Frédéric Cassel, Gateau Halloween

Went to Frédéric Cassel for cake, since they are my top choice of shops having new cakes (though this was the only one, and its only early October). I still need to sort out some overlap between quite fine and exceptional and exceptional and quite exceptional shops (and longer term, the overlap between quite exceptional and superb, though I'm already 5 cakes ahead on Origines Cacao along those lines), but not today. Anyway, I was looking for a different cake, but maybe it's already out of the line-up (no end date was given in the posting). I ended up getting Gateau Halloween, without very high expectations (holiday theme cakes tend not to be the best) but trusting Frédéric Cassel not to give me bad cake. I went there running, by the way, and ran back, as the rain is still light (the heavy rain warning because of the approaching typhoon is still 24 hours away). The cake is mostly kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) on top, a layer of rum and raisin, and a brownie base. Definitely good and probably relatively healthy.

Dalloyau: Jack O' Lantern

Went to Dalloyau in Ginza again, but, never learning, did not choose well. I got the Jack O' Lantern (540 yen). It is supposed to be kabocha cream, but at most I tasted butter, but good butter. However, I'm not out looking for cake that is just good. So even in the case of great shops, my first choice shouldn't be the novelty cake.

In terms of rank, this doesn't change how I feel about Dalloyau, but I'm moving them from the bottom "Great shop" to the top "Near-great shop". This means I can step up completing my sampling of cakes of great shops. Reviewing, my top nine patisserie-level shops for cake, in order, are (Great) Jean-Paul Hévin, Henri le Roux, Frédéric Cassel, (Near-great) Dalloyau, Paris S'éveille, Pierre Hermé, Sadaharu Aoki, Viron, and Aux Bon Vieux Temps. I also have 24 shops I rate as at least tentatively "excellent" and I don't know how many at least tentatively "good" shops, but many more than that (most of which I probably nave not posted on yet, but are on the map).

In running news, my knee seems not bad, but just in case I didn't run very fast today, staying just within the range of 8 km/h for the total 11.8 km I ran. The extra length this time came from following the Gaien Walk for the first part, though this is still only 0.9 km longer than Oct. 16 (to Viron), which was faster, but I lost some distance from deciding to be less obnoxious by not running within Ginza. My weekly budget expanded today, based on hitting 39.2 km of 9 km/h running last Sunday. I added a little to that the next day, so as of tomorrow, my budget will be 47 km, whereas I'm only at 41 km now. Think I'll do some laps tomorrow rather than rest and see whether I can still do at least 300 m stretches at 10 km/h without problems. That will give me a chance to see if the Isetan visitor now is worth visiting/adding to the map (usually, I add no matter what, but I don't need every hotel with a patisserie counter, since I've yet to find any worth bothering with, as far as their in-house stuff.

Paris S'eveille: Monsieur Arnaud

I went a not very direct (at least at the beginning) route down to Jiyugaoka by bicycle. First I went to Cuoca, got some 7.5 cm brioche forms (I may finally have enough, although maybe not for cheesecake pie tartlets, which might require 18), some carob powder (I'm curious abut carob brownies), and cacao mass (usually I substitute powder in brownies without replacing the missing fat and like the results, but my fudge brownies are completely unfudgie, at least until I start substituting in almond powder for flour; in short, I'm not good about following recipes and it's not because I know better).

Then I went to Paris S'éveille to have great cake, which I was successful at. I got the Monsieur Arnaud for 650 yen + 8% tax and hot Choco a l'Orange for 760 yen + 8%. The drink was good, although not necessary (actually, buying a drink might have been necessary to eat in and they are all about the same level of priciness). The cake is chocolate cream on top of and between probably milk chocolate above a hazelnut base. The bottom of he base is definitely baked cake (with hazelnut power), then the middle of the base has large pieces of nuts, but there was another praline layer on top that probably has a specific technical name, but I don't know enough, even if I throw out terms sometimes when someone provides them in a description. This great cake has some similarities to recent chocolate cakes from other great stores that I referred to as almost chocolate bar like maybe, but this one pushed back the balance someone toward cake and was better for it, I think.


Having had great cake, I decided to visit a shop Joshi+ posted on that I rightly had low expectations of. I should really stay away from these homemade style shops. This one was Kabocha, which does this with kabocha, which is the standard Japanese pumpkin equivalent. Basically, they do pie-like tarts. I tried the Kabocha Chibust, apparently, although I thought the name listed was Caramel Pumpkin, but it doesn't really matter. I was definitely okay, but not enough to get me back.

Being completely greedy today for some reason, I stopped at Fraoula, where I got meringue cookies (actually, Muguet, "Lily"), despite urging to get some fresh cake sometime (I'm a little too recognizable, so they know I haven't bought cake there for some time, despite once being a frequent customer). I had already eaten almost half of these at the time of taking the picture, because they are excellent (I need to hide them now).

Definitely Excellent Tokyo cake shops and Kyunakasendo History and Culture course

Haven't been able to train because of a cold, so I didn't try increase my distance. Also, very slow. I had gone out early in the morning, as there was a pause in the raining and the weather report then was rain at 1 mm/h from noon to 6 pm (whereas <1 mm at 9). The heaviest rain was coming back, although naturally from 1 pm it's been dry.

I manged 7.62 of slow running to get to the start of the Kyunakasendo History and Culture course.

The first part is the Land of "Yukari" Yoshino Cherry Walk from Komagome Station through a winding  path around cemeteries to Koshinuka Station and then as the Itabashi Guest House Walk continues up the same road to Itabashihoncho Station. There was one confusing marker that I had to go back and check early on (it was rotated, so I misinterpreted its recommended route) and the main straight shot switches sides of the road a few times with no warning (there isn't really any mechanism in their system from crossing the road and continuing in the same direction, other than to put a marker on the other side of the road and hope people notice). Due to some doubling back, it as a very slow 6.67 km.

During the H&C course running, after the 1 hour mark of the today run, I stopped at a 7-11 for a Caramel & Crunch Donut, which is 317 kcal, 2.8 g protein, and 120 yen. This is a good donut. And a donut is cheap, convenient cake. So when I buy fresh cake, I want something better than a donut, something excellent, to feel that it was worth the money and effort.

I just got slower from there for the next 5.05 to French Pound House. I choose this because it is close to the route (which I followed back, at least the long straight bit) and I had had written that it was good but never posted about it. I chose L'automne, which is kabocha (pumpkin/squash) with almond clusters on top and layers of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate cream, for 395 yen + 8% tax. I ate in, so there was also Early Grey teat for 450 yen + tax. The cake was good, although the cake part was a little different, sort of pancake like, in being a little rubbery, in the sense of resisting my fork, but no taste or texture problems. The taste was fine (the kabocha taste seems to go fine with the others, although its contribution is subtle). As I said, the cake was only good, so I could as well have had another donut.

If the previous was super slow, the last 6.75 km home was ex-super slow, but I don't need to track below very slow, so I'll just say that I ran 7.6 slow and 18.5 very slow.

Continuing the discussion of yesterday, of having identified 7 definitely great cake shops (sells enough great cake while avoiding good or worse cake) and 2 that are tentatively ranked great but need further review, I have 35(?) excellent cake shops. Doing the math, that's four time as many, so I should top up all my greats to 8 cakes before I worry about bring my excellent ones to 2 cakes, though I have to make use of the opportunities I have, and my first priority for the weekend is doing new history and culture courses.

The few definitely (relatively) excellent cake shops are as follows:

(1) Aigre-Douce. Near Mejiro Station. This is so French, I see French people visit there. Definitely some excellent and great cakes. It's a pretty big place and does a lot of business.

(2) Au Bon Vieux Temps (Kawata Pere Fils). Way out there in Oyamadai, two stations west from Jiyugaoka.

(3) Bigarreaux. On Sazae-san street south from Sakurashimmachi. Not huge, and only two tables for eating in, but nice.

(4) Fraoula. Actually, for cake, this fails as excellent, because of too many good and an only okay cake, but some excellent/great baked goods (croissant and bostock, particularly).

(5) Lettre d'Amour. In Shirogane. Has café. Never seem to be very busy, though.

(6) Origines Cacao. In Jiyugaoka. Very close to being great.

(7) Ryoco. In Takanawa, not so far from Lettre d'Amour. No café and very busy (expect a line or early sell-out).

These all started out as Great or "Worthy", which is why I've had enough visits to nail down their excellence. The other 28, which I won't list, will require time to sort through. I hope to get there, but don't want to divert too much attention from the great shops.