Lenôtre, Schuss Fraise

Monday, because of a cake-off win with a seasonal cake, I went to Lenôtre at Ginza Mitsukoshi for a new cake, which was also seasonal. My target was actually a different cake that I had only imagined, having not looked closely apparently (or just misremembered), but the real cake, Schuss Fraise, looked fine (there is a season glass dessert, but never my first choice). This is a "rare" (unbaked) cheese mousse cake. I'm usually more a baked cheesecake person, though the dual rare+baked one are often the best. Anyway, their usual is citrus, but this one uses strawberries on top and strawberries and raspberries (for some tang) for the sauce. Definitely excellent, though when I reviewed, the Schuss Citron was also definitely excellent, so I shouldn't have been surprised. It doesn't get them back into the quite exceptional category, but they aren't far off, so something will eventually slip low enough that they'll get another chance at a new cake.

The exercise was running there and fast walking back, followed by dancercise, though I skipped other indoor exercises.

Pièce Montée: Fromage Cru

Monday, I ran some revised neighborhood loops, only semi-successfully. The Minami-Aoyama east loop was successful clockwise and the Minami-Motomachi--Moto-Akasaka loop was successful counterclockwise, only I decided to change it on the fly, so now I need to run it clockwise again. Also, since now I'm allowing links through subway access tunnels, I should had a Kita-Aoyama east loop (which has at least part of the park-like part of Meiji-Jinguu Gaien, as well as a children's park on the public housing side, but it was the return of Starbucks that really triggered my considering it (there is also a Japanese confectionery, which I may or may not included, depending my next look in the shop when it's open). So I'm adding nearby loops I need to do faster than I can catch up back to expanding outward. No cake that day, but I was feeling like pizza and tried some place that I won't bother to name. Not the worst, but probably never need to go back.

Tuesday was an indoor workout day, so I just used a bicycle to go to
Pièce Montée to get a 5th cake, to try to resolve the boundary between exceptional and quite fine shops (it's the shops with just one great cake that are the problem). Since I've had luck with them lately (and the selection is pretty small), I went with Fromage Cru. Workout went fine, as the did the cake. I'm rating this as definitely good: very nice balance of raspberry (there's filling) and cheesecake, but simple, with a tart base. Note sure that I got the "feather" and the raspberry back in the correct locations after I got it home, but seems somewhat reasonable.

L'Abricotier, Fromage Cru

Tried the Daita--Daizawa--Hatagaya--Kamiyama-chou--Kitazawa--Motoyoyogi-chou--Nishihara--Ooyama-chou--Shouto--Tomigaya--Uehara loop again, starting at about 7:40 am. I realized that I would actually feel bad if I was successful, because I've gotten used to running it, or at least starting to run it. No danger: I got the new part added for the shrine I discovered last time, corrected the mistake from last time, and made (after reaching the far west edge of the loop) the following turn that I was worried about late time and found that I couldn't remember what to do after that. Not what I did, as it happens, so I wrapped things up around 9:40 am.

From there, I set off for cake from L'Abricotier, which was closer than I expected, so I around more than half an your early (under their recent business hours). It wouldn't have been bad to wait, except, I was wet from the rain. Running and wet isn't so bad, but it's not warm enough for standing and wet. I went to Kouenji Stn., which isn't actually very interesting, and read news on my phone before returning. It was still raining and I was still a little early (though now there were people waiting), so I ran for about ten minutes to keep warm. I decided to eat out (and let someone go ahead of me, who took the last seat, while I was deciding what to get) so I got takeout. My spreadsheet showed I had never had Fromage Cru (rare cheesecake), which surprised me, though it's not something I usually go for, so I got that as my 20th type of cake from them. Obviously, there is fruit on it, and and a little of the inside was fruit-flavored, but it is not obvious what. Probably a red fruit mixture. As it happens, I was in the mood for Fromage Cru, which apparently I should get more of. I'll need to remember how today's was and compare it to Dalloyau's, which is still hanging on the greats list. This one hit me right, so I can call it excellent.

