we got the Baba for 530 and Momontelimar for 550.

The Baba was a baba, and packed a reasonable alcoholic punch. It might be great. I'm not the one who usually orders this, but I had half. That's a fig on top, I think.








According to the write up, the Momontelimar is a traditional France desert which, in keeping with the "momo" (Japanese for peach) part apparently, the shop has made with peach in the form of mousse, compote, and sauce. It has it's own Youtube video, but I really can't see the need. It wasn't bad but not exciting. Yesterday's lemon worked out better, frankly. I need a little more zing.

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.