Takano: Rare Cheese

Decided to swing by Isetan to see if there were any unexpected changes for August (not that I found) and check out the line up at Yu Sasage (which didn't have either of the cakes that I was looking for), which is visiting from today (next week is a non-Tokyo shop, so outside my interest). Didn't get anything there, so I went to one of the last two remaining neighborhood shops that have branches in that area, Takano (the shop on the neighborhood map is the counter at Toukyuu Food Show, in Shibuya), which has their own building in Shinjuku near the station and has take-out cake in the basement, with access from the subway corridor. I decided to get what I think was called just Rare Cheese, which is a rare cheese dome over a short roll cake (double-layer) base around a peach center, I think. It was definitely good, though moist spongy cake is not my thing, but a nice change, actually, so I'm pleasantly surprised, especially based on other cakes from fruit dessert shops.

The running was long, 90 minutes. I did the neighborhood course (one way), picking off various loops that don't lead to any other loops: Sendagaya northwest loop (going through the heart of Harajuku), then down and around to Jinnan (which is actually outside the Yamanote Line, so forget what I said about inside being my priority), and then back up past Harajuku Station to the Sendagaya west and southwest loops, which are pretty out of the way. So that means the next options are to go outward from Yoyogi Park, which takes a while to get to and then to get down to near the northwest side of Shibuya Stn., where the isolated loops are, or down to the new Shibuya east loop, and there will be a tiny loop even east of that just to pick up the Lindt shop there north of the station. Also, the Shibuya--Minami-Aoyama Loop wouldn't be bad; it's farther than the Nishi-Azabu loops, but short. Before, those, though, I think I have add a new loop in Kitaaoyama going through Gaien, now that the pedestrian bridges are repaired across Aoyama-douri there; I also need to get some photos to go with that, as well as some scattered ones of places that I've added on current routes.

Limevert: Fromage Citron

I planned cycling today when I was thinking that I would run longer on Saturday and would need the rest in order to run again on Monday, which is still somewhat true. It certainly will keep me from being worried about the weekday runs and I'm going to try again to do a 40+ km run next weekend, so it doesn't hurt to keep things lighter this weekend. Still, I planned longer (30+ km), and got more lost, making it even long, because I was cycling.

First I went up to Aigre-Douce again, just because I missed seeing or at least remembering their cake that was planned as the primary in the next cake-off (I found it this time). Then I continued along Mejiro Avenue to Yamanote Avenue and turned off onto Honan Avenue, which was correct, but

turned too early from there, though at least was going south. I eventually got to Limevert, where I got the Fromage Citron (540 yen), chosen somewhat arbitrarily from things I haven't had, but it was definitely excellent. It's cheesecake, of course, with rare cheesecake on top (mousse) accented with lemon and a thin solid layer of baked cheesecake on the bottom with another layer of citrus (the card only mentioned lemon, but the color was different here and not as sour, but it could have been lemon too). Note sure whether the fruit helped or hurt it, but I'd be curious to have it without.

Maison g Tokyo: Fromage Cru and Manjari

Had some time in the middle of the day, so I wanted to do a training run of two laps around the imperial moat course at 11.0 km/h, but was still feeling tired from yesterday's run (when I was still tired from the day before's sprints). It ended up being one lap (5 km) at 12.0 km/h, just barely (by a few seconds seconds). I got 30 seconds ahead early on (from the 3.5 km), on the downhill part and need them on the back end.

For cake, I visited Isetan again and took advantage of Maison g Tokyo's special cakes (so many, that I'm suspecting the actual shop has a small selection). These were their Fromage Cru and Manjari (for 540 and 648 yen). The first is rare cheese cake, and had a thin fruit layer that looked like fig, though I couldn't tell. The other is named for chocolate of the famous brand Vorhona and was chocolate mousse, cream, and buiscuit (I think; the memory is fading) that was raspberry flavored, but much better balanced than my recent macaron ganache. Both of these were excellent, I think. Sorry for the shadow; I was in a hurry, as I was also heating water for coffee and tea (I didn't each two pieces alone).

So finally I have another candidate shop for the "excellent" Tokyo Patisserie list that could stay past the first cake (which I'm willing to accept, though I had been going for getting three cakes each). Still need Octobre or 14 Juillet Tokyo to pan out to really have 30 excellent shops from which I can select about 10 to be my third-tier Tokyo cake shops, after "supreme" and "superb".

Frédéric Cassel: Violet

Was over near Ginza at night, so I went over to get a ninth cake from Frédéric Cassel, Violet, a seasonal cake, for 777 yen. This is a two-layer cheese cake, with rare cheese mousse over a baked cheese cake. On top and between is cassis, so there is a mild red berry taste rather than a lemon taste. The crust gave the impression of a graham cracker crust. It does not really redefine cheesecake, but it well combines several version and is excellent (and maybe there only another week).

That's two great shops in a row, so I'll aim lower next, probably Tuesday, depending on the weather. I've got my eye on a new place (to me) blogged by Sweet Sonobe. On the great shops' front, I miscounted: Jean-Paul Hevin is up to 15 cakes posted. The others are at 9 now, except Dalloyao, which is 13, and Henri le Roux, which only ever has the same 4 cakes. If I get all seven shops all up to 10, then I'll feel obliged to finally get back to Clover and Piece Montée (which was tonight's backup) to get all the potentially excellent ones up to 2 cakes each.

Paris S'éveille: Comme Newyorkais

Went to Paris S'éveille and actually parked my bicycle at a legal parking spot. I've never used there and did not really realize it was so close (although it is on the other side of the RR crossing). I also obeyed the little sign on the table that I had not noticed previously, which said don't take pictures, as it disturbed other guests, which is reasonable but unfortunate.   

I got their New York style cheese cake, Comme Newyorkais. Here's what it looks like:

I have no complaints, as far as it being as advertised. The little cookie-like topping tastes like my traditional pie crusts, so I assume it is oil-based rather than butter-based, whereas the bottom of the cake is a sponge to soak up some of the moisture, which works. I'd say it was excellent, but still not a priority for me. I tend to like it more during than after. This was 580 yen and they let me not order a drink, which I appreciate, because the drinks are more than the cake, so presumably that's where the profit is.

Later, I also got a Choux Creme from Glycine for 380 yen, which was very good, but I realized that I need to stop getting these, because I don't really like Choux Creme that much, or at least, I don't like them enough that I want to eat a whole one, but I would split one with someone, much like ice cream (which they are closer to in taste than cake).

I also went to Cuoca, mostly hardware but some chocolate and decoration-type cocoa powder. I stuck to the about 1000 yen/200 g chocolate rather than the 4000+/200 g stuff because, wow, that's why chocolates are so expensive.

Sadaharu Aoki: Cheese Cake Citronné

Raining today, so I went to Isetan first and got Cheese Cake Citronné from Sadaharu Aoki for 730 yen, since I haven't had great cake for a few days (although I went to a couple potentially great shops that I've since demoted to excellent or potentially excellent).

It was raining but I still ran. It was not running that hard and I was not planning to run that long. My upper limit of running for the week is 15 km. My knee was not completely happy from the beginning, but it did not seem to get worse. I jogged 3 km.

I'm not a big rare cheesecake fan, but this was very delicious, from the crust to the cheese. It's lemon cheesecake. Citronné apparently means "lemon juiced" as a verb. I liked it very much and I'll call it great.

Ginza jog to Frédéric Cassel at Mitsukoshi: Passion (updated)

Still feeling a little off, although the rainy weather might be related. Was able to jog to Ginza and back, though. It's probably not the first time I've bought from Frédéric Cassel, since I've been at Ginza Mitsukoshi and wanted cake in the past and there aren't so many option (but they do have a Jean-Paul Hévin, so no problem always going there). It's been years, though. Their visit to Shinjuku Isetan drew my attention, so I'm finally getting around to visiting them.

I got the Passion, which is passion fruit baked cheese cake layer, and a rare cheese cake layer, and a little raspberry coulis in between. The weirdest part about it is that there are two crusts at the bottom. The top one seems to be a passion fruit flavored biscuit. It was 756 yen, which is steep, but great, and no geese died to make it, as far as I know, so good job Fred. I'll need to get back there, although the only thing else that they had near closing time was the lemon tart, which would be okay, but not usually my first choice